View source for Wilberforce University

{{Short description|Historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio, US}}
{{Distinguish|Central State University}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Wilberforce University
 | native_name            = 
 | image                  = Wilberforce University Seal.jpg
 | image_size             = 150px
 | caption                = Seal of Wilberforce University
 | latin_name             = 
 | motto                  = Suo Marte
 | mottoeng               = By one's own toil, effort, courage
 | established            = {{Start date and age|1856}}
 | closed                 = 
 | type                   = [[Private university|Private]] [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black university]]
 | religious_affiliation  = [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]]
 | endowment              = 
 | officer_in_charge      = 
 | chairman               = 
 | chancellor             = 
 | president              = Vann R. Newkirk, Sr.
 | vice-president         = 
 | superintendent         = 
 | provost                = 
 | vice_chancellor        = 
 | rector                 = 
 | principal              = 
 | dean                   = 
 | director               = 
 | head_label             = 
 | head                   = 
 | faculty                = 
 | administrative_staff   = 
 | students               = 701
 | undergrad              = 
 | postgrad               = 
 | doctoral               = 
 | other                  = 
 | city                   = [[Wilberforce, Ohio]]
 | province               = 
 | country                = U.S.
 | coor                   = {{Coord|39|42|27|N|83|52|50|W|type:edu_region:US-OH|display=inline,title}}
 | campus                 = Rural
 | former_names           = 
 | free_label             = 
 | free                   = 
 | sports                 = 
 | colors                 = {{color box|#056937}} {{color box|#f2ce00}}<br>Green & Gold
 | colours                = 
 | sports_nickname        = Bulldogs
 | mascot                 = 
 | athletics_affiliations = [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] – [[HBCU Athletic Conference|HBCUAC]]
 | academic_affiliations  = [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program|Space-grant]]
 | website                = {{URL|www.wilberforce.edu}}
 | logo                   = 
 | footnotes              = {{Infobox NRHP
 |name         = Carnegie Library (Old Wilberforce University Campus)
 |embed        = yes
 |nrhp_type    =
 |image        =
 |caption      =
 |location     = 1055 North Bickett Rd.<br />[[Wilberforce, Ohio]] 45384
 |coordinates  = {{Coord|39.7177|-83.8820|region:US-OH_type:edu|format=dms|display=inline}}
 |locmapin     = Ohio#USA
 |built        = 1907
 |architect    = David Riebel
 |architecture = Classical Revival
 |added        = June 16, 2004
 |area         = {{convert|0.5|acre}}
 |refnum       = 04000610<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|refnum=04000610|version=2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''Wilberforce University''' ('''WU''') is a [[private university]] in [[Wilberforce, Ohio]]. It is one of three [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black universities]] established before the [[American Civil War]]. Founded in 1856 by the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]] (MEC), it is named after English statesman and abolitionist [[William Wilberforce]]. In 1863 it was sold to the [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] (AME) which had ties to the school since its inception. WU remains affiliated with the AME. 

Beginning in 1887, WU operated as a partially [[State-funded education|state-funded]] and partially private institution. Concerns over the separation of church and state led WU's theology department to separate and establish the independent [[Payne Theological Seminary]]. The state funded division of the school separated from WU in 1947 and became what is today known as [[Central State University]].   

The university currently offers twenty-five academic programs of undergraduate and graduate study. Since 1966, the school has emphasized [[cooperative education]] in which students do internships in their field of study in addition to their coursework. The school is a member of the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics]] and its athletic teams, the Bulldogs, compete in the [[HBCU Athletic Conference]].  

==History==
===19th century===
====Background====
At the time [[Ohio]] became a state in 1802, it did so as a [[Free state (United States)|free state]] with the slave states of [[Kentucky]] and [[Virginia]] along its southern border. Ohio became a major thoroughfare for the [[Underground Railroad]] during the 19th century with an estimated 40,000 slaves escaping from the American South along Ohio routes. Additionally migratory patterns of [[free people of color]] in conjunction with the arrival of escaped slaves led to a significant growing black population across the state, but especially in [[Hamilton County, Ohio]] and those counties adjacent to it in Southwestern Ohio which had the largest and fastest growing black populations in Ohio in that era.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=21}}  

The need to educate the Ohio black community became a pressing issue of concern to community leaders, politicians, and religious groups.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=23}} The Ohio Conference of the [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] (AME Church) adopted education resolutions in 1833, and in the years following required their ministers to preach sermons on the need for education.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=22}} The [[Ohio General Assembly]] formally mandated the establishment of public schools for Ohio's black population in 1854. [[Cincinnati High School]] opened that same year as the first public school for black students in Ohio.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=21}} The Ohio Conference of the AME Church founded Union Seminary in West Jefferson, Ohio in 1847, but the school failed to thrive and closed by 1858.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=27-28}} 

In the years leading up to the [[American Civil War]] there was a growing movement to establish schools of higher learning for black people in the [[Northern United States]] as part of the [[abolitionist movement]] to end slavery.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=3, 19}} This was in stark contrast to the [[Southern United States]] where it was illegal for blacks to obtain an education. 
The first of these schools were [[Cheyney University of Pennsylvania]] (founded 1837) and [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]] in Pennsylvania (founded 1854).{{sfn|Brooks|Starks|2011|page=XV}} The interest in founding a similar school in Ohio was partly generated by a series of [[race riots]] in Southern Ohio that occurred in 1826, 1836, and 1841.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=22}} The Cincinnati Conference of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]] believed that the establishment of a university for blacks in Southwestern Ohio could do much to solve racial problems in the region,{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=23}} and were also wanting to provide opportunities to improve the lives of the approximately 50,000 black methodists living in the area overseen by the Cincinnati Conference.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=22}}

====Founding====
Wilberforce University was the third [[historically black college]] (HBC) founded in the United States, and the last HBC established prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War.{{sfn|Brooks|Starks|2011|page=XV}} Some sources describe Wilberforce University as the oldest or first HBC because it was the first HBC to graduate students with an accredited [[bachelor's degree]] in 1857; an achievement not reached by another HBC until 1868 when Lincoln University awarded its first bachelor's diplomas.{{sfn|Chambers|1978|page=xxi}}

