Virginia State University

Virginia State University is a historically black, land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Ettrick, Chesterfield County, near Petersburg, Virginia. Founded on March 6, 1882, Virginia State developed as the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

History


Following the American Civil War, William Mahone (1826–1895) of Petersburg, Virginia was the driving force in 1870 to combine the Norfolk and Petersburg, South Side and the Virginia & Tennessee railroads to form the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad (AM&O). The new line extended from Norfolk to Bristol. After the AM&O struggled to operate for several years under receiverships, the railroad was sold at auction in 1881 and became part of the Norfolk and Western Railway.

Mahone, a former Confederate general, led Virginia's Readjuster Party. He was a major proponent of public schools for the education of freedmen and free blacks. Elected by the state legislature as a United States Senator from Virginia, he arranged for the proceeds of the AM&O sale to help found a normal school for black teachers near Petersburg. Alfred W. Harris, a black attorney who was a state delegate, introduced the bill that established the institute. In 1882, the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute at Ettrick was established.

"The next morning I asked my father about the school for coloured people, which was being projected under the influence of General Mahone at Petersburg, now a State Normal School. He told me much about it. It was to open the following fall. The Hon. John M. Langston, he said, a coloured man who was as well educated as any white person that he knew of, was to be the president. He said I might go if I wished and that he would do what he could to help me. It being a state school, and he having certain strong friends in the Republican Party (General Mahone among them), Hon. B.S. Hooper, a member of Congress from the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia, would probably arrange for me to have a scholarship." Virginia State's first president was John Mercer Langston, former dean of Howard University's law school, and later elected to Congress as the first African-American Representative from Virginia (and the last until 1972). The board of trustees was composed of prominent African-American men, with one seat for a white man. Until the mid-1960s, following federal civil rights legislation that ended racial segregation, the faculty of the collegiate program and the normal school was exclusively African American.

In response to the 1890 Amendments to the federal Morrill Act, Virginia designated the normal school as one of its land grant colleges. The United States Congress required that states either open their land-grant colleges (supported by all taxpayers) to all races or else establish additional land-grant educational facilities for blacks. Following the Reconstruction era, white Democrats had regained power in the Virginia state legislature (and across the former Confederacy); they had established Jim Crow racial segregation in public facilities, including schools and colleges.

In 1902, the legislature revised the school's charter and renamed it the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute. With expansion of programs and a four-year curriculum, in 1923 the college was renamed Virginia State College for Negroes, shortened to Virginia State College in 1946.

In 1979, the institution's addition of more departments and graduate programs was recognized in a change of name to Virginia State University. Meanwhile, the school's two-year branch in Norfolk, founded in 1935, was expanded to a four-year curriculum and renamed Norfolk State College. Following additional expansion of programs, it is now Norfolk State University.

On July 1, 2010, President Keith T. Miller was named as the 13th president of Virginia State University. He previously served as President of Lock Haven University. Miller earned his bachelor, master and doctoral degrees from the University of Arizona.

Main Campus


The university has a 236 acre main campus and a 416 acre agricultural research facility. The main campus includes more than 50 buildings, including 15 dormitories and 16 classroom buildings. The main campus sits atop a rolling landscape overlooking the Appomattox River in Ettrick, Virginia near Petersburg.



Branch Hall
Branch Hall is a freshmen female residence hall at Virginia State University and was erected during the 1949-1950 academic year. This four story, five-wing residence hall is named for the late Mary E. Branch, the first graduate of the institution to become president of a college. In 1930 she became the first Black woman to be appointed the president of Tillotson Teachers' College in Austin Texas. Each wing in Branch Hall is equipped with one community bathroom.

Byrd Hall
Byrd Hall, a freshmen female residence hall was named in honor of The Honorable Harry Flood Byrd, Former Governor of Virginia. This five story, nine wing residence hall was erected during the 1929-1930 school year from funds derived from the Noell Act and from appropriations made by the General Education Board. Byrd Hall is equipped with three large air-conditioned lobbies, individual air conditioning units in each room, recreational areas, a quiet study room, laundry facilities and a computer lab that has high speed internet connectivity. Each wing of Byrd Hall shares a community bathroom.

Howard Hall
Howard Hall, a female freshmen residence hall, was named in honor of Otelia Sheild Howard an English teacher and an adviser to the Virginia Statesman newspaper. Howard Hall features central air- conditioning throughout the building and two community bathrooms per floor. It also has laundry facilities and a computer lab with Internet and word processing capabilities.

