- Virginia Union University
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Virginia Union University 
Established 1865 Type Private, HBCU Religious affiliation American Baptist Churches USA & National Baptist Convention Endowment $29 million President Dr. Claude G. Perkins Students 1,700 Location Richmond, Virginia,
United States
37°33′45.8″N 77°27′3″W / 37.562722°N 77.45083°WCoordinates: 37°33′45.8″N 77°27′3″W / 37.562722°N 77.45083°WCampus Urban, 84 acres (33.99 ha) Colors Maroon and Steel
Athletics NCAA Division II Nickname Panthers Affiliations Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Website www.vuu.edu Virginia Union UniversityLocation: 1500 N. Lombardy St., Richmond, Virginia, United States Area: 11 acres (4.5 ha) Built: 1899 Architect: John H. Coxhead Architectural style: Richardsonian Romanesque Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 82004590
[1]Added to NRHP: July 26, 1982 Virginia Union University (VUU) is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. VUU's 84-acre (34 ha) campus is located at 1500 North Lombardy Street in Richmond's North Side.
Contents
Mission
Virginia Union University stated mission is to "1) Provide a nurturing intellectually challenging and spiritually enriching environment for learning; 2) Empower students to develop strong moral values for success; and 3) Develop scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners of a global society."[2]
The University was founded in 1865 to give the newly emancipated freedmen an opportunity for education of the mind in an ethical, religious environment. Excellent teaching and enlightened guidance for all students remain the institution's primary emphases. An historically black university, Virginia Union University embraces the uniqueness and contributions of the African Diaspora, celebrating the value of cultural and intellectual diversity. However, enrollment is open to all students without regard to racial background.
Seeking to empower students for the pursuit of life-long learning, the University provides comprehensive undergraduate liberal arts programs and graduate education for Christian ministries. To this end, a guiding principle of the University's educational program is a strong focus upon moral values and ethics, and students are encouraged to engage in activities that promote self-actualization.
History
University presidents Malcolm MacVicar 1899–1904 First President Dr. George Rice Hovey 1904–1918 Second President Mr. William John Clark 1919–1941 Third President Dr. John Malcus Ellison* 1941–1955 Fourth President Dr. Samuel Dewitt Proctor 1955–1960 Fifth President Dr. Thomas Howard Henderson 1960–1970 Sixth President Dr. Allix Bledsoe James 1970–1979 Seventh President Dr. David Thomas Shannon 1979–1985 Eighth President Dr. S. Dallas Simmons 1985–1999 Ninth President Dr. Bernard Wayne Franklin 1999–2003 Tenth President Dr. Belinda C. Anderson 2003–2008 Eleventh President Dr. Claude G. Perkins 2009–present Twelfth President *first VUU alumnus and African-American to serve as President of the University The American Baptist Home Mission Society founded the school in 1865 shortly after Union troops took control of Richmond, Virginia, at the end of the American Civil War. Approximately 4 million former African American slaves, or freedmen, were to become citizens, although many had been deprived of formal education and prevented from becoming literate by Southern state laws. Southern states were in upheaval after the war. Both planters and freedmen were trying to figure out what a free labor market would entail.
Members of the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) proposed a "National Theological Institute" to educate freedmen wishing to enter the Baptist ministry.[3] Soon, the proposed mission was expanded to offer courses and programs at college, high school and even preparatory levels, to both men and women. This effort was the beginning of Virginia Union University.
Separate branches of the National Theological Institute were set up in Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia, with classes beginning in 1867. In Washington, the school became known as Wayland Seminary, named in commemoration of Dr. Francis Wayland, former president of Brown University and a leader in the anti-slavery struggle. The first and only president was Dr. George Mellen Prentiss King, who administered Wayland for thirty years (1867–97). Famous students there included Dr. Booker T. Washington and Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. [3]
In Richmond, the efforts were more difficult. Beginning in 1867, Colver Institute, a VUU predecessor school, was housed in a building long known as Lumpkin's Jail, a former "slave jail" owned by Mrs. Mary Ann Lumpkin, the African-American widow of the deceased white owner. In 1899, the Richmond Theological Institute (formerly Colver Institute) joined with Wayland Seminary of Washington, D.C. to form Virginia Union University at Richmond.
In 1932, the women's college Hartshorn Memorial College,[4][5] established in Richmond, Virginia in 1883, became a part of Virginia Union University. Storer College, an historically black Baptist college in West Virginia (founded in 1867), merged its endowment with Virginia Union in 1964.
