64-864: The Central State Marauders and Lady Marauders are the athletic teams that represent Central State University , located in Wilberforce, Ohio , in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) since the 2015–16 academic year (with football joining first as an affiliate member from 2013–14 to 2015 before upgrading for all sports). The Marauders and Lady Marauders previously competed in
128-640: A Grammy Award for its recordings. 39°42′55″N 83°52′41″W / 39.715255°N 83.877971°W / 39.715255; -83.877971 Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio . Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans . Central State University , also in Wilberforce, Ohio, began as
192-547: A 500-seat cafeteria, two ballrooms, bookstore, computer lab, administrative offices and recreational spaces, which opened in the fall of 2015. Constructed in 1961, Beacom Gymnasium is the home of the Marauders volleyball and basketball teams and provides office space for the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. The original Beacom Gymnasium constructed in 1919 was destroyed by fire in 1971. The natatorium
256-412: A 7% graduation rate within the standard four-year period of study in 2024, making it one of the least successful universities in the world. Wilberforce requires all students to participate in cooperative education to meet graduation requirements. The cooperative program places students in internships that provide practical work experience in addition to academic training. It has been a required part of
320-542: A college president in the United States. When an arson fire damaged some of the buildings in 1865, Payne went to his network to appeal for aid in rebuilding the college. Salmon P. Chase , then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States , and Charles Avery from Pittsburgh each contributed $ 10,000 to rebuild the college. Mary E. Monroe, another white supporter, contributed $ 4200. In addition,
384-621: A department of Wilberforce University. The college was founded in 1856 to provide classical education and teacher training for black youth. It was named for the English statesman William Wilberforce , who achieved the end of the slave trade in the British Empire . The outbreak of the American Civil War (1861–65) caused the college to close in 1862 because of reduced enrollment and financial losses. The AME Church purchased
448-575: A hotel, cottages and 54 acres (220,000 m ) of a former resort property near Xenia. It was named Tawawa House after the springs in the area, a word derived from a Shawnee term for "clear or golden water". This color was associated with the natural springs nearby because of its high iron content. White people had founded the health resort in 1851 because of the springs, which they also called Yellow Springs. The waters had long been reputed to have health benefits. Because of its location, this resort area had attracted summer people from both Cincinnati and
512-675: A near-riot ( New Haven Excitement ), and was quickly abandoned. (See Simeon Jocelyn .) In the 19th century, discrimination against Blacks was legal, and the white colleges that would accept Black students could be counted on one hand ( Grinnell College , Iowa (1879, first graduate); Hillsdale College , Michigan; the Oneida Institute ; the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College); and New-York Central College ). Located three miles (5 km) from
576-504: Is a public , historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio , United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund . Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for teacher and industrial training, it was originally located with Wilberforce University , a four-year institution devoted to classical academic education. It was originally known as
640-917: Is located in Dayton. Adjacent to the main campus is an outdoor education area, a natural reserve. Within a hundred yards of the Robeson Center is the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center , operated by the Ohio Historical Society . The campus housing complex, which houses approximately 1,700 students, consists of eight residence halls: Hunter Hall (co-ed), Williamson Hall (co-ed), Green Hall (upperclassmen male), Anderson Hall (upperclassmen male), Fox Hall (co-ed honors), Harry-Johns Hall (co-ed honors), Foundation Hall (freshmen females), Foundation Hall II (co-ed upperclassmen) and most recently added fall 2019,
704-584: The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology , the National Association of Schools of Art and Design , Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs and the National Association of Schools of Music . In 2011, the annual cost of all fees and tuition at Central State University was about $ 11,500. The college has on-campus housing for about 1,700 students, at $ 4,000 annually. Central State operates five colleges:
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#1732790090454768-637: The Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes and the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets . There are approximately 30 student organizations operating on campus. These student organizations are classified under six categories: Academic, Business, Special Interest, Religions, Honorary and Greek letter organizations. The Office of the University Center and Student Development in conjunction with
832-879: The National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations currently have chapters at Central State University. These organizations are governed by the Central State University's chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and overseen by the Director of the University Center and Student Development. The Central State University bands are under the direction of Dr Al Level. The Invincible Marching Marauders appeared in Dave Chappelle's Block Party . The Central State University Chorus has twice been nominated for