Wilberforce University (WU) was officially incorporated in accordance with the laws of [[Greene County, Ohio]] on August 30, 1856.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=33}} It was earlier established by a ratification of first the Cincinnati Conference of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]] (MEC) on October 31, 1855{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=31}} and later a vote of the MEC's national general assembly in May 22, 1856.<ref name="TA"/><ref name="Talbert"/>{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=32}} The process of bringing this initiative to vote was done after a committee was founded on September 28, 1853{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=29}} by the MEC to study founding a black college in consultation with the [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] (AME  Church).<ref name="Talbert">{{cite web|url=http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/talbert/talbert.html#p263|first=Horace|last=Talbert|title=The Sons of Allen: Together with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio 1906|pages=264–268, 273|work=Documenting the South|year=2000|publisher=University of North Carolina|access-date=July 25, 2008}}</ref> The school was established as a [[coeducation]] school of higher education for African-American students with its original name stylized as Wilberforce University.<ref name="TA">{{cite news|title=Wilberforce University|work=True American|date=December 3, 1856|page= 2}}</ref><ref name="Founding"/> The use of the word university in the title was debated during the process of the school's founding, but ultimately it was decided that it should be used as an important aspirational gesture for what the founders hoped the school would become. They called this act a "pledge of victorious faith".<ref name="Talbert"/> 

WU was named after the [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|British abolitionist]] and statesman [[William Wilberforce]]; a name suggested by Uriah Heath at MEC's Cincinnati Conference<ref name="Talbert"/> which was officially adopted on August 26, 1856.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=33}} Prior to this, the working title of the school during its development period was Ohio African University;<ref>{{cite news|title=Find Aged Record Book: Time-Yellowed Book Proves to Be Original Document of Wilberforce|work=[[The Dayton Daily News]]|date=August 26, 1934|page=29}}</ref> a name adopted on May 22, 1856{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=32}} that was permanently abandoned after the vote in August 1856.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=33}} The MEC purchased 52 acres of land for $15,000 in what was then known as Tawawa Springs for the purposes of establishing the college.<ref name="TA"/> The word "Tawawa" came from the language of the [[Shawnee]] people, and translates into English as  "bath of gold" in reference to the shining minerals found in the rocks in the streams on the property.<ref name="Talbert" /> It was described at that time as land 3 1/2 miles northeast of [[Xenia, Ohio]].<ref name="Founding"/>  

The Tawawa Springs property already had buildings when in was purchased; including nine cottages available for student housing.<ref name="Founding"/> The buildings had originally been built on the property for use as a pleasure resort.<ref name="Talbert" /> Because of its location, the Tawawa Springs attracted a summer crowd of people from both Cincinnati and [[Southern United States|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.<ref name="Campbell.google.com">[https://archive.org/details/songsofzionafric0000camp_f3n0/page/215 James T. Campbell, ''Songs of Zion''], New York: Oxford University Press, 1995, pp. 259–260, accessed Jan 13, 2009</ref> The former resort's hotel,<ref name="Talbert" /> an edifice which contained 200 rooms,<ref name="Founding"/> was transformed into classroom space.<ref name="Founding"/><ref name="Talbert" /> The MCE spent $50,000.00 improving these buildings to make them usable for the new school.<ref name="Founding">{{cite news|title=Columbus Editorial Correspondence|work=[[The Cleveland Herald]]|date=February 11, 1857|page= 2}}</ref>

====Pre-Civil War years: 1856-1860====
Wilberforce University's first board was deliberately selected to represent more Christian faith backgrounds than just the MCE, with board members making up representation from a variety of Christian denominations.<ref>{{cite news|title=Noble and Christian Enterprise|work=[[The Fremont Weekly Journal]]|date= February 13, 1857|page= 2}}</ref> One of the school's original board members was abolitionist [[Salmon P. Chase]] who was then the 23rd [[List of governors of Ohio|governor of Ohio]] and later became [[Chief Justice of the United States]].<ref name="Talbert"/> It was also a multi-racial board. Some of the other original 24 members of the board of trustees included  [[Daniel A. Payne]], [[Lewis Woodson]], [[Ishmael Keith]], and [[Alfred Anderson (US minister)|Alfred Anderson]], all of the AME Church.<ref name="Campbell 1995 p. 263">Campbell (1995), ''Songs of Zion'', pp. 263</ref> 

On September 16, 1856 the Reverend F. Merrick was elected president of Wilberforce University by the WU's board.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=34}} Merrick, however, turned the position down, and the board was forced to look elsewhere.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=36}} M. P. Gaddis Jr. served as principal of the school during its first year, and the school opened in October 1856 with a dedication ceremony presided over by Edward Thompson, then president of [[Ohio Wesleyan University]].{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=35}} In February 1857 it was announced that Rev. John F. Wright was appointed the first president of Wilberforce University.<ref name="Founding"/> However, minutes of WU board meetings indicate that there was an on-going active search committee for a WU president at the time Wright served in that post.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=36}} Wright was the presiding elder of the East Cincinnati District{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=29}} and had spent two years lobbying the MEC Cincinnati Conference for the creation the school prior to the 1856 ratification.<ref name="TA"/> He had led the original 1854 committee and was the one responsible for negotiating the collaborative process with the AME Church with meetings that began in August 1855.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=29-30}} He, along with M. French and A. Lowery, were responsible for negotiating the purchase of Tawawa Springs; a process which went through difficult deliberations with several rejected offers made in 1855 and 1856 before a successful one was made on May 22, 1856.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=31-32}} 

Wright served as the WU's president during its first academic year.<ref name="Founding"/> His tenure as interim president was short, with [[Richard S. Rust]] of the MCE's New Hampshire Conference elected to the post of president on June 30, 1858.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=36}}<ref>{{cite news|title= Rev. R. S. Rush of the New Hampshire Conference has been elected President of Wilberforce University|work=[[The Cleveland Leader]]|date= August 3, 1858|page= 2}}</ref> The new school faced pushback from the white community in Xenia with several Ohio newspapers running an identical article in 1858 which complained about the way life in Xenia had altered dramatically due to the influx of so many black individuals into what had been a predominantly white community.<ref>{{cite news|title=Too Much of a Good Thing|work=Cleveland Weekly Plain Dealer|date=August 11, 1858|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Neegrophobia in Greene County, Ohio|work=[[The Darke County Democrat]]|date= August 11, 1858|page= 1}}</ref> A formal petition was sent to the MCE Cincinnati Conference in 1858 requesting that the school be moved. This petition was crafted by the members of the MCE who lived in Xenia.<ref>{{cite news|title=Don't Want Them|work=[[Anti-Slavery Bugle]]|date= September 18, 1858|page= 3}}</ref>  

