Morgan State University: A Legacy of Excellence in Baltimore
Morgan State University (MSU), a public historically black research university, stands as a beacon of academic excellence in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1867, it has evolved from its origins as a seminary to become a comprehensive institution offering a wide array of programs and opportunities.
Historical Overview and Evolution
Founded as the Centenary Biblical Institute by the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the institution initially aimed to train ministers. The Methodist Churches in Baltimore recognized the need for a school to train ministers. Over time, its mission broadened to include the education of both men and women as teachers. In 1890, the school was renamed Morgan College in honor of Reverend Lyttleton Morgan, the first chairman of its board of trustees, who donated land to the college.
In 1895, the institution awarded its first baccalaureate degree to George W. F. McMechen. John O. Spencer became the fifth president of Morgan College in 1902, serving until 1937. During his tenure, the university experienced significant growth. By 1937, the school's assets had increased substantially, and enrollment had grown significantly. The college transformed from a religious institution to one supported by private foundations, offering liberal arts degrees for various professions.
In 1915, Andrew Carnegie donated a grant of $50,000 for a central academic building. In 1918, the white community of Lauraville tried to have the sale revoked by filing suit in the circuit court in Towson. The appellate court upheld the lower court decision, finding no basis that siting the college at this location would constitute a public nuisance. Despite some threats and demonstrations, Morgan College was constructed at the new site and later expanded. Morgan remained a private institution until 1939, when the state of Maryland purchased the school, renaming it Morgan State College.
Location and Campus
Morgan State University has an over 100-acre sprawling campus in the northeast neighborhood of Baltimore city. The campus is surrounded by residential suburbs with Lake Montebello to the south. The university has seen the construction of a new student union, two dedicated parking garages, and the Earl S. The Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center is also the home of the James E. Lewis Museum of Art.
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Academic Programs and Schools
Morgan State is one of the few historically black institutions nationally to offer a comprehensive range of academic programs, in business, engineering, education, architecture, social work, and hospitality management, in addition to those in the arts and sciences and programs leading to the doctorate. With ten major colleges, plus the School of Graduate Studies and the Clara I. Adams Honor College, Morgan State University has a wide range of academic offerings.
The university operates twelve colleges, schools, and institutes. These include:
- The College of Liberal Arts: Offers degree programs in the arts, history, humanities, military and social sciences, and hosts two museums: the James E. Lewis Museum of Art and Lillie Carroll Jackson Civil Rights Museum. The James E. Lewis Museum of Art (JELMA) is the cultural extension of Morgan State University's Fine Arts academic program.
- The School of Computer, Mathematical, & Natural Sciences: Offers undergraduate majors and minors as well as graduate degree programs in the natural and physical sciences, mathematics, and computing disciplines. The chemistry program is approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The medical laboratory science program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The actuarial science program is approved by the Society of Actuaries (SOA).
- The School of Engineering: Offers Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited degrees in engineering and admitted its first class starting in 1984. The first graduates received degrees in 1988. By 1991, the construction of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering building was completed, and the facility included sixteen teaching laboratories and five research laboratories. The William Donald Schaefer Building is a 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) addition to the Engineering School and was completed in April 1998.
- The School of Architecture and Planning (S+AP): In 1997, the school became the only HBCU to establish accredited architecture, landscape architecture, and city and regional planning programs. Construction began in 2010 to house all of the related majors. The Center of Built and Environmental Studies (CBEIS) was designed by in association with the Freelon Group.
- The Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management (GSBM): Named in honor of alumnus Earl G. Graves, Sr., the GSBM is housed in the Graves School of Business and Management building, which was opened for the Fall Semester 2015 at the western edge of the campus. It contains classrooms, laboratories, and office buildings with rooms for hospitality management students to operate. The GSBM offers Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Business Administration, and PhD degree programs.
- The School of Global Journalism and Communication: Established in 2013, Morgan's School of Global Journalism and Communication is one of only two Maryland-based universities with an internationally accredited journalism school. The School of Global Journalism and Communication degree programs include journalism, strategic communications, and multiplatform production.