Eggleston Hall
Eggleston Hall, an all female residence hall for freshmen students, is named in honor of Dr. Joseph D. Eggleston. Eggleston was a former member of the Board of Visitors at Virginia State College. This three-story brick residence hall was completed in the 1927-1928 academic school year. This residence hall features an air-conditioned lobby area where students can relax, laundry facilities and a computer lab with Internet and word processing capabilities.

Puryear Hall
Puryear Hall, a four-story, freshmen male residence hall was erected in 1959 and is named in honor of Rev. Thomas Puryear, a former Dean of Men, football and baseball coach at Virginia State University. Puryear Hall features an air-conditioned lobby and recreation room where students can relax along with two community bathrooms on each floor. It also has laundry facilities and a computer lab with internet and word processing capabilities.

Quad Hall
Quad Hall is a co-educational residence hall completed in the 2010-2011 academic year. The Quad consist of two L-shaped residence halls connected by a singular lobby.

The two buildings (Quad A and B) house 458 national exchange, and upper-class students. Quad Hall includes one and two-bedroom units with both handicap and hearing impaired units. All double rooms are equipped with a private bathroom and all single rooms are suite style (two singles share one bathroom). Amenities include study lounges on each floor, computer laboratories, laundry facilities, smart classrooms, multipurpose rooms and a kitchen in each building. Shared spaces between the two buildings will include a central main entrance and lobby, a main commons area, a wellness center, a game room and a beauty/barber salon.

Seward Hall
Seward Hall, a three-story brick co-educational residence hall, was erected in 1926-1927. This three-story residence hall was named for Hatcher S. Seward, a member of the Board of Visitors from Petersburg. Seward is equipped with air conditioners in each room for the resident’s convenience and features laundry facilities, mail service and a computer lab that has internet access. Each floor of Seward Hall is equipped with two community bathrooms.

Williams Hall
Williams Hall, a freshmen male residence hall, was named in honor of Professor Daniel Barclay Williams who taught at the college for many years. This three story, 6 wing building was begun in 1934 and completed in 1935. Williams Hall is equipped with an air-conditioned lobby where students can relax, a recreational area, laundry facilities and a computer lab that has internet access and word processing capabilities. It is also equipped with one community bathroom per wing.

Langston Hall
Langston Hall, a freshmen co-educational honors hall was built in the 1928-1929 school year and named for Mr. John Mercer Langston, the first president of the Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute. Langston Hall has been completely renovated and features a lobby where students can relax on the first floor, as well as, lounges on each floor. Although it is a co-educational residence hall, each floor or wing is designated as male or female only. The residence hall has laundry facilities, mail services and a computer lab that has internet access and word processing capabilities. This residence hall contains single rooms, single suites, double rooms and double suites.

Moore Hall
Moore Hall, a co-educational suite style residence hall was completed in August 2008. It is named in honor of Eddie N. Moore, Jr. the universities 12th president and his wife Elisia. Students are able to choose from the following floor plans: Suite A (4-party single), Suite B (4-party double), Suite C (2-party single), Suite E (single suite). Each suite in Moore Hall is equipped with a refrigerator and microwave along with personal room controls for heat and air conditioning. The hall boasts of smart classrooms, a computer lab, laundry facilities, a game room, wellness center and salon.

Quad Hall A & B
Quad Hall is a co-educational residence hall completed in 2010. The Quad consist of two L-shaped residence halls connected by a singular lobby. The two buildings (Quad A and B) house 458 national exchange, and upper-class students. Quad Hall includes one and two-bedroom units with both handicap and hearing impaired units. All double rooms are equipped with a private bathroom and all single rooms are suite style (two singles share one bathroom). Amenities include study lounges on each floor, computer laboratories, laundry facilities, smart classrooms, multipurpose rooms and a kitchen in each building. Shared spaces between the two buildings will include a central main entrance and lobby, a main commons area, a wellness center, a game room and a beauty/barber salon.

The Student Village Complex
Demolished May 2012

Located across from Rogers Stadium, the Student Village Complex or more commonly referred to as "The Vill," provides housing for returning Virginia State University students. The Student Village includes, Taylor-Williams, a female residence hall; Barrett-Jackson and Nicholas Hall; both Co-ed residence halls and Powell Pavilion. Due to its distance from main campus, students often refer to the Student Village Complex as the "The Suburbs" and main campus as "The City."

