Fayetteville State University Has Long ArJ Cnteresting History
Fayetteville State Uni
versity is the most recent
name given to an institu
tion with a long and in
teresting history.
At the close of the Civil
War, the need to provide
for the schooling of black
children was acrucial pro
blem over the South. In
1867, seven progressive
black citizens - David
Bryant, Nelson Carter,
Matthew N. Leary, A. J.
Chesnutt, Robert
Simmons, George Grainer,
and Thomas Lomax - paid
8140 for a lot on Gillespie
Street in Fayetteville and:
converted themselves into
a sen-perpetuating ooaru
of Trustees to maintain this
permanent site for educat
ing Mack children in
Fayetteville and the sur
rounding area. One of the
first known friends of Mack
education. General O. O.
Howard of the Freedman’s
Bureau, erected a building
on this site. In his honor,
the institution became
known as the Howard
School. Robert Harris was
chosen as the first princi
pal and served until his
death in 1880.
/ By legislative act in 1877,
the North Carolina General
Assembly provided for the
establishment of a Normal .
School for the Education of
I
Mack teachers. Because of
the small amount of the
proposed appropriation, it
was felt that the money
could be used more ef
fectively if given to an
existing school. Several
areas of the state com
peted to become state
supported, but the Legists
hire chose the Howard
School as the most
promising because of its
success record during the
previous 10 years. It .was -
designated a teacher
training institution and its
name was changed to the
State Colored Normal
School. Charles Waddell
Chesnutt, formerly assist
ant to Principal Harris,
became the second
principal of the institution
in 1880.
In 1883, Principal
Chestnutt resigned and Dr.
Ezekiel Ezra Smith was
selected to fill the vacancy.
On two occasions. Dr.
Smith was called to serve
the U.S. government.
During his first absence
between 1888 and 1805,
George Williams was
chosen to guide the destiny
of the institution. During
Smith's second absence
from 1888 to 1899, Reverend
L. E. Fairley became
acting principal of State
Normal School.
When Dr. Smith retired
as President of the State
Normal School in 1933, the
institution had moved to its
present location on
Murchison Road in
Fayetteville. The size of
the new campus had ex
panded by 42 acres, and
there were eight bright
buildings and several cot
tages on the campus
grounds.
In 1929, aU high school
work was discontinued at
the Normal School. In May
of 1937, the State Board of
- Education authorized the
extension of the course of
study to four years with
aumuniy 10 gram me
. Bachelor of Science degree
in Elementary Education.
In 1939, the name of the
institution was changed to
Fayetteville State
teachers College under the
leadership of Dr. James
Ward Sea brook who served
as president from 1933 until
his retirement in 1956.
Dr Rudolph Jones was
elected President.in 1956.
During his administration,
the curriculum was ex
panded to include majors
- in Secondary Education
and programs leading to
degrees outside the teach
ing field. The name of the
institution was changed to
Fayetteville State College
in IMS.
Under Dr. Jones’ leader
ship, six additions to the
physical plant were
provided to accommodate
a rapidly expanding en
rollment. When Or. Jones
resigned in 1969, a new
Administration Building
was under construction and
the Rudolph Jones Student
Center was on the drawing
board.
In 1969, the institution
acquired its present name
— Fayetteville State
University - and Dr.
Charles “A” Lyons Jr. was
elected President oI the
newly designated “regio
nai university, tty legis
lative act, on July 1, 1972,
FSU became a constituent
institution of the University
of North Carolina and Hr.
Lyons became its first
Chancellor.
- Hallmarks of progress
attributed to the present
administration’s building
program are the Rudolph
Jones Student Center, the
George L. Butler Learning
Center,, and the New Resi
dence Hall. A $4.8 million
ultramodern Science Com
plex named for Chancellor
Lyons was completed and
occupied in the spring of
1961. In the fall of that
same year, construction of
the Administration Build
.. —
ing Annex was completed.
The Center for Continu
ing Education Building re
presents a part of the first
private philanthropic grant
of over $1 million to the
University given by the
Kellogg Founds ban. A new
library is now under con
struction which will
provide stacking space for
over 350,000 volumes and
meet the needs of the
University for some years
to come. FSU has also been
authorized to plan for a
new business administra
tion complex. The institu
tion’s facilities have im
proved fkom a one-building
sc now, ns years ago, to a
campus of 156 acres and 96
buildings with a current
value of over $95 million,
j In addition to physical
facilities, the quality of the
faculty is an area in which
there has been steady
improvement. During the
administration of Dr.
Lyons, the percentage of
faculty with doctorate
degrees has increased
from 25 percent to over 60
percent, one of the highest
in the UNC system.
Academically, KSU seeks
to provide an atmosphere
that encourages intellec
tual creativity and rewards
outstanding scholarship by
providing excellent grad
uate and undergraduate
programs. Hie basic
philosophy at the institu
tion is development at the
whole person, -
Educational opportunity
for military personnel and
others with full time jobs is
provided through the
University’s Fort Bragg
Pope Air Force Base
Extension Center and
through the Weekend and
Evening College. Through
these programs, students
are able to further their
education without inter
rupting their professional
responsibilities.
No longer exclusively •
teacher training institu
tion, FSU is uow classified
as a Comprehensive Level
I University. Within its
College of Arts A Sciences,
School of Education, School
of Business A Economics
and Division, of Graduate
Studies. FSU offers the
Bachelor of Arts Degree in
10 disciplines, the Bachelor
of Science Degree in 24
disciplines, and Master’s
Degree programs in four
disciplines including the
areas of education and
business administration.
Fayetteville. State
University is a proud
institution with an Out
standing history.
• -.'V/f «v ** k**. T “v.. 11/■ } iW r
* Bachelor's Degrees in 34 disciplines
* Associate Degrees in 23 disciplines
* Master's Degrees in 4 disciplines
* Center for Continuing Education
* Weekend 6c Evening College
* Pre-Engineering Curriculum
To learn more about our programs in the
College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business & Economics, School of Education
and Division of Graduate Studies, call die university
where quality and excellence are our primary goals.
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