Resources and Facilities
The Earl S. Richardson Library is the main academic information resource center on the campus. Constructed in 2008, the building covers approximately 222,517 square feet. The library's holding constitutes over 500,000 volumes, and access to over 1 million e-books and 5,000 periodical titles. There are 167 online databases that are subscribed to the Library. Reading and studying spaces are provided with wired and wireless access to databases for research. One such collection in the volumes includes books on Africa, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. The African-American collection includes papers and memorabilia of such persons as Emmett Jay Scott, secretary to Booker T. Washington. The Forbush Collection is composed of materials associated with the Quakers and slavery. The Martin D.
Innovation and Transformation
Morgan State University has institutionalized the Center for Innovation, Instruction and Scholarship through its transformation efforts. The center focuses on providing faculty with new tools to engage learners in the changing educational landscape based on three core NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) competencies. Morgan State University is also launching the Comprehensive Learner Record. This tool will enable faculty to document each of their classes’ skill sets in a centralized database for all of their students. The vision is to eventually have employers review these outcomes and competencies to ensure they align with their industry needs. The “digital wallet” will act as a portfolio of all their classes and accompanying skills, which they can still access after graduation.
Student Life and Athletics
Morgan's athletic teams are known as the Bears, and they compete in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Between 1926 and 1928, a young Charles Drew served as Athletic Director. During this time he made great improvements in the school's teams' records. From the 1930s through 1960s, led by coach and then athletic director Edward P. Hurt, Morgan's athletic teams were legendary. More than thirty of its football players were drafted by and played in the NFL and many of its track athletes competed internationally and received world-class status.
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In 2009, the Morgan State men's basketball team won the MEAC regular season and tournament championship and qualified for the 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. In 2010 the Morgan State men's basketball team again won the MEAC regular season and tournament championship and qualified for the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, again as a 15 seed. Morgan State began playing football in 1898, 31 years after the school was founded. The Bears have won three MEAC Championships (1976, 1979 and 2014). Their last Division I-AA/FCS playoffs appearance was in 2014. Fifty three former Morgan players have gone on to play professional football. By 1975 Morgan State became noted for its lacrosse team.
The Morgan State University Band Program consists of six ensembles: the marching band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, pep band, jazz ensemble, and jazz combo. The Morgan State University Choir has performed for audiences throughout the United States and internationally. In the 1996-1997 season, the "Silver Anniversary" concert was broadcast throughout the state of Maryland. Since 2017, the Morgan State University choir has toured, Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Slovakia, Germany, England, Scotland, Wales, Peru, Ecuador, and Galapagos Islands. WEAA 88.9 is the NPR affiliated public radio station of Morgan State University, and a service of the university's School of Global Journalism and Communication.
Notable Alumni and Faculty
Morgan State University has produced numerous distinguished alumni, including:
- Army Generals including Lieutenant General William "Kip" Ward, the first Commanding Officer of the United States Africa Command.
- The New York Times sports columnist William C. Rhoden.
- Playwright, TV producer, and entrepreneur David E. Talbert.
- American-Israeli Olympic sprinter Donald Sanford.
Former faculty member Ernest Lyon was a United States Ambassador to Liberia and the founder of the Maryland Industrial and Agricultural Institute for Colored Youths. Noted African American historian and pioneering scholar Dr. Benjamin A. Quarles served on its faculty for many decades. Physician-Scientist Charles R. Drew, known for his work on blood transfusion, was Morgan College's First Athletic Director. African-American historian Rosalyn Terborg-Penn wrote on women's suffrage.
Financial Support and Recognition
In 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $40 million to Morgan State. The following year, Calvin E. Tyler Jr. Morgan has educated over 100 Fulbright scholars, the most of any HBCU. Morgan is also first among HBCUs in the number of Fulbright-related grants awarded to students, faculty, and administrators. It is one of the 19 schools included on the inaugural Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leaders list. Since instituting the Fulbright program, Morgan State University has trained 144 Fulbright awardees initiating international studies in 43 different countries.
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