Academics
School of Theology
Virginia Union University's Theological training program is called "The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University". The school of theology is known for producing preachers such as Dr. James Henry Harris, Dr John W. Kinney. The School is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium.[6]
Student activities
Athletics
Virginia Union competes in the NCAA Division II in the Eastern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The school has varsity teams in men's basketball, football, cross country, golf, tennis and track and field, and in women's basketball, bowling, cross country, tennis and track and field, softball and volleyball.[7]
Virginia Union plays basketball and volleyball in the Barco-Stevens Hall (also known as the Belgian Building), which was first built in 1939 as the Belgium Building for the New York World’s Fair. It was listed in the June 20, 2005 edition of the NCAA News as one of 13 athletic facilities around the country which are worthy of “unique” distinction. The Belgium Building, with its stone reliefs of the Belgian Congo on the walls, was awarded to VUU after a competition among the nation’s 23 historically black colleges in 1941. Relocation of the building to its current location on the VUU campus was completed in 1943, and the VUU men’s basketball team played its first game in January, 1947.[8]
Men's Basketball
Under the leadership of head coach Dave Robbins since 1978, the Panthers basketball program has been to the Division II "Final Four" seven times (1980, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2006) and have won three NCAA Division II national championship titles (1980, 1992, 2005). The team was the 2006 National runner-up with a record of 30-4. The team has also captured the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference championship 20 times.[citation needed]
The school plays in an annual exhibition game with the Division I cross-town rival Virginia Commonwealth University. Coach Robbins' program has produced eight NBA players, including Detroit Pistons star center Ben Wallace, and former New York Knicks power forward Charles Oakley.[9]
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team won the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship in 1983 [10]
Notable alumni
Name Class year Notability References James Atkins 2002 Former NFL player Mamye BaCote 1961 Virginia House of Delegates (2004-present) Bessye J. Bearden 1900's Journalist and Social Activist; mother of artist Romare Bearden Simeon Booker 1941 award-winning Journalist and the first African-American Reporter for the Washington Post Michael Brim 1988 National Football League player Roslyn M. Brock 1987 Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Henry Allen Bullock 1928 Historian, winner of the Bancroft Prize Emmett C. Burns, Jr. Maryland House of Delegates (1995-2006) Terry Davis Former NBA player [9] Will Downing attended R&B Singer AJ English Professional Basketball Player [9] Walter Fauntroy 1955 Civil rights leader, minister, former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, from Washington, D.C.'s At-large district and was a candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination Dr. Anderson J. Franklin Professor of Psychology at the School of Education at Boston College [11] Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr. 1948 first African-American to reach the rank of Admiral in the United States Navy Abram Lincoln Harris 1922 Economist; Chair, Economics Dept. Howard University (1936-1945); Professor University of Chicago Pete Hunter 2002 National Football League player Eugene Kinckle Jones 1906 Member of the Black Cabinet under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Dwight Clinton Jones 1967 Mayor of Richmond, Virginia (2009-present) Howard S. Jones (inventor) 1943 Inventor, microwave systems hardware; 31 U.S. Patents Charles Spurgeon Johnson 1916 first black President of Fisk University Lyman T. Johnson 1930 integrated the University of Kentucky Leontine T. Kelly 1960 a Bishop of the United Methodist Church Henry L. Marsh 1956 first African-American Mayor of Richmond, Virginia and Member of the Virginia Senate from the 16th district Bai T. Moore Liberian author and poet Delores McQuinn 1976 Virginia House of Delegates (2009-present) Charles Oakley Professional Basketball Player [9] Wendell H. Phillips member, Maryland House of Delegates (1979-1987) Samuel DeWitt Proctor 1942 President of VUU and president of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he made close acquaintance with then student body president Jesse Jackson Randall Robinson Attorney; Founder of TransAfrica James R. Roebuck, Jr. 1966 member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 188 Spottswood William Robinson III 1937 Prominent Civil Rights Attorney, Dean of Howard University Law School, First African American to be appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia Wyatt T Walker Activist, civil rights motivator, musician, Theologian who gave letter to Dr. Martin Luther King from Coretta; close confidant and preacher Ben Wallace Professional Basketball Player, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA Champions; Detroit Pistons [9] Douglas Wilder 1951 first African-American Governor of Virginia (1990-1994) and Mayor of Richmond (2005-2009) Donald F. Turner Professor at Harvard Law School References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "About VUU". Virginia Union University. http://www.vuu.edu/about_vuu.aspx. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ a b http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/virginia-union-university-1865
- ^ A Guide to the Hartshorn Memorial College Reunion Collection 1976-1980
- ^ Photos
- ^ "Member Institutions". Washington Theological Consortium. http://www.washtheocon.org/members.html. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
- ^ http://vuusports.vuu.edu/sports/2008/6/4/quick_facts.aspx?tab=quickfacts Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ http://vuusports.vuu.edu/sports/2008/4/9/GEN_0409081653.aspx? Retrieved 2010-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e "NBA/ABA Players who attended Virginia Union University". http://www.basketballreference.com/players/bycollege.htm?sch=Virginia+Union+University.