896-623: The US Congress approved a $ 25,000 grant for the college, which raised additional monies privately from a wide range of donors. In 1888 the AME Church came to an agreement with the Republican Party -dominated state legislature that brought considerable financial support and political patronage to the college. It negotiated contemporary pressures to emphasize industrial education for many black youth by accommodating both that and
960-592: The Underground Railroad in the years before the Civil War. Wilberforce College also supported freedom-seeking slaves. Many of these free people of color were also had Native ancestry, Daniel Payne himself being of Catawba descent. The college opened for classes in 1856, and by 1858 its trustees selected Richard S. Rust as the first president. Overriding some protest by men, in the 1850s the college hired Frances E. W. Harper , an abolitionist poet, as
1024-549: The 1980s through 1995 under then head football coaches, William "Billy" Joe (1981 to 1993) and Rick Comegy (1993 to 1996). Under Billy Joe, the Marauders were NCAA Division II runners-up in 1983 and won the NAIA Football National Championship (Division I) in 1990 and 1992. Under Comegy, a former assistant coach under Joe, the Marauders won the NAIA Football National Championship (Division I) in 1995. The heyday of Central State football ended in
1088-602: The 2017 HBCU of the Year and for its Summer Banking Institute (HBCU Digest). Central State University is and has always been open to all students of every ethnicity, background, religion, etc. and continues to attract students from across the country and internationally. Central State University is accredited by the Ohio Department of Education , the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools ,
1152-515: The AME Church listed the university as having 20 faculty, 334 students, and 246 graduates. The college became a center of black cultural and intellectual life in southwestern Ohio. Because the area did not receive many European immigrants, blacks had more opportunities at diverse work. Xenia and nearby towns developed a professional black elite. Generations of leaders: teachers, ministers, doctors, politicians and college administrators, and later men and women of all occupations, have been educated at
1216-680: The AME Church. Also on the Board were Salmon P. Chase , then Governor of Ohio and a strong supporter of abolition ; a member of the Ohio State Legislature, and other Methodist leaders from the white community. They named the college after the British abolitionist and statesman William Wilberforce . Rev Campbell Maxwell later became a trustee in 1896. As a base for the college, the Cincinnati Conference bought
1280-650: The Bulldogs. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as a member of the HBCU Athletic Conference since the 2024-2025 academic year. They previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Continental Athletic Conference during the 2023–24 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 2012–13 to 2021–22. The Bulldogs competed in
1344-547: The CNI department at Wilberforce, enabling hundreds of African-American students to attend classes. The state-funded students could complete liberal arts at the college, and students at Wilberforce could also take "industrial" classes. By the mid-1890s, the college also admitted students from South Africa , as part of the AME Church's mission to Africa. The church helped support such students with scholarships, as well as arranging board with local families. An 1898 report published by
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#17327900904541408-552: The Cincinnati Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in collaboration with the AME Church ; they had a biracial group of trustees to manage it, including founders Bishop Daniel A. Payne and Salmon Chase , then governor of Ohio. By 1860 the college, based on a classical education, had 200 students, mostly the mixed-race children of wealthy Southern planters. With the advance of the Civil War, most of
1472-654: The Civil War threatened the college's finances. The Southern planters withdrew their children, and no more paying students came from the South. The Methodist church said it had to divert its resources to support the war. The college closed temporarily in 1862 when the Cincinnati Methodist Church was unable to fund it fully. Led by Bishop Daniel A. Payne , in 1863 the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) decided to buy
1536-517: The College of Arts and Sciences' administrative offices, classrooms and offices. It is named in honor of Central State University's first president, Charles H. Wesley (1941 to 1965). Houses the School of Education and Natural Sciences department of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2016 it was named after 1963 alum Joshua I. Smith, a retired executive from Caterpillar Inc., who continues to support
1600-615: The College of Business Administration. It houses the College of Business Administration's classrooms and laboratories and an academic computer center. The building houses a bookstore, commuter lounge, and office spaces for the Admissions Department, Financial Aid Department, Career Services Department, Student Government Association and the Dean of Students. It is named for 1950 graduate, Norman Ward Sr., an outstanding athlete, teacher, coach, and administrator. Wesley Hall houses
1664-528: The Combined Normal and Industrial Department at Wilberforce, to provide training for primary teachers in a model common in the United States, and vocational education. This department operated as part of Wilberforce University, but a separately appointed board of trustees governed the state-financed operations. This arrangement allowed state legislators to sponsor scholarship students at the university and brought other forms of useful state financial aid to
1728-425: The Combined Normal and Industrial Department. In 1941 the college gained a four-year curriculum, independent status in 1947, and was renamed as Central State College in 1951. With further development, it gained university status in 1965. In 2014, Central State University received designation as a land-grant university . Central State University started in 1887 as a two-year normal and industrial department funded by
1792-781: The D-II Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) from 2012–13 to 2014–15, and as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2002–03 to 2011–12; as well as competing in the American Mideast Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2001–02. Central State competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. CSU's main athletic rivals are
1856-780: The D-II Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) from 2012–13 to 2014–15, and as an NCAA D-II Independent from 2002–03 to 2011–12; as well as competing in the American Mideast Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2000–01 to 2001–02. Central State competes in 11 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Central State's main rivals are Kentucky State University and West Virginia State University. The Central State University Marauder football team experienced much success in Division II and NAIA during
1920-500: The John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology and Agriculture, College of Education, College of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, College of Business, and Honors College. The main campus is located in Wilberforce, 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Xenia , 18 miles (29 km) east of Dayton and midway between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio (about 55 miles (89 km) from each city). A branch campus (CSU-Dayton)
1984-589: The Marauder Pride Community, an apartment style complex (co-ed upperclassmen), which also houses a 10,000-square-foot Wellness Center. Banneker Hall was originally constructed in 1950 with an addition completed in 1967, Banneker Hall housed science laboratories and a botanical laboratory and greenhouse. The building was demolished in fall 2010 to make way for the University Student Center, a 85,000-square-foot complex housing
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2048-448: The OIG found that the university did not comply with Title IV, HEA requirements because of administrative problems, including staff turnover, insufficient financial aid staff, failure to have written procedures, and lack of communication with other offices. The university worked with auditors to set up appropriate staff and procedures. According to US News and World Report , Wilberforce had
2112-535: The Ohio River from the South to find better work and living conditions. Some were pushed from Southern states, which often required newly manumitted individuals to leave within a certain time period. Xenia had quite a large free black population, as did other towns in southern Ohio, such as Chillicothe , Yellow Springs and Zanesville . Free blacks and anti-slavery white supporters used houses in Xenia as stations on
2176-658: The Physical Education Department, Army ROTC, and Bookstore and Grill. Destroyed in 1974, the original Jenkins Hall housed the audio-visual department, the campus radio station, the bookstore, and office of the CSU Federal Credit Union at the time. Three programs are housed in the facility opened in 1987: Water Resources Management, Geology, and Earth Sciences. Opened in 1978, the center houses administrative offices, examination and treatment rooms, and laboratory facilities. It replaced
2240-477: The SGA's Inter organization Committee monitors the recognized student organizations activities. The Student Government Association (SGA) serves as a liaison between the students and the administration, sharing decision making responsibility with the faculty and staff on matters that affect campus life. The SGA also oversees many student activities, represents the student body, and serves as an advisory body. All nine of
2304-498: The South , particularly after completion of the Little Miami Railroad in 1846. Some people in this area of abolitionist sentiment were shocked when wealthy white Southern planters patronized the resort with their entourages of enslaved African-American mistresses and mixed-race "natural" children. Given migration patterns, this was also an area where numerous free people of color settled, many having moved across
2368-496: The art and music departments, classrooms, and studios. It was dedicated in 1978 in honor of the singer, actor, activist and winner of the Stalin Peace Prize , Paul Robeson . The building includes an 850-seat auditorium and a recital hall. A large sculpture of Robeson in front of the center was commissioned by Camille and William Cosby . Smith Hall was completed in 1970 and named in honor of Charles S. Smith, founder of
2432-542: The campus and the community). McPherson Stadium is home to the Marauder football and track and field teams. Originally constructed in 1949, the structure has been renovated to expand and modernize the locker room, training room, and office spaces. It is named in honor of Combined Normal and Industrial Department graduate William Patrick McPherson, who was killed in action in World War II . The administration building