In its early years, WU had two programs of study, one was a college preparatory program which provided a high school education, and the other was a collegiate level education whose primary purpose was to train teachers.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=1}} The student population of WU consisted of two types of students. One type, were students who were born to free people of color who hailed mainly from the free states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. The other were [[Multiracial people|multiracial]] children from the American South who were born on plantations to enslaved black women and were fathered by white slave holders. These white men wanted their enslaved mixed-race children to receive an education, and sent their children north to WU to obtain one.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=37}}<ref name="Talbert 1906 p. 267"/> The fathers paid for the educations that were denied their children in the South.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> The university awarded its first diplomas in 1857,{{sfn|Chambers|1978|page=xxi}} and by 1860 the private university had more than 200 students.<ref name="Talbert 1906 p. 267">Talbert (1906), ''Sons of Allen'', p. 267</ref> 

Overriding some protest by men, in the 1850s the college hired [[Frances E. W. Harper]], an abolitionist poet, as the first woman to teach at the school.<ref>Boyd, Melba Joyce. ''Discarded Legacy: Politics and Poetics in the Life of Frances E. W. Harper'' 1825-1911. Detroit: Wayne State University, 1994, pp. 38.</ref> 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. After leaving the staff at the time of the school's temporary closure in 1862, she returned to Wilberforce in 1866 in a position of greater responsibility.<ref>Woodson, Byron, "This land... is now our mother country..." (Chapel Hill, Wisdom Books, 2022), 125.</ref>

====American Civil War: 1861-1865====
[[File:Daniel Alexander Payne.jpg|thumb|Daniel Alexander Payne in the early 1890s]]
The outbreak of the American Civil War threatened the college's finances. The school depended on the financial support of the Southern planters whose children attended the school.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> With the outbreak of the war, these men withdrew their children, and the school was unable to maintain enough funding to pay its staff.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=29-37}} An emergency meeting of the WU board on June 19, 1862 led to the decision to suspend the school's operations, with a resolution to pay its staff what was possible, but not what had been promised. A further resolution was made to allow the school to reopen if a third party could step in and provide the means to operate the school, but no party ever materialized.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=38}} 

Ultimately a decision was made to formally close WU at a board meeting on March 10, 1863 with a committee appointed to oversee the selling of the school's assets. Bishop [[Daniel A. Payne]] of the AME Church was present at this meeting, and he made an offer for the AME Church to buy the school and all its assets from the MEC for $10,000; an offer which was ultimately accepted.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=38}} Payne was associated with WU from the very beginning; serving on an executive committee appointed by the WU board from its inception{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=41}} and living with his family on WU's campus where two of his stepchildren were students.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=42}} He was a graduate of [[Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg]],{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=41}} and was occasionally left in charge of WU and its classes when its staff were engaged elsewhere.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=42}}

In addition to paying for the school and its assets, the AME Church paid off WU's debts. The church sold another property to raise the funds to do this.<ref name="Campbell 1995 p. 263"/> The acquisition of WU by the AME Church was overseen by three individuals representing the AME Church. These men included Payne, [[James A. Shorter]], pastor of the AME Church in [[Zanesville, Ohio]] and a future bishop; and [[John G. Mitchell (principal)|John G. Mitchell]], principal of the Eastern District Public School of [[Cincinnati]]. These men were responsible for securing the necessary financing to buy WU. A downpayment of $2,500.00 on the property was made and a contract signed on June 11, 1863; making the purchase final.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=42}} 

A new charter for the school was approved by a new board on June 10, 1863. Payne was selected as president for the newly reformed WU with Shorter as treasurer, and Mitchell appointed as the school's principal.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=42}} The new school opened at the beginning of July 1863 with a small group of just six students. Enrollment grew, and by 1864 the school had classes taught by both Mitchell and his wife, Fannie A. Mitchell, and Esther Maltby, a teacher from the [[American Missionary Society]] who had graduated from [[Oberlin College]]. In 1865 the school was offering not only a traditional curriculum but also advanced classes in Greek, Latin, and mathematics.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=43}} Students at the school at this time had limited career options open to them. Male students could pursue training as ministers to serve the AME church. Female students could train to work as teachers in a Christian education setting, as the school did not yet have licensing to graduate teachers who could teach in the public schools.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=46-47}} 

From the beginning, Payne's tenure was marked by a two-pronged approach to curriculum with one prong emphasizing religion and the other culture. Students were required to attend chapel services and religion classes twice daily. This practice was in place at WU until June 17, 1891 when the school board reduced the amount of religious instruction to only one chapel service daily. There were also two weekly prayer meetings on campus; one of which was compulsory for students.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=46}}

====Reconstruction era: 1865-1877====
In mid-April 1865, at the ending of the American Civil War, the students and faculty of WU attended a celebration of the fall of the [[Confederate States of America]] in [[Xenia, Ohio]]. While the school was left unattended, [[arson]]ists set fire to the main building of the school and it was destroyed. Valued at that time at $60,000.00, it was only insured for $8,000.00; making it a tremendous set back to the school whose finances were not abundant. The school was greatly hampered, as the main building not only housed all of its classroom space, but also contained its dining hall, large lecture hall, administrative space, and dormitory space for both male and female students.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=2}} 

WU, however, persevered after the fire and did not close; although many of its students withdrew after the fire. Classes were conducted from one of the cottage buildings by Miss Maltby for the remainder of the school year.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=43}}  She suffered a mental breakdown, and ultimately one of the advanced students at the school, J. P. Shorter, provided much of the school's education in the 1865-1866 academic year. Solid professional teaching staff was not stable again until the 1866-1867 academic year when Payne brought in three white teachers: Dr. William Kent from England to teach science, Professor Suliot from Scotland to teach mathematics, Latin, and French, and the return of Sarah J. Woodson to teach English and Latin.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=44}} Kent was a graduate of [[Oxford University]] and Suliot, a French-born Quaker, was a graduate of the [[University of Edinburgh]].{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=48}}

Payne went to his network to appeal for aid in rebuilding the college; including support from the AME Church, private individuals, and charitable organizations.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} Large recurring annual donations were given to the school by the Society for the Promotion of Collegiate Theological Education and the [[American Unitarian Association]].{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} Additionally, [[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.<ref>[http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/talbert/talbert.html Horace Talbert, ''The Sons of Allen: Together with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio'', 1906], p. 273, ''Documenting the South'', 2000, University of North Carolina, accessed Jul 25, 2008</ref> Other patrons during this period included [[Union Army]] general [[Oliver Otis Howard]], United States Senator [[Charles Sumner]] of Massachusetts, and Reverend [[Theron Baldwin]].{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=44}} 