- ^ http://www.ncaa.com/history/basketball-women/d2
- ^ "Anderson J Franklin Boston College". bc.edu. http://www.bc.edu/schools/lsoe/facultystaff/faculty/franklin.html. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
External links
- Virginia Union University
- Virginia Union University at the Open Directory Project
- Bells For Peace - The Belgian Pavilion
Colleges and universities affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA Alderson-Broaddus College • Bacone College • Benedict College • Cobb Divinity School • Eastern University • Florida Memorial University • Franklin College • Judson University • Kalamazoo College • Keuka College • Linfield College • Ottawa University • University of Redlands • Shaw University • University of Sioux Falls • Virginia Union University • William Jewell CollegeHistorically black colleges and universities Public institutions Alabama A&M · Alabama State · Albany State · Alcorn State · Arkansas-Pine Bluff · Bluefield State · Bowie State · Central State · Cheyney · Coahoma CC · Coppin State · Delaware State · Elizabeth City State · Fayetteville State · Florida A&M · Fort Valley State · Gadsden State CC · Grambling State · Harris-Stowe · Hinds CC · Jackson State · Kentucky State · Langston · Lincoln, Missouri · Lincoln, Pennsylvania · Maryland, Eastern Shore · Mississippi Valley State · Morgan State · Norfolk State · North Carolina A&T State · North Carolina Central · Prairie View A&M · Savannah State · Shelton State CC · South Carolina State · Southern · Southern-New Orleans · Southern-Shreveport · Tennessee State · Texas Southern · UDC · UVI · Virginia State · West Virginia State · Winston-Salem State
Private institutions Allen · Arkansas Baptist · Barber-Scotia · Benedict · Bennett · Bethune-Cookman · Claflin · Clark Atlanta · Concordia, Selma · Dillard · Edward Waters · Fisk · Florida Memorial · Hampton · Howard · Huston-Tillotson · Interdenominational Theological Center · Jarvis Christian · Johnson C. Smith · Knoxville · Lane · LeMoyne-Owen · Lewis College of Business · Livingstone · Meharry · Miles · Morehouse · Morehouse School of Medicine · Morris Brown · Morris · Oakwood · Paine · Paul Quinn · Philander Smith · Rust · Saint Paul's · Selma · Shaw · Simmons College (Ky.) · Southwestern Christian · Spelman · Stillman · St. Augustine's · Talladega · Texas College · Tougaloo · Tuskegee · Virginia Union · Virginia University · Voorhees · Wilberforce · Wiley · Xavier (Louisiana)
Defunct institutions Bishop · Daniel Payne · Guadalupe · Kittrell · Mount Hermon Female Seminary · Storer · Straight · Western
Washington Theological Consortium Members Capital Bible Seminary · The Catholic University of America School of Theology and Religious Studies · Howard University School of Divinity · John Leland Center for Theological Studies · Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg · Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies · Reformed Theological Seminary · Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University · Virginia Theological Seminary · Washington Theological Union · Wesley Theological SeminaryAssociate Members St. Paul's College · Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation · Woodstock Theological Center · Washington National CathedralAffiliate Members Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Bowie State • Chowan • Elizabeth City State • Fayetteville State • Johnson C. Smith • Lincoln • Livingstone • St. Augustine's • St Paul's • Shaw • Virginia State • Virginia Union • Winston-Salem
American women's colleges that became coeducational Became coeducational Adelphi University • Albertus Magnus College • Andrew College • Anna Maria College • Barber-Scotia College • Beaver College • Bennington College • Carlow University • Cazenovia College • Chestnut Hill College • Chowan College • Columbia College • Connecticut College • Drexel University College of Medicine • Elms College • Elmira College • Emmanuel College • Georgia College & State University • Goucher College • Greensboro College • Hood College • Hunter College • Huston-Tillotson University • Immaculata University • James Madison University • Keuka College • LaGrange College • Lake Erie College • Lasell College • Lesley College • Longwood University • MacMurray College • Mississippi University for Women • Marymount Manhattan College • University of Montevallo • Moravian College • Notre Dame College • Ohio Dominican University • Queens University of Charlotte • Radford University • Randolph College • Regis College • Rivier College • Sarah Lawrence College • Salve Regina University • Seton Hill University • Shorter University • Silver Lake College • Skidmore College • Stevenson University • Texas Woman's University • Trocaire College • University of Mary Hardin-Baylor • University of Mary Washington • University of North Carolina at Greensboro • Vassar College • Virginia Union University • Viterbo University • Washington College of Law • Webster University • Wells College • Wheaton College • Winthrop UniversityCoordinate colleges Douglass (merged with Rutgers University) • Evelyn College for Women (with Princeton University; closed) • Georgia State College for Women (with Georgia School of Technology to form Georgia College & State University) • H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College (merged with Tulane University) • Margaret Morrison Carnegie College (merged with Carnegie Mellon University) • Pembroke (merged with Brown University) • Radcliffe College (merged with Harvard University) • University of Mary Washington (with University of Virginia)Categories:- Virginia Union University
- Historically black universities and colleges in the United States
- Former women's universities and colleges in the United States
- Universities and colleges in Virginia
- Universities and colleges affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
- Seminaries and theological colleges in Virginia
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
- Educational institutions established in 1865
- Council of Independent Colleges
- Education in Richmond, Virginia
- Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- American Baptist Churches USA
- African American history in Virginia
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