Public historical black college in Nashville, Tennessee, US
Tennessee State University
Former names
Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes (1912–1925) Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College (1925–1927) Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College (1927–1968)
The university was established as the Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal School for Negroes in 1912.[9][10] Its dedication was held on January 16, 1913.[9] It changed its name to Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State Normal College in 1925.[9] Two years later, in 1927, it became known as Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College.[9]
In 1941, the Tennessee General Assembly directed the Board of Education to upgrade the educational program of the college. Three years later the first master's degrees were awarded and by 1946 the college was fully accredited the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.[11]
Significant expansion occurred during the presidency of Walter S. Davis between 1943 and 1968, including the construction of "70 percent of the school's facilities" and the establishment of the graduate school and four other schools.[12]
In 1968, the college officially changed its name to Tennessee State University, and in 1979, the University of Tennessee at Nashville merged into Tennessee State due to a court mandate.[11]
In 2022, Tennessee State University was awarded $250 million from the state legislature. The funds were intended to upgrade facilities and academic programs on campus.[13] At the time of the award, the $250 million investment was the largest single investment into a historically black institution in the history of the country.[14]
In 2023, Tennessee State's most well known graduate, Oprah Winfrey, served as the official commencement speaker for the first time.[15]
Tennessee State University is divided into eight schools and colleges and has seen steady growth since its inception. It remains the only public university in Nashville and its health science program is the largest in the state and one of the largest in the nation.[16]
On March 28, 2024, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed legislation that removed all of the school's board of trustees and replaced them with new members, subject to legislative confirmation. Characterizing the school as a “remarkable institution” he said, “I’m pleased to appoint these highly qualified individuals who will work alongside administrators and students to further secure TSU’s place as a leading institution.” Legislation authorizing the governor to vacate the board of trustees was prompted by critics who cited numerous instances of financial and procedural mismanagement uncovered in recent school audits. Representative Ryan Williams specifically noted that the $250 million appropriation made by the legislature in 2022 was “completely blown through” and not used for infrastructure improvements as intended.[17][18]
Campus
The 500 acres (2.0 km2) main campus has more than 65 buildings, and is located in a residential setting at 3500 John A. Merritt Blvd in Nashville, Tennessee. Tennessee State's main campus has the most acres of any college campus in Nashville. The Avon Williams campus is located downtown, near the center of the Nashville business and government district. Tennessee State offers on-campus housing to students. There are on-campus dorms and two apartment complexes for upperclassmen. On-campus facilities include dormitories Wilson Hall, Watson Hall, Eppse Hall, Boyd Hall, Rudolph Hall, Hale Hall, as well as the Ford Complex and New Residence Complex, TSU's two on-campus apartment complexes.
The University Honors College (UHC) is an exclusive academic program founded in 1964 that caters to select academically talented and highly motivated undergraduate students.[33]
The College of Health Sciences (formerly the School of Allied Health) includes such programs as the Masters in Physical Therapy and the Bachelor of Health Sciences. The Master of Public Health program was accredited in 2015 by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).[34]
Member, Kansas Senate (oldest serving Kansas state senator at 2004 retirement); member, City Council of Wichita, Kansas (also see: "Civil Rights" above)
^Lamon, Lester C. (Spring 1973). "The Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial Normal School: Public Higher Education for Black Tennesseans". Tennessee Historical Quarterly. 32 (1): 42–58. JSTOR42623357.
^Noble. Horace - "Jayhawk at Skyhook 2014; Senator U.L. "Rip" Gooch attends Skyhook 2014", Sept. 2014, BPA ATIS newsletter, Black Pilots of America, Pine Bluff, Arkansas; notation that Gooch was an original member of the black aviation organization Negro Aviation International, Inc., before transferring to the BPA, and notes his attendance at Skyhook 2014, "the premier event of Black aviation." Reports his May 2014 election as Sergeant-at-Arms of the Jayhawk Chapter of the BPA.
^"Salina bankers deny claim they discriminate against minorities,", "Salina Journal, June 6, 1971, page 8, (retrieved Oct.29, 2014 from "Newspapers.com"); includes TEXT identifying "U.L. "Rip" Gooch, president of Aero Services Co., Wichita," as one of the speakers.
^"Louisiana: Simpkins, C. O.", Who's Who in American Politics, 2003-2004, 19th ed., Vol. 1 (Alabama-Montana) (Marquis Who's Who: New Providence, New Jersey, 2003), p. 794
^"A C Wharton". 2013 City of Memphis. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