WU received its largest contribution at that point in the school's history as the result of an 1869-1870 campaign led by the [[Ohio General Assembly]] and Ohio's representatives to the [[United States Congress]]. Through this campaign the school was awarded a $28,000 grant from the [[Freedmen's Bureau]] for the purposes of educating teachers at WU.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} The funds raised through this grant and donations from patrons were enough to cover operational costs and build a new brick structure, Shorter Hall (completed 1878), to serve as the school's main building, but Payne was unsuccessful at obtaining additional funds to build an endowment as he had hoped.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=44-45, 50}}

The [[Reconstruction era]] history at WU also was marked by a period of academic improvements. The curriculum was systemized during this period, and courses in music, theology, and law were added to the prior coursework in the classics.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} Additionally, science offerings at the school were greatly expanded;{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} including the addition of medical science instruction in 1867.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=48}} Improvements were made to the courses preparing teachers for the classroom.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} Both theology and classics departments were established at the school in 1866.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=47}} This was followed by a science department in 1867, and the establishment of a [[Normal school]] in 1872.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=47-48}} With the establishment of this latter school, WU began to graduate black teachers who could work in public schools serving black children in the 1870s.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=3}} The school's faculty remained largely white during the Reconstruction Era, and these teachers are credited with establishing a strong foundation in the school's newly created departments.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=48-49}}

In 1876 Payne resigned from his post as president of WU. He was succeeded by [[Benjamin F. Lee]] who had previously graduated from Wilberforce in 1872, and then worked at Wilberforce as a professor of theology in addition to being employed as an AME church minister in Toledo.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=50}} Payne continued to be a supporter of WU after he resigned; notably playing an instrumental role in establishing a small museum on the campus of WU in the 1880s.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=54}}

====Gilded Age: 1878-1890s====
Financial instability continued to be an issue at WU during the [[Gilded Age]].{{sfn|Goggins|1987|pages=4-7}} President Lee lacked both Payne's charisma{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=4}} and his social clout in wider American society within both black and white communities.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=52}} As a result, he was an ineffective advocate and fund raiser for WU both within the AME Church and outside of it. While he implemented many fundraising plans, and made many appeals, he was not successful at raising money.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=52-53}} As a result the staff made many financial sacrifices during his tenure, and they were owed backpay.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=51-52}} However, Lee was successful at making several improvement's to the schools facilities during his tenure; including the outfitting of the Ware Art Room and the furnishing of the school's music rooms. The latter project was paid for by donations made by the [[Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church]] in Philadelphia.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=54-55}}

One of Lee's fundraising initiatives was the establishment of a touring school choir known as the Wilberforce Concert Company in 1881.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=53}} [[Fisk University]], another historically black university, founded the [[Fisk Jubilee Singers]] in 1871 which had proven to be a successful fund raising tool for that university.{{sfn|Shipley|2011|page=104}} The success of this choir led to the formation of touring choirs at other historically black schools, many of which successfully raised enough funds to keep these schools operating, including the Hampton Singers at [[Hampton University]].{{sfn|Shipley|2011|page=105}} Lee's Wilberforce Concert Company failed to bring in much financial support but gained a national reputation for excellent musicianship and was successful in attracting students from a wider geographic area to Wilberforce, leading to a greater diversification of the student body. The choir toured until it was disbanded in 1887.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=53}}

Lee's tenure was also marked by a period of faculty instability. The strict moral code of ethics placed on teachers, low play, and the heavy work load demands placed on the faculty were some factors contributing to teacher turnover.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=4}} In an interview, Mary Church Terrell, who taught at WU in the 1880s, said that the work load was overwhelming. She was simultaneously responsible for teaching courses in French, English, mineralogy, and music. On top of this she conducted the school's choir and played organ for the school's chapel services.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|pages=3-4}} Additionally, president Lee had many personal conflicts with his teaching staff which led to several staff members resigning in protest.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=53}} One of these was Mrs. S. C. Bierce who was the head of the normal school department at WU. Bierce was the wife of the prominent classics scholar [[William Sanders Scarborough]] whom Lee had successfully wooed to WU and was one the school's most prominent academics. Despite pleas from the school board to find a way to convince Bierce to return, she refused and did not return to WU until after the end of Lee's tenure as president.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=53-54}}

In 1884 Lee left WU to become the editor of ''[[The Christian Recorder]]''.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=55}} Samuel T. Mitchell, an 1873 graduate of Wilberforce,{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=56}} replaced Lee as WU's president; a role he remained in through 1900.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=51}} Like his predecessor, Mitchell's presidency was marked by a period of repeating financial crises which was exacerbated in his tenure by the deaths of aging past donors. Additionally, both government and charitable funds that were available to the school during the Reconstruction Era had either disappeared completely or significantly diminished.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=4}} Unlike his predecessor, Mitchell was a far better communicator and charismatic public speaker, and was more successful in building relationships with new donors.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=56}}

Mitchell was a visionary who recognized the need to secure state funding for Wilberforce in order to end the cycle of repeating financial crises.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=56-57}} Politically savvy, he was aware that Wilberforce would need an advocate in the Ohio General Assembly (OGA) in order to make that goal a reality. He therefore became heavily involved in the successful campaign to elect [[Benjamin W. Arnett]] to the OGA.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=57}} Additionally, Mitchell led a campaign mounted from within Wilberforce that included faculty members and other administrators to advocate for a state-financed department at WU. This campaign successfully lobbied white politicians from both the Democrat and Republican parties.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=4-5}}

Arnett became a powerful figure in [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] politics in Ohio, and he was responsible for shepherding a bill through the Ohio legislature in 1886-1887 that would provide state funding for a department at WU. On March 19, 1887 the "Combined Normal and Industrial Department at Wilberforce University" (CNI) was created with [[bipartisan]] support by the passage of a law by the Ohio General Assembly.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=5}} In accordance with political needs of the era, this new department emphasized both teacher training and industrial education in addition to classical education.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> The department was a part of WU, but was also apart from the institution. The board that oversaw WU was not given authority over this department. A separate board was appointed over CNI with the governor of Ohio empowered by the Ohio legislature to appoint 5 members of its 9 member board. The AME Church could appoint the other four members, but that meant it had a minority vote on the board.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=5}}