2496-428: The classical education. As an act of political patronage, the state legislature established a commercial, normal and industrial (CNI) department at Wilberforce College. While this created complications for administration and questions about the mission of the college, in the near term it brought tens of thousands of dollars annually in state aid to the campus. Each state legislator could award an annual scholarship to
2560-545: The college to ensure its survival; they paid the cost of its debt. They sold another property to raise the money. Founders were Bishop Payne, who was selected as its president; James A. Shorter , pastor of the AME Church in Zanesville, Ohio and a future bishop; and John G. Mitchell , principal of the Eastern District Public School of Cincinnati . Payne was the first African American to become
2624-554: The country. In 2021 the university announced it was cutting tuition by 15% for Ohio residents. In 2008 the US Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) completed an audit of financial management, specifically the university's management of Title IV funds, which related to its work-study program. For the two-year audit period (2004–2005, 2005–2006) the audit found numerous faults. In summary,
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2688-532: The county seat of Xenia, Ohio in the southwestern part of the state, what developed as Wilberforce University was founded as a collaboration among leaders of the Cincinnati Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church). They planned to promote classical education and teacher training for black youth. Among the first 24 members of the tri-racial board of trustees in 1855 were Bishop Daniel A. Payne , Lewis Woodson , Ishmael Keith , and Alfred Anderson , all of
2752-535: The curriculum at Wilberforce since 1966. In October 2006, Wilberforce held the grand opening and dedication for the NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA) and the associated Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL). It was attended by Bernice G. Alston, deputy assistant administrator of NASA's office of Education, and Dave Hobson , U.S. Representative from Ohio's 7th congressional district . The Wilberforce athletic teams are called
2816-413: The first woman to teach at the school. In 1859 Sarah Jane Woodson began to teach at Wilberforce. She was a 1856 graduate of Oberlin College. She was the youngest sister of one of the original trustees, Lewis Woodson. She was the first black American to teach at a historically black college or university. She returned to Wilberforce in 1866 after it reopened in a position of greater responsibility. By 1860
2880-399: The former campus health center, also named for Dr. Lackey and earlier known as Tawawa Hospital, which was among the buildings destroyed in 1974. The building is named for Dr. Harry M. Lackey (university physician from 1921 to 1953), Bishop Benjamin F. Lee (president of Wilberforce University from 1876 to 1884), Benjamin F. Lee Jr. (a faculty member), and Benjamin F. Lee III (physician who served
2944-457: The institution in 1863, and Bishop Daniel Payne was president, the first African American to become a college president in the United States. In the late 19th century, Wilberforce enlarged its mission to include black students from South Africa . Wilberforce College was founded to educate African-American students. Twenty years earlier, a similar plan in New Haven, Connecticut , was met with
3008-855: The late 1990s when the university administration was forced to drop the football program in 1997 due to financial difficulties and a significant drop of enrollment. In 2005, under new administration leadership of president Dr. John W. Garland, Esq, (Class of 1971), the university reinstated the Central State Marauder football program. Notable Marauder alumni who went on to play in the National Football League include: Vince Heflin , Vince Buck , Erik Williams , Hugh Douglas , Charles Hope , Brandon Hayes , Mel Lunsford , Kerwin Waldroup , and Dayvon Ross . Central State University Central State University ( CSU )
3072-527: The library was updated with new technology and remodeled to support various forms of collaborative study. CSU Mass Communication Center, formerly The Cosby Center houses the university's telecommunications programs (including radio, television and print journalism) and the campus-based radio station WCSU-FM . It was constructed in 1958 and named the Lucinda Cook Laboratory Demonstration School. The facility houses
3136-488: The offices of the CSU General Alumni Association. The building was named in honor of Dr. William Galloway, a physician who served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department. It was rebuilt following the 1974 tornado that destroyed the original Galloway Hall. Funds to reconstruct the tower were raised by alumni and friends of Central State University. During
3200-520: The only African-American commissioned officer in the US Army, led the newly established military science department. Additional leading scholars taught at the college in the early 20th century, such as Theophilus Gould Steward , a politician, theologian and missionary ; and the sociologist Richard R. Wright, Jr. , the first African American to earn a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania . He
3264-474: The private university had more than 200 students. It is notable that most were from the South, the "natural" mixed-race sons and daughters of wealthy white planters and their enslaved African-American mistresses. The fathers paid for the educations that were denied their children in the South. They were among the fathers who did not abandon their mixed-race children but provided them with the social capital of education and sometimes property. The outbreak of