Taylor-Williams Hall
Taylor-Williams Hall (Buildings A & B) is a residence hall for upper-class females and named in honor of two world renowned alumni of Virginia State University. Dr. Billy Taylor, a jazz musician, and Dr. Camilla Ella Williams an opera artist. This three story, six-wing residence hall was built in 1980 as part of the village complex. Each wing is equipped with two community bathrooms. This residence hall features an air-conditioned lobby on each floor along with a computer lab on the first floor.

Barrett-Jackson Hall
Barrett-Jackson Hall (Student Village Buildings C & D) is a co-ed residence hall named in honor of Miss Julia Louise Barrett the Director of Admissions and Registrar from 1926 to 1965 and Mr. Henry Colson Jackson who served as Dean of Men. This three story, six-wing residence hall was built in 1980 as part of the village complex. Each wing is equipped with two community bathrooms. This residence hall features an air-conditioned lobby on each floor along with a computer lab on the first floor.

Nicholas Hall
Nicholas Hall (Building E), a co-educational upper-class Residence Hall, was named in honor of James F. Nicholas who in 1944 was invited to join the faculty of Virginia State College where he became an instructor in education and principal of the high school. This three story residence hall was built in 1980 as part of the village complex. Each wing is equipped with two community bathrooms. This residence hall features an air-conditioned lobby on each floor along with a computer lab on the first floor.

Academics
This is a list of the departments within each School: The university also has the Office for International Education and the Institute for Study of Race Relations.
 * School of Agriculture
 * Agriculture and Human Ecology
 * Hospitality Management
 * Dietetic Internship, ADA Accredited
 * Cooperative Extension
 * Agriculture Research Station
 * The Reginald F. Lewis School of Business
 * Accounting and Finance
 * Management Information Systems
 * Management and Marketing
 * School of Engineering, Science, and Technology
 * Engineering, Engineering Technology, Industrial Education and Technology
 * Engineering Technology
 * Computer Engineering
 * Industrial Education and Technology
 * Manufacturing Engineering
 * Biology
 * Chemistry and Physics
 * Mathematics and Computer Science
 * Mathematics
 * Computer Programing
 * Psychology
 * Nursing
 * School of Liberal Arts and Education
 * Professional Education Programs
 * Graduate Professional Education Programs
 * Center for Undergraduate Professional Education Programs
 * Health, Physical Education and Recreation
 * History and Philosophy
 * Languages and Literature
 * English
 * Mass Communication
 * Military Science
 * Music, Art and Design
 * Political Science, Public Administration and Economics
 * Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice
 * Bachelor of Individualized Studies
 * School of Graduate Studies, Research, and Outreach (offering Master Degrees in):
 * Biology
 * Career and Technical Studies
 * Counselor Education
 * Criminal Justice
 * Economics
 * Education
 * Educational Administration and Supervision
 * English
 * History
 * Interdisciplinary Studies
 * Mathematics
 * Mass Communications
 * Psychology
 * Sport Management

Demographics
The 2009-2010 student body is 62.2% female and 37.5% male. It consists of 69.7% in-state and 30.3% out-of-state students. 97.2% of students live on campus and 2.8% off-campus. 91.1% of students self-identify as Black/African American, while 4.0% are White, and 4.0% are racially unreported.



Marching band
Directed by, Dr. Mark W Phillips, the VSU Trojan Explosion has approximately 170 members including the Essence of Troy Dancers, The Satin Divas Flag Corps, The Troy Elegance Majorette Squad in addition to the instrumentalists.

Cheerleading
Originally led by head coach Dr. Paulette Johnson for 35 years the Woo Woo's are a nationally recognized cheerleading squad known for original, up-tempo and high energy performances. The 30 member squad is composed of young women from all over the country. The squad focuses on community service as well as promoting school spirit. Tryouts are held annually during the spring semester for VSU full-time students. Instructional camps and workshops are offered throughout the state. In 2001, the University granted the Woo Woo Alumni chapter its initial charter. The organization has a rapidly growing membership that is actively involved in the promotion of the squad and its individual members. Shandra Claiborne, a former woo woo,is now in charge of cheerleading for all Virginia State University athletic teams.

Notable alumni
This list includes graduates, non-graduate former students and current students of Virginia State University.