The newly formed state partnership with WU 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 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.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> The AME church and the theology department at WU were concerned about the implications of government influence within the school, and recommended that a clearly separated seminary be established that was independent from WU. WU's board of trustees accepted this recommendation, and a move was made to establish [[Payne Theological Seminary]] (PTS).{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=61-62}} The seminary began teaching students in June 1891 on the campus of Wilberforce.{{sfn|Goggins|1987|page=8}} A separate campus was dedicated on September 20, 1892, and the seminary was officially incorporated as a separate institution on June 19, 1894.{{sfn|Fitchue|2015|pages=1-3}} It however, maintained some formal administrative connections with WU and was only semi-independent; with WU's president still technically over the school while not having much power over it.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=60-66}} 

In 1890 WU's first dormitory for women, O'Neill Hall, was completed,{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=58}} and in 1895 an industrial building was finished on campus.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=63}} In 1894 United States president [[Grover Cleveland]] charged [[John Hanks Alexander]], a [[West Point]] graduate, with establishing a school of military training at WU. From this point on military tactics and other related topics was part of WU's curriculum.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=60-61}} Lieutenant [[Charles Young (United States Army)|Charles Young]], the third black graduate of West Point, taught the school's classes in military science within this department.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> 

By the mid-1890s, the college also admitted students from [[South Africa]], as part of the AME Church's [[mission (Christian)|mission]] to Africa. The church helped support such students with scholarships, as well as arranging board with local families.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> An 1898 report published by the AME Church listed the university as having 20 faculty, 334 students, and 246 graduates.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1898|editor-last=Hawkins|editor-first=John R.|title=Our Schools from Latest Reports|url=https://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:GSE.LIBR:37043830?n=49|journal=The Educator|publisher=Educational Department of the A.M.E. Church|volume=1 |issue=1|pages=47}}</ref>

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.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> Prominent faculty members at Wilberforce in this era included [[W. E. B. Du Bois]], the [[philologist]] and [[William Sanders Scarborough|William S. Scarborough]].<ref name="Campbell.google.com" />

===20th century===
====Progressive Era and World War I: 1900-1929====
{{construction}}
The [[Progressive Era]] marked a period of significant expansion at WU in terms of not only the curriculum but also the physical campus, and the size of both the student body and faculty.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=65}} Joshua Henry Jones served as president of WU from 1900–1908. An 1887 graduate of WU who had achieved significant personal wealth as a businessman, he used university funds to purchase multiple farms that would provide income to the school.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=66}} During his tenure, Howells Hall, a building to house the department of printing, was completed in 1900. A second women's dormitory, Arnett Hall, was completed in 1905, and in 1906 Galloway Hall opened on campus. This latter building contained a large auditorium for the school as well as serving as a trades building. Also completed in 1906 was Poindexter Hall which originally served as classroom space for both carpentry and drawing.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=73}}

While popular with both faculty and students during his tenure, president Jones was not well liked by WU's board of trustees.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=68}} He attempted unsuccessfully to consolidate administrative power over WU's three schools: the College of Liberal of Arts (CLA), the Combined Normal and Industrial Department (CNI), and Payne Theological Seminary (PTS). While technically the office of president was over all three schools, in reality the president had little administrative power over the state funded CNI or over the independent PTS.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=66-67}}  His ambition at power consolidation along with internal politics with the AME church ultimately led to his dismissal in June 1908.{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=68}}

WU classics professor [[William Sanders Scarborough]] succeeded Jones as president; serving in that role until 1920. Scarborough had been a teacher at WU for 31 years prior to his appointment as president in 1908, and was a well known and respected scholar of Greek and Latin outside of WU.

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.|Richard R. Wright, Jr.]], the first African American to earn a PhD from the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. He 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.<ref name="Campbell.google.com" /> In 1969 the organization was revived as the [[Black Academy of Arts and Letters]].

====Great Depression: 1930-1939====
{{construction}}

====World War II and split from College of Education and Industrial Arts: 1939-1947====
{{construction}}
In 1941, the normal/industrial department was expanded by development of a four-year curriculum. In 1947, this section 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]].

====Post-War era and construction of new campus in the 1960s====
{{construction}}
Growth of Wilberforce University after the mid-20th century led to construction of a new campus in 1967, located one mile (1.6&nbsp;km) away. In 1974, the area was devastated by an [[Fujita scale|F5]] tornado that was part of the [[1974 Super Outbreak]], which destroyed much of the city of [[Xenia, Ohio|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 was designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the US [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of Interior]], in recognition of his significant and groundbreaking career in the [[US Army]].

====Late 20th century: 1970s-1990s====
{{construction}}
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 the country.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

===21st century===
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.<ref name="usdeaudit">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/auditreports/fy2008/a05g0029.pdf|title=Wilberforce University's Administration of the Title IV, Higher Education Act Programs: Final Audit Report}}</ref> In summary, 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.

