DrBanneker
Space is the Place
![Wilberforce_University_Seal.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Wilberforce_University_Seal.jpg)
![wilberforce-scaled.png](https://apply-wilberforce-edu.cdn.technolutions.net/images/wilberforce-scaled.png)
We last covered Meharry Medical College that received an outstanding score of 9.3 placing it at the #2 spot behind Spelman College.
See the updated leaderboard here
Today we go to central Ohio to cover the oldest Black run HBCU, Wilberforce University. Founded by the AME church in 1856 before the Civil War it has an interesting history.
Xenia, Ohio has many natural hot springs and that made it a natural resort area in the antebellum USA. Specifically, in Wilberforce, Ohio a resort called Tawawa Resort was established which earned the dubious reputation as a hidden getaway and retreat for Southern slave masters to bring their enslaved Black or Mulatto mistresses and their illegitimate children. With the growth of pro-abolition sentiment in the area, the resort became scandal and was forced to close. The previous owners found a willing buyer in the AME Church who was looking to establish a college for Blacks after having been run out by a mob trying to establish such a school in Connecticut.
The AME Church bought the resort and turned its buildings into classrooms and student quarters. However, there was not a complete break with the past as most of the students before the Civil War were the mixed sons and daughters of Southern slaveowners who sent them to Wilberforce for an education.
After rebuilding from partial destruction due to arson soon after the end of the Civil War, it gradually grew and became one of the early prominent universities similar to Lincoln University. Also similar to Lincoln, it hosted many African students, specifically from South Africa. Many prominent early Black scholars visited or taught at Wilberforce including W.E.B. DuBois (his first teaching post after graduate work at the University of Berlin) and Paul Laurance Dunbar.
The curriculum focused on industrial arts and teacher training towards the end of the 19th century. In 1947, the industrial school was split off and became what is now known as Central State University.
Wilberforce has a similar story to Lincoln University: an early first mover in Black education that produced many great leaders but has declined in prominence relative to the modern star HBCUs. This unfortunately was long process that WEB DuBois himself warned about in an article in 1940 (link) that the university was falling behind upstarts like Florida A&M and Virginia State due to its low research output and internal politics. Wilberforce has saved itself from the brink of financial ruin or loss of accreditation several times in its history, most recently moving off probation in 2021. Wilberforce has a rich history and I think could make a good niche for itself as a private liberal arts school following the formula followed by Claflin University, Philander Smith, and Paul Quinn. That would be a great continuation for its proud students and legacy.
Founded: 1856
City, State: Wilberforce, OH
Type: 4-year, Private not-for-profit (African Methodist Episcopal affiliated)
Nickname: Bulldogs
Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 557 (544 undergraduate), 97% Black
Part-time student percentage: 30%
First Generation Student Percentage: 46%
Percentage of students from households under $30k/over $100k: 72% / N/A
Out of State Percentage: 44%
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19:1
Admissions Acceptance Rate: 39%
4-yr/6-yr graduation rates: 20% / 33%
Transfer out rate: N/A
Male/Female percentages (Female:Male Ratio): 40% male/ 60% female (1.5:1)
Tuition: $13k
Median Federal Debt After Graduation: $25k
Median Parent PLUS Loans After Graduation: $10k
Median Earning 10-Years after 10 years from freshman year: $35k
Median Earnings for specific majors after 3 years after graduation:
Business Administration: $40k
Top Majors by Degrees:
Business Administartion, Social Work, Biology, Health Services
Endowment: ~$8M
Alumni Engagement: N/A
Athletic Conference: Continental Athletic Conference (NAIA)
Mascot: Bulldogs
![1575478199$1.png](https://www.firstpointusa.com/dashboard/uploads/colleges/1835/1575478199$1.png)
Notable Alumni:
Dorothy Vaughan - mathematician of Hidden Figures fame
![maryjacksonsmall.jpg](https://i0.wp.com/goodblacknews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/maryjacksonsmall.jpg)