| Norfolk State University | |
|---|---|
Seal of Norfolk State University |
|
| Motto | "Achieving With Excellence" |
| Established | 1935 |
| Type | Public, HBCU |
| Endowment | US $21.5 million |
| President | Tony Atwater |
| Academic staff | 285 |
| Undergraduates | 5,400 |
| Postgraduates | 835 |
| Location | Norfolk, Virginia, United States |
| Campus | Urban, 134 acres (0.5 km2) |
| Former names | Norfolk State Unit of Virginia Union University Norfolk Polytechnic College Virginia State College Norfolk State College |
| Academic Affiliations | VHTP U.S. Census Bureau Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund |
| Colors | Green and Gold |
| Athletics | NCAA Division I |
| Nickname | Spartans |
| Affiliations | MEAC |
| Website | nsu.edu |
Norfolk State University (NSU) is a four-year, state-supported, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership.
Contents |
The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has accredited Norfolk State to award associate, baccalaureate, master and doctoral degrees.[1] Currently, Norfolk State offers two doctorate and 15 master's degrees, including Master's degree programs in Optical Engineering, Computer Science, and Criminal Justice. The school also offers 36 undergraduate degrees, with a new degree being offered in Optical Engineering.
Norfolk State's undergraduate and graduate programs are divided into eight schools/colleges.[2]
|
|
| Samuel Fischer Scott | Director | 1935 – 1938 |
| Lyman Beecher Brooks | Director | 1938 – 1963 |
| President | 1969 – 1975 | |
| Harrison Wilson, Jr. | President | 1975 – 1997 |
| Marie McDemmond | President | 1997 – 2006 |
| Carolyn Meyers | President | 2006 – 2010 |
| Tony Atwater | President | 2011–present |
The institution was founded in 1935 as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University (VUU).[3] Eighty-five students attended the first classes held in 1935. Mr. Samuel Fischer Scott, an alumnus of Virginia Union and Portsmouth native, served as the first director with the primary focus of maintaining the solvency of the school. Dr. Lyman Beecher Brooks, a Virginia Union alumnus, succeeded Mr. Scott as director in 1938, and served as provost, 1963–1969, and the first president 1969-1975.
In 1942, the school became independent of VUU and was named Norfolk Polytechnic College.[3] Within two years, by an act of the Virginia Legislature, it became a part of Virginia State College (now Virginia State University).[3] By 1950, the 15th anniversary of the College founding, the faculty had grown to fifty and the student enrollment to 1,018. In 1952, the College's athletic teams adopted the "Spartan" name and identity.
The City of Norfolk provided a permanent site for the college on Corprew Avenue, and in 1955 Brown Hall, formerly Tidewater Hall, opened as the first permanent building on the new campus. In 1956 Norfolk State College granted its first bachelor's degrees.
In 1969, the college divided from Virginia State College and was named Norfolk State College. The College was issued accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools the same year with an enrollment of 5,400 students. In 1975 and the year following, the first Master’s degrees were awarded in Communications and Social Work, respectively. Dr. Harrison Benjamin Wilson, Jr., in 1975, succeeded Dr. Lyman Beecher Brooks as President after 37 years.
When the college was granted university status in 1979 by the General Assembly of Virginia, it changed its name to Norfolk State University.
Norfolk State University celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1985 with a year of observances and with an enrollment of 7,200. In 1995 Norfolk State University's enrollment reached 9,112.
Upon the retirement of Dr. Harrison Benjamin Wilson in 1997, Dr. Marie Valentine McDemmond, became NSU’s third President in 1997 and served until her retirement. Dr. Carolyn Winstead Meyers was selected as the fourth President and began service on July 1, 2006. Dr. Tony Atwater was announced as the new president in 2011.
Located on the former site of the 50-acre (202,343 m2) Memorial Park Golf Course, which the city of Norfolk sold to the school for one dollar, the campus now encompasses 134 acres (0.5 km2) of land and 31 buildings at (36.8495922, -76.2627174)[4] [5] The Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall is a large health, physical education, and ROTC complex with a seating capacity of 7,500. Other facilities include a 30,000-seat football stadium; a television studio and radio station, an African art museum, and a multi-purpose performing arts center. Research facilities include a life sciences building with a planetarium and a materials research wing with crystal growth, organic synthesis, laser spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance equipment.
In September 2009, the New Student Center facility opened. The three story building, which includes a game room, a dining area, a new bookstore, a wellness center (work-out facility), student lounges, and administrative offices, marks the first of two major projects for NSU.
Work on a new library, currently scheduled to open in 2011, is underway. Other recent construction on the campus includes the new police station (2006), the Marie V. McDemmond Center for Applied Research (2006), and the Spartan Suites Apartments (2005).
|
Campus organizations
The below list includes organizations registered with the Norfolk State University Office of Student Actitvities for the 2007-2008 academic year.[6]
|
The university offers organized and informal co-curricular activities including 63 student organizations, leadership workshops, intramural activities, student publications and student internships.
The Marching Spartan Legion Band performs at campus events and during Norfolk State football games. They were featured performers in the Honda Battle of the Bands in 2007 and 2008.
All nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations currently have chapters at Norfolk State University. These organizations are:
| Organization | Symbol | Chapter | Chapter Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Kappa Alpha | ΑΚA | Delta Epsilon | ΔE |
| Alpha Phi Alpha | ΑΦΑ | Epsilon Pi | EΠ |
| Delta Sigma Theta | ΔΣΘ | Epsilon Theta | EΘ |
| Iota Phi Theta | IΦΘ | Delta | Δ |
| Kappa Alpha Psi | ΚΑΨ | Epsilon Zeta | EZ |
| Omega Psi Phi | ΩΨΦ | Pi Gamma | ΠΓ |
| Phi Beta Sigma | ΦΒΣ | Delta Zeta | ΔZ |
| Sigma Gamma Rho | ΣΓΡ | Gamma Nu | ΓN |
| Zeta Phi Beta | ΖΦΒ | Zeta Gamma | ZΓ |
The Council of Independent Organizations includes:
| Organization | Symbol | Chapter | Chapter Symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mu Omicron Gamma | ΜΟΓ | Gamma | Γ |
| Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia | ΦΜΑ | Rho Mu | PΜ |
| Pi Sigma Epsilon | ΠΣΕ | Epsilon Tau | ΕΤ |
| Tau Beta Sigma | ΤΒΣ | Epsilon Sigma | EΣ |
| Kappa Kappa Psi | KKΨ | Iota Xi | ΙΞ |
| Alpha Phi Omega | ΑΦΩ | Phi Mu | ΦΜ |
The Spartan Echo is the official student-produced newspaper of Norfolk State University. The paper is available in a print (available twice a month) and online (updated daily). The online edition was awarded Best Online Site and Best Online Video by the Black College Communication Association in 2009.
Norfolk State operates WNSB(FM) radio, which broadcasts in stereo 24 hours a day from the campus and covers all of the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, reaching the Eastern Shore of Virginia, northeast North Carolina and the Richmond, Virginia suburbs.[7] Established on February 22, 1980 and known as "Hot 91.1", WNSB's programming is also broadcast via the internet. [1] [7][8]
Norfolk State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision for all sports including football) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Norfolk State was formerly a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference (1953–1960) and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1962–1996).[9]
This list of notable faculty and staff contains current and former faculty, staff and presidents of the Norfolk State University.
| Name | Department | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Na'im Akbar | Psychology | Clinical psychologist, prominent lecturer, and author on the psychology of Africans | [10] |
| Anthony Evans | Athletic | Current interim head men’s basketball coach at Norfolk State University and former head coach at Delhi Tech (Delhi, N.Y.) and Ulster County Community College (Kingston, N.Y.) | [11] |
| Yacob Haile-Mariam | Business | an elected member of the Ethiopian parliament and a former Senior Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda | |
| Adolphus Hailstork | Music | former professor of music and Composer-in-Residence at Norfolk State | [12] |
| Robert R. Jennings | Administration | current president of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University | |
| Yvonne B Miller | Professor Emeritus | Democratic State Senator who represents the 5th Senatorial District of the Commonwealth of Virginia. | [13] |
| Steve Riddick | Athletic | Olympic gold medal winner and former Norfolk State University coach |
This is a partial list of notable alumni which includes graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of Norfolk State University or predecessors such as Norfolk State College.
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willard Bailey | 1962 | former head football coach at Virginia Union University, Norfolk State University, and Saint Paul's College | |
| Gordon Banks | guitarist, producer, writer and musical director | [14] | |
| Al Beard | former ABA player for the New Jersey Americans | [15] | |
| Ron Bolton | 1972 | former NFL player for the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns | [16] |
| Karen Briggs | Violinist | [17] | |
| Vincent Brothers | convicted American mass murderer | [18] | |
| Don Carey | 2009 | NFL defensive back | [19] |
| Bob Dandridge | 1969 | former NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Washington Bullets | [20] |
| Derek T. Dingle | senior vice president/editor-in-chief of Black Enterprise magazine | [21] | |
| Ray Epps | 1977 | former NBA player for the Golden State Warriors | [22] |
| Evelyn J. Fields | 1971 | former director of the Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Corps Operations and the NOAA Commissioned Corps. She was the first woman and the first African American to hold this position. | [23] |
| Future Man | percussionist and member of the jazz quartet Béla Fleck and the Flecktones | [24] | |
| Willie Gillus | former NFL player for the Green Bay Packers | [25] | |
| Paul Hines | football coach and the inspiration for Denzel Washington's character in the Disney film Remember the Titans | ||
| Pee Wee Kirkland | First-round NBA draft pick (1969, Chicago Bulls) and notable Rucker Park street basketball star. As a junior, he teamed with Bob Dandridge, and was named to the all-tournament team at the NCAA Mideast Regional in 1967. | [26] | |
| Jose Jamier | 2006 | Professional Writer, Griot and Motivational Speaker, Member of Omega Psi Phi | [27] |
| Ray Jarvis | former NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and the New England Patriots | [28] | |
| Lee Johnson | former NBA player for the Detroit Pistons; selected as the 72nd player (22ndth player in the 3rd round) in the 1988 NBA Draft | [29] | |
| Leroy Jones | former NFL player for the San Diego Chargers | [30] | |
| Nathan McCall | former reporter for the Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and The Washington Post and the author of the best selling book Makes Me Wanna Holler | ||
| Jon McKinney | former NBA player for the Boston Celtics; selected as the 55th player (4th player in the 4th round) in the 1970 NBA Draft | [31] | |
| Yvonne B Miller | Democratic State Senator who represents the 5th Senatorial District of the Commonwealth of Virginia | [13] | |
| David Pope | 1984 | former NBA player for the Utah Jazz, Kansas City Kings, and the Seattle SuperSonics | [32] |
| Ken Reaves | former NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and the St. Louis Cardinals | [33] | |
| Tim Reid | 1968 | comedian, actor, director | [34] |
| Randall Robinson | African-American lawyer, author and activist, who is noted as the founder of TransAfrica | [35] | |
| James Edward Roe | 1995 | former NFL player for the Baltimore Ravens and Arena Football League player for the San Jose SaberCats | [36] |
| Shawn Z. Tarrant | 1998 | member, Maryland House of Delegates | |
| Andrew Warren | 1993 | former U.S. diplomat to Algeria | [27] |
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
|||||