In 2021, the university announced it was cutting tuition by 15% for Ohio residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/tribune/regional/wilberforce-to-cut-tuition-by-15-for-in-state-students/article_dd3271f2-9c5d-5b46-9840-dcc90b5787af.html|title=Wilberforce to cut tuition by 15% for in-state students|agency=[[Dayton Daily News]]|date=2021-06-25|access-date=2021-06-25|archive-date=June 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626035956/https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/tribune/regional/wilberforce-to-cut-tuition-by-15-for-in-state-students/article_dd3271f2-9c5d-5b46-9840-dcc90b5787af.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Presidents===
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* John F. Wright, interim president, appointed 1857<ref name="Founding"/>
* Richard Rust, 1858–1862, first elected president{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=36-37}}
* [[Daniel Payne|Daniel A. Payne]], 1863–1876, first president of the college under AME operation{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=42, 50}}
* [[Benjamin F. Lee]], 1876–1884{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=51}}
* Samuel T. Mitchell, 1884–1900{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=51}}
* Joshua H. Jones, 1900–1908{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|page=66}}
* [[William Sanders Scarborough|William S. Scarborough]], 1908–1920{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=68-70}}
* John A. Gregg, 1920–1924{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=70-71}}
* Gilbert H. Jones, 1924–1932{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=71-72}}
* [[Richard R. Wright Jr.|Richard R. Wright, Jr.]], 1932–1936, 1941–1942{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=101-102}}
* [[D. Ormonde Walker]], 1936–1941{{sfn|McGinnis|1941|pages=101-102}}
* [[Charles H. Wesley]], 1942–1947<ref>{{cite news|title=Charles Wesley is Dead at 95; A Pioneer in Study of Blacks|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/02/obituaries/charles-wesley-is-dead-at-95-a-pioneer-in-study-of-blacks.html|accessdate=April 3, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=September 2, 1987}}</ref>
* Charles Leander Hill, 1947–1956<ref name="wulib">{{cite web|url=http://www.wilberforce.edu/student_life/library_archives_timeline.html|title=Library|publisher=Wilberforce University|access-date=March 24, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615054505/http://www.wilberforce.edu/student_life/library_archives_timeline.html|archive-date=June 15, 2010|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* Rembert E. Stokes, 1956–1976<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Rembert E. Stokes|url=http://www.daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com/stokes.html|website=Dayton Walk of Fame|access-date=15 January 2018}}</ref>
* Charles E. Taylor, 1976–1984<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.diverseeducation.com/leadership-policy/article/15079216/morris-brown-trustees-appoint-chemistry-professor-as-acting-president|title=Morris Brown Trustees Appoint Chemistry Professor as Acting President|work=Diverse: Issues in Higher Education|date=May 7, 2003}}</ref>
* [[Yvonne Walker-Taylor|Yvonne Walker Taylor]],  1984–1988<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ohiohistory.org/research/archives-library/state-archives/ohio-womens-hall-of-fame/#yvonnetaylor|work=[[Ohio Women's Hall of Fame]]|title=Yvonne Walker Taylor|access-date=June 16, 2025}}</ref>
* [[John L. Henderson]], 1988–2002<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. John Henderson|url=http://cech.uc.edu/alumni/distinguished-alumni/2001-2010/2009-henderson.html|website=University of Cincinnati|access-date=15 January 2018}}</ref><ref name="catalog">{{cite book|title=Wilberforce University Catalog, 2017-2018|publisher=Wilberforce University|url=http://wilberforce.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2017-2018-Wilberforce-University-Catalog-Official.pdf|access-date=15 January 2018}}</ref>
* [[Floyd Flake]], 2002–2008<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nypost.com/2011/10/09/rev-flake-looting-lesson/|title=Rev. Flake ‘looting’ lesson|author= Isabel Vincent|date=October 9, 2011|work=[[New York Post]]}}</ref>
* [[Patricia Hardaway]], 2009–2013,<ref name="hardaway">{{cite news|title=Wilberforce University president to step down|last1=Pant|first1=Meagan|date=17 July 2013|url=http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/wilberforce-university-president-step-down/1WSEegEE6BC0zpnBn73fBK/|access-date=15 January 2018|work=mydaytondailynews|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Wilma Mishoe]], 2014, interim president<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.desu.edu/news/2017/11/dr-wilma-mishoe-named-interim-president|work=[[Delaware State University]]|date=November 2, 2017|title=Dr. Wilma Mishoe Named Interim President}}</ref> 
* [[Algeania Marie Warren Freeman]], 2014–2016<ref name="freeman">{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Wayne|title=Dr. Algeania Warren Freeman Named 20th President of Wilberforce University|url=http://wyso.org/post/dr-algeania-warren-freeman-named-20th-president-wilberforce-university|access-date=15 January 2018|language=en}}</ref><ref name="felton"/>
* Herman J. Felton, Jr., 2016–2018<ref name="felton">{{cite news|last1=Staff|first1=AFRO|title=Herman Felton Jr. Named President of Ohio's Wilberforce University {{!}} Afro|url=http://www.afro.com/herman-felton-jr-named-president-of-ohios-wilberforce-university/|access-date=15 January 2018|work=Afro|date=22 July 2016}}</ref>
* Elfred Anthony Pinkard, 2018–2023<ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Trustees Announce Executive Vice President and Provost as 22nd President of Wilberforce University – Wilberforce University|url=http://wilberforce.edu/board-of-trustees-announce-executive-vice-president-and-provost-as-22nd-president-of-wilberforce-university/|website=wilberforce.edu|access-date=15 January 2018}}</ref>
* Vann R. Newkirk, Sr., 2023–present<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-06-06 |title=President's Corner - Wilberforce University |url=https://wilberforce.edu/presidents-corner/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>
}}

==Academics==
According to ''[[U.S. News & World Report|US News and World Report]]'', Wilberforce had a 29% four-year graduation rate in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wilberforce University |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/wilberforce-university-3141 |access-date=September 5, 2024 |website=US News and World Report}}</ref>

Wilberforce requires most students to participate in [[cooperative education]].<ref name="coop">{{cite web|url=http://www.wilberforce.edu/welcome/history.html|title= Wilberforce University: Yesterday and Today|access-date=January 1, 2007|publisher=Wilberforce University| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226123235/http://wilberforce.edu/welcome/history.html|archive-date=26 February 2007}}</ref> The cooperative program places students in internships that provide practical work experience in addition to academic training. It has been a part of the curriculum at Wilberforce since 1966.<ref>{{cite news|title=Wilberforce Dared to Go Co-Op All the Way|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N9oDAAAAMBAJ&q=Wilberforce+dared+to+go+co-op+all+the+way&pg=PA86|access-date=3 May 2017|agency=Ebony|issue=8|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|date=June 1972|volume = 27|page=86}}</ref>

==Athletics==
The Wilberforce athletic teams are called 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.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=Wilberforce University Slated to Join Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in 2024 - Wilberforce University |url=https://wilberforce.edu/wilberforce-university-slated-to-join-gulf-coast-athletic-conference-in-2024/#:~:text=Wilberforce%2520received%2520a%2520unanimous%2520vote,%252C%E2%80%9D%2520said%2520GCAC%2520Commissioner%2520Dr. |access-date=2024-08-20 |language=en-US}}</ref> They previously competed as an [[NAIA independent schools|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 the [[Mid-South Conference]] (MSC) during the 2022–23 school year,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mid-southconference.org/article/11077 |title=Wilberforce Joins The Mid-South Conference {{!}} Mid-South Conference |access-date=August 2, 2022 |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729144809/https://www.mid-southconference.org/article/11077 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and in the defunct [[American Mideast Conference]] from 1999–2000 to 2011–12.

Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, gymnastics, golf, volleyball, and track & field (indoor and outdoor).

