Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

historically black university Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It ...

. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...

programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the

Thurgood Marshall College Fund The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is an American non-profit organization that supports and represents nearly 300,000 students attending its 47 member-schools that include public historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), medic ...

and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

system.

History

Elizabeth City State University was established by the North Carolina General Assembly on March 3, 1891, as the State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City'', in response to a bill calling for the creation of a two-year

Normal School A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

for the "teaching and training fteachers of the colored race to teach in the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s of North Carolina."

Peter Weddick Moore Peter Weddick Moore (June 24, 1859 - April 15, 1934) was a North Carolina educator and the first president of Elizabeth City State University. Educated by Sampson County public schools and Shaw University, Moore later became an assistant principal ...

was its first leader. The school provided training for teachers of primary grades. The campus quadrangle and six surrounding buildings are included in the Elizabeth City State Teachers College Historic District, listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1994. In 1937, the school made the transformation into a full four-year teachers college and was officially named Elizabeth City State Teachers College, while expanding its role to include the training of principals as well. In 1939, the college awarded its first

bachelor of science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degrees in its program of

elementary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or fir ...

. Within the following twenty-five years, the college expanded its offerings to include a vocational-technical program and a total of thirteen academic majors. In December 1961, the college gained membership in the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

. In 1963 its name was changed to Elizabeth City State College. In 1969, its name was changed to Elizabeth City State University to reflect expansion and the addition of graduate programs. When the

University of North Carolina System The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

was formed in 1972, ECSU became one of the system's sixteen constituent universities and entered into its current phase of development and organization. ECSU is home to the only four-year aviation science degree program in North Carolina. In 2020, Elizabeth City State received $15 million from

MacKenzie Scott MacKenzie Scott (''née'' Tuttle, formerly Bezos; April 7, 1970) is an American novelist and philanthropist. As of September 2022, she has a net worth of US$33.4 billion, owing to a 4% stake in Amazon, the company founded by her ex-husband Je ...

. Her donation is the largest single gift in the university's history.

List of Chief Executive Officers

Source: *

, A.M., LL.D. (Principal, 1891–1928, President Emeritus, 1928–1934) * John Henry Bias, A.B., LL.D. (President, 1928–1939) * Harold Leonard Trigg, Ed.D. (President, 1939–1945) * Sidney David Williams, A.M., D.PED. (President, 1946–1958, President Emeritus, 1969–1974) * Walter Nathaniel Ridley, Ed.D. (President, 1958–1968, President Emeritus, 1988–1996) * Marion Dennis Thorpe, Ph.D. (President, 1968–1972, Chancellor, 1972–1983) * Jimmy Raymond Jenkins, Ph.D. (Chancellor, 1983–1995, Chancellor Emeritus, 1995–present) * Mickey Lynn Burnim, Ph.D. (Chancellor, 1995–2006) * Willie J. Gilchrist, Ed.D. (Chancellor, 2006–2013) * Charles L. Becton, J.D. (Interim Chancellor, 2013–2014) * Stacey Franklin Jones, Ph.D. (Chancellor, 2014-2015) * Thomas Conway, Ph.D. (Interim Chancellor, January 1, 2016 – 2018) * Karrie Gibson Dixon, Ed.D. (Chancellor, 2018–present)

Campus

ECSU's campus encompasses , mostly flanked by residential districts.

Academics

ECSU offers 28 baccalaureate degrees and four master's degrees in one of the following academic departments: * Aviation and Emergency Management * Business, Accounting and Sport Management * Education * English and Digital Media * Health and Human Studies * Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering Technology * Military Science * Music and Visual Arts * Natural Sciences * Social Sciences ECSU also offers special programs that appeal to various interests and fields of study, including the honors program (for high-achieving undergraduates), military science, and study abroad.University has programs that appeal to various interests and fields of study, including the honors program, military science, study abroad and Viking Fellows for education majors.

Student life

Students can choose to be involved in various on-campus organizations, including fraternities, sororities, radio station WRVS-FM, campus TV station, and intramural sports. Students are able to join the Student Government Association to help make campus life more interesting for student continuing to enroll here. Also, students can choose to apply to Vikings Assisting New Students to lead the New Student Orientation and answer any questions that parents or student may have about the school and campus life

Athletics

As a member of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

, ECSU's athletes, known athletically as the Vikings, compete in the Division II athletic conference known as the

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black coll ...

(CIAA).

Notable alumni

Notes

External links

*
ECSU Athletics website
{{authority control 1891 establishments in North Carolina Buildings and structures in Pasquotank County, North Carolina Education in Pasquotank County, North Carolina Educational institutions established in 1891 Historically black universities and colleges in the United States Liberal arts colleges in North Carolina Public universities and colleges in North Carolina Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools