- Bluefield State College
Infobox University
name = Bluefield State College
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established = 1895
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city = Bluefield
state =West Virginia
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country =United States
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nickname = Big Blues
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affiliations = NCAADivision II ,West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
website = [http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/ www.bluefieldstate.edu]
footnotes =Bluefield State College (BSC) is a historically black college located in
Bluefield, West Virginia . It is a part ofWest Virginia 's public education system and offers baccalaureate and associate degrees. The school is not connected in any way withBluefield College in nearbyBluefield, Virginia .Academics
Instructional programs are offered in engineering technologies, business, teacher education, arts and sciences, nursing and health science professions, and a variety of career fields. Students may also complete the non-traditional Regents Bachelor of Arts degree through Bluefield State College. The college is also dedicated to offering a wide variety of off campus courses at centers in Beckley,
Lewisburg ,Summersville andWelch , West Virginia.The school is the only non-residential four-year college in the state system. It administers the separately accredited New River Community and Technical College, which conducts classes throughout the southeastern part of West Virginia.
History
According to its charter, the school was founded in 1895 as Bluefield Colored Institute and created as a high school for the Negro youth in the nearby area. [cite book|last=Ambler|first=Charles H.|title=A History of Education in West Virginia: From Early Colonial Times to 1949|year=1951|publisher=Standard Printing & Publishing Company|location=Huntington, W.V.] It later served as a teacher training school in the state's then-segregated system of education.
In the late 1920s, the students and staff of the school referred to it as "Bluefield Institute", but this name was never sanctioned by the West Virginia legislature. [cite journal|last=Sims|first=R.P.|year=1929|month=March|title=Bluefield Institute|journal=West Virginia Review|quote=|doi=10.2307/1065740|volume=15|pages=757]
By September 1954, the state-supported colleges in West Virginia were integrated. Three white students in a total body of 354 enrolled at Bluefield State.
By the 1960's the College had a comprehensive four-year program of teacher education, arts and sciences, and engineering technology. Gradually a variety of two-year technical programs evolved in response to local needs.
During the late 60's, black students protested that the state was transforming the school from a traditional black college to a white commuter college. One of the allegations made was that black faculty and staff were being fired and replaced by less qualified white personnel. On November 21, 1968 the racial tensions culminated in the bombing of the gymnasium. A $5,000 reward was offered by Governor
Hulett C. Smith . Ironically, the administration responded by immediately closing the dormitories, which housed a significant percentage of the college's black student population, hastening the transition to a predominantly white college.In 2003 the school's two year programs, except for those in nursing and engineering technology, were separated out from Bluefield State and became the foundation of the newly-formed New River Community and Technical College. [cite web|last=New River Community and Technical College|title=College History…|url=http://www.nrctc.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=32|accessdate=2007-10-06]
Bluefield State College has emerged as a culturally diverse, four-year state supported commuter college serving southeastern
West Virginia and southwesternVirginia with a primary thrust in the direction of career and technical two and four year programs. The liberal arts offerings of the College are focused to enhance its unique mission.tudent life
Athletics
Bluefield State's athletic teams, known as the "Big Blues", compete in NCAA
Division II as a member of theWest Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference . The college first fielded a football program in 1914. In 1927, the Sheridan Poll designated Bluefield State the Black College Football champion. The school discontinued football in 1981.References and Further Reading
External links
* [http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/ www.bluefieldstate.edu] Official web site
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