===Intramurals===
Students also participate in the following intramural sports: basketball, softball, volleyball, flag football, and tennis.

==Notable alumni==
{{AlumniStart}}
{{Alum|name=[[Victoria Gray Adams]]|nota=Pioneering civil rights activist|ref=<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ladner|first1=Joyce|title=Victoria Gray Adams: Steel Magnolia|journal=Crisis|date=Nov–Dec 2006|ref=3}}</ref> }}
{{Alum|name=[[Regina M. Anderson]] |nota=Playwright, librarian, and member of the [[Harlem Renaissance]]|ref={{sfn|Carney| Bracks|2014|page=6}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Benjamin F. Bowles]]|year=1905|nota=University president and founder|ref=<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mather |first=Frank Lincoln |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tWTXAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA32 |title=Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent |date=1915 |volume=1 |location=Chicago, Illinois |pages=32 |language=en}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Tiny Bradshaw|Myron "Tiny" Bradshaw]] |nota=Jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, pianist, and drummer|ref={{sfn|McClellan|2004|page=45}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Hallie Quinn Brown]] |year=1873|nota= Educator, writer and activist|ref={{sfn|Ohles|1978|p=185}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Shontel Brown]] |year=2022|nota=Congresswoman|ref=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/politics/elections/meet-the-candidates-for-ohios-11th-congressional-district/article_04eb1666-e002-11eb-9d7d-4fe2e5bcc056.html|title=Meet the candidates for Ohio's 11th Congressional District|date=July 9, 2021|access-date=August 6, 2021|website=[[Cleveland Jewish News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.daytonweeklyonline.com/post/congresswoman-shontel-brown-wu-class-of-22-will-keynote-her-commencement|title=Congresswoman Shontel Brown, WU Class of '22 Will Keynote Her Commencement|date=July 14, 2021|access-date=April 28, 2022|website=Dayton Weekly Online}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Isaac M. Burgan]] |year= |nota= president of [[Paul Quinn College]] 1883-1891, 1911-1914|ref={{sfn|Wright|1916|page=53}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Richard H. Cain]]|year=|nota=Minister, abolitionist, and United States Representative from South Carolina from 1873–1875 and 1877-1879|ref={{sfn|White|2021|page=190}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Floy Clements]]|year=|nota=First African-American woman to serve in the [[Illinois House of Representatives]] (1959-1960)|ref=<ref name="ILRU 2016">{{cite web|last1=Musser|first1=Ashley|last2=Dutton|first2=Julie|title=Illinois Women in Congress and General Assembly|date=February 11, 2016|publisher=[[Illinois General Assembly|Illinois Legislative Research Unit]]|location=[[Springfield, Illinois]]|access-date=August 21, 2017|url=http://ilga.gov/commission/lru/FemaleLegislators.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|editor-last=Bone|editor-first=Jan|title=Commission on the Status of Women. Report and Recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly|page=26|date=June 1974|publisher=Illinois Commission on the Status of Women|location=[[Springfield, Illinois]]|access-date=August 21, 2017|url=http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED096595.pdf}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[William B. Derrick]]|year=1885|nota=Minister, AME bishop|ref={{sfn|Hill|Garvey| Universal Negro Improvement Association|1983|page=82}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Charity Adams Earley]] |nota=First female African-American officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps; commanding officer of the first battalion of African American women to serve overseas during WWII|ref={{sfn|Earley|1996|page=103}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Nina Gomer Du Bois]] | |nota= Civil rights activist and  Baháʼí faith activist, wife of [[W.E.B Du Bois]]|ref={{sfn|Bowser| Kushnick|Grant|2002|page=164}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Wade Ellis]] |year=1928|nota=Twelfth African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics ([[University of Michigan]], 1944). First African-American faculty member at [[Oberlin College]]. Former associate dean of graduate studies at the University of Michigan.|ref=<ref>{{cite web | url = http://faculty-history.dc.umich.edu/faculty/wade-ellis/memoir | title = Memoir (Wade Ellis) | publisher = University of Michigan | year = 2011 | accessdate = June 11, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = African American Heritage at Oberlin: Featured Photographs | url=https://isis2.cc.oberlin.edu/archive/exhibits/african_american_heritage/photosAAH.html|access-date=2020-07-14|website=isis2.cc.oberlin.edu | publisher = Oberlin College Archives}}</ref><ref name="Horton 1985 pp. 477–499">{{cite journal | last=Horton | first=James Oliver | title=Black Education at Oberlin College: A Controversial Commitment | journal=The Journal of Negro Education | volume=54 | issue=4 | year=1985 | jstor=2294710 | pages=477–499 | doi=10.2307/2294710 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2294710 | access-date=2023-07-24}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Mary G. Evans]]|year=1924 |nota=Pastor at Cosmopolitan Community Church in Chicago from 1932 to 1966. First woman to graduate with a [[Doctor of Divinity]] from Wilberforce University. |ref={{sfn|Pinn| Pinn|2002|page=41 }}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Floyd H. Flake]] |nota=U.S. Congressman, Wilberforce President|ref={{sfn|Jackson|Nunn|2003|page=11}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Frank Foster (jazz musician)|Frank Foster]]|nota=Musician; member of the [[Count Basie]] Orchestra|ref={{sfn|Larkin|2002|page=147}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[John R. Fox]] |nota=Recipient of the [[Medal of Honor]]|ref={{sfn|Brooks|Starks|2011|page=10}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Raymond V. Haysbert]] |nota=Business executive and civil rights leader|ref=<ref name=Eagle>{{cite news|last=Sakson|first=Steve|title=CEO welcomes a challenge|work=Reading Eagle|date=June 14, 1992|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AdQxAAAAIBAJ&pg=1336,6186319&dq=raymond-haysbert&hl=en |page=B4|access-date=2010-05-26}}</ref> }}
{{Alum|name=[[Leon Quincy Jackson]]|nota=American architect, professor at [[Tennessee State University]], and an early African American architect in Oklahoma and Tennessee; he did not graduate from Wilberforce University but took classes|ref=<ref>{{Cite news |date=1954-09-11 |title=Receives Masters in Architecture |pages=1 |work=[[The Black Dispatch]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117191275/receives-masters-in-architecture/ |access-date=2023-01-25}}</ref> }}