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#17327900904543328-468: The school. The administration struggled to maintain its initial emphasis on classical education as well, and allowed students to take classes in both sections. In 1941 the Normal and Industrial Department expanded from a two-year to a four-year program. In 1947, it was legally split from Wilberforce University and was renamed as the College of Education and Industrial Arts at Wilberforce, Ohio . In 1951, it
3392-479: The southerners were pulled out of the school, and it was forced to close in 1862. The Methodist Church felt it could not support it financially given the demands of the war. The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church purchased the facility and reopened the college in 1863, the first to be owned and operated by African Americans. In 1887, the Ohio General Assembly enacted legislation to create
3456-491: The state. It was first located at Wilberforce University , a historically black college in southern Ohio that was owned and operated by the African Methodist Episcopal Church . In 1941, its curriculum was expanded to a four-year program emphasizing teacher education. In 1947, it was separated from the university, and in 1951 renamed as Central State College. In 1965, with further development, it achieved university status. Wilberforce University had been founded in 1855 jointly by
3520-543: The university through the College of Business and the university radio station, WCSU. Central State athletic teams are the Marauders and Lady Marauders. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) since the 2015–16 academic year (with football joining first as an affiliate member from 2013–14 to 2015 before upgrading for all sports). The Marauders and Lady Marauders previously competed in
3584-463: The university's centennial celebration in 1987, the Alumni Center was named in honor of Walter G. Sellers Sr., a 1951 CSU graduate. Home of the Department of Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering, the building is named in honor of Carl C. Jenkins, a superintendent of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department. An earlier building, constructed in 1941, was also named for Jenkins and housed
3648-399: The university. In the 19th century, Bishop Payne established his dream, a theological seminary , which was named in his honor. Top-ranking scholars taught at the college, including W.E.B. Du Bois , the philologist William S. Scarborough , Edward Clarke , and John G. Mitchell, dean of the seminary. In 1894 Lieutenant Charles Young , the third black graduate of West Point and at the time
3712-543: Was a future AME bishop and became president of Wilberforce. These men were also prominent in the American Negro Academy, founded in 1897 to support the work of scholars, writers and other intellectuals. In 1969 the organization was revived as the Black Academy of Arts and Letters . In 1941, the normal/industrial department was expanded by development of a four-year curriculum. In 1947, this section
3776-400: Was constructed in 1966. The Library/College of Education building was completed in 1985 and houses the main library, classrooms, and offices for the College of Education. The library portion of the building is named in honor of long-time educator and public speaker Hallie Q. Brown . The College of Education is named for teacher, department chairperson and dean, Dr. Clara A. Henderson. In 2019,
3840-585: Was dedicated in 1978 and named in honor of Dr. Lionel H. Newsom, president of Central State from 1972 to 1985. It was constructed on the remaining portion of the Hallie Q. Brown Memorial Library, heavily damaged in the 1974 tornado. The building houses administrative and financial offices, the administrative computer center, and the Office of the Registrar. The Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center houses
3904-647: Was designated as a National Historic Landmark by the US Department of Interior , in recognition of his significant and groundbreaking career in the US Army . In the 1970s, the university established the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center , to provide exhibits and outreach to the region. It is now operated by the Ohio Historical Society . The university also supports the national Association of African American Museums , to provide support and professional guidance especially to smaller museums across
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#17327900904543968-737: Was part of the 1974 Super Outbreak , which destroyed much of the city of Xenia and the old campus of Wilberforce. Older campus buildings still in use include the Carnegie Library , built in 1909 with matching funds from the Carnegie Foundation, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places ; Shorter Hall, built in 1922; and the Charles Leander Hill Gymnasium, built in 1958. The former residence of Charles Young near Wilberforce
4032-442: Was renamed Central State College. With further development, in 1965 the institution achieved university status. In 1974, half the campus was destroyed in a severe tornado . The university struggled to rebuild, but has since re-established itself and achieved recognition by the state of Ohio (three Centers of Excellence), with new academic degree programs in Agriculture, Sustainable Ag and Exercise Science, and national recognition as
4096-432: Was split from the university and given independent status. It was renamed as Central State College in 1951. With further development of programs and departments, in 1965 it achieved university status as Central State University . Growth of Wilberforce University after the mid-20th century led to construction of a new campus in 1967, located one mile (1.6 km) away. In 1974, the area was devastated by an F5 tornado that
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