{{Alum|name=[[Leon Jordan]] |year=1932|nota=Politician and civil rights activist; considered one of the most influential African Americans in the history of Kansas City, Missouri|ref={{sfn|Christensen|1999|page=445}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Orchid I. Jordan]] |nota=served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1970 to 1984|ref=<ref>{{Cite news|last=Campbell|first=Matt|date=December 27, 1995|title=Orchid Jordan, former legislator, dead at age 85|work=Kansas City Star|url=|access-date=}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Florence LeSueur]]|nota=The first female NAACP president in 1949, civil right leader and activist.|ref= <ref>{{Cite journal|date=1991-06-29|title=Florence Lesueur, ex-president, director of NAACP branch; at 93|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7666720.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219210614/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7666720.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-02-19|journal=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[James H. McGee]] |nota= City commissioner and first African American mayor of [[Dayton, Ohio]]|ref=<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.libraries.wright.edu/community/outofthebox/2015/02/19/james-h-mcgee-daytons-first-african-american-mayor/ |title= James H. McGee, Dayton's First African-American Mayor |publisher=Wright State University |date=2015-02-19}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Ace Mumford|Arnett "Ace" Mumford]]|year=1924 |nota= Former college football coach at [[Southern University]] from 1936 to 1961. He also coached at Jarvis Christian College, Bishop College, Texas College; member of [[College Football Hall of Fame]]|ref=<ref>{{cite web|title=Ace Mumford|url=https://footballfoundation.org/hof.aspx?hof=1840|work=footballfoundation.org|accessdate=2018-12-23}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Demetrius Newton]]|year=|nota=Civil rights attorney|ref=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/09/rep_demetrius_newton_first_bla.html|title=Rep. Demetrius Newton, first black pro tem in Alabama House, has died (updated)|date=September 11, 2013 }}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Bill Powell (golf course owner)|Bill Powell]] |year=|nota=  Owner and designer of Clearview Golf Club, the first integrated golf course in America and the first owned and designed by an African American|ref=<ref>{{cite web | title = Golf Pioneer Dies | publisher = Morning Journal News | date = Jan 2, 2010 | url = http://www.morningjournalnews.com/page/content.detail/id/516168.html | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131111051850/http://www.morningjournalnews.com/page/content.detail/id/516168.html | archive-date = November 11, 2013 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Leontyne Price]]|nota=Opera singer and first African American [[prima donna]] of the [[Metropolitan Opera]]|ref={{sfn| Nettles|2003|page=133}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Henry Richardson (New Hampshire politician)|Henry Richardson]] |year=1943|nota=First African American state legislator in New Hampshire|ref=<ref>{{Cite news |date=February 27, 1981 |title=Henry B. Richardson; ex-state representative |pages=7 |work=[[Nashua Telegraph]]}}</ref> }}
{{Alum|name=[[George Russell (composer)|George Russell]] |nota= Jazz composer and theorist|ref=<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fordham |first1=John |title=George Russell obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jul/28/george-russell-obituary |access-date=9 October 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=28 July 2009}}</ref> }}
{{Alum|name=[[Green Pinckney Russell]]|year=1913|nota=American school administrator, college president, and teacher|ref=<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hardin |first=John A. |date=1995 |title=Green Pinckney Russell of Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2784634 |journal=Journal of Black Studies |volume=25 |issue=5 |pages=610–621 |doi=10.1177/002193479502500506 |jstor=2784634 |s2cid=143448048 |issn=0021-9347|url-access=subscription }}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Jimmy Rushing]] |nota= Blues musician|ref={{sfn|Daniels|2007|page=52}}}} 
{{Alum|name=[[Bayard Rustin]] |nota= Labor leader, civil rights organizer|ref=<ref>{{cite web | title = History of Wilberforce University: Bayard Rustin
 | publisher = Wilberforce Payne Unified Library | date = Jan 2, 2010 | url = https://wilberforcepayne.libguides.com/c.php?g=763792&p=5478045 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201030133036/https://wilberforcepayne.libguides.com/c.php?g=763792&p=5478045 | archive-date = 30 October 2020 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Susie Lankford Shorter]] |year= |nota=writer, educator |ref=<ref>Hallie Q. Brown, [https://books.google.com/books?id=GnBA_iwA9vcC&dq=Susie+Lankford+Shorter&pg=PA205 ''Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction''] (Oxford University Press 1988): 205-206. {{ISBN|9780199763092}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[William Grant Still]] |nota=Composer and conductor; the first African American to conduct a major American orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, and the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company|ref={{sfn|Simpson|1964|page=8}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Ossian Sweet]] |nota= African-American doctor notable for self-defense in 1925 against a white mob's attempt to force him out of his Detroit neighborhood, and acquittal at trial|ref=<ref>{{cite news|title=A Review of the Sweet Case|author=Marian M. Singleton|work=[[The Crisis]]|date= September 1935|page=270}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Dorothy Vaughan]] |year=1929|nota=American mathematician whose work at the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]] (NACA), predecessor agency to [[NASA]]; inspired the 2016 biographical drama film ''[[Hidden Figures]]'' |ref={{sfn|Williams|2018|page=67}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Ben Webster]] |nota=American jazz musician|ref={{sfn|Buchmann-Moller|2010|page=8}}}}
{{Alum|name=[[Milton Wright (academic)|Milton Wright]] |year=1926|nota=Economist|ref={{sfn|Whyte|2017|page=355}}}}
{{AlumniEnd}}

==See also==
* [[Historically black colleges and universities]]
* [[1931 Wilberforce Green Wave football team]]

==Representation in other media==
* [[Dolen Perkins-Valdez]]'s novel ''Wench'' (2010) explores the lives of several enslaved women of color brought to the Tawawa House resort during the summers by their Southern white masters. They were among the visitors in the years before the property was bought for use as the college.<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Neal Parker|first1=Lonnae|title=A tender spot in master-slave relations|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012102960.html|access-date=15 April 2015|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Nelson|first1=Samantha|title=Dolen Perkins-Valdez: Wench|website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=January 28, 2010 |url=http://www.avclub.com/review/dolen-perkins-valdez-iwenchi-37586|access-date=15 April 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
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==External links==
* [http://www.wilberforce.edu/ Official website]
* [http://www.wilberforceathletics.com Official athletics website]
* [http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/talbert/menu.html Horace Talbert, ''The Sons of Allen: Together with a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of Wilberforce University, Wilberforce, Ohio''], 1906, ''Documenting the American South'', University of North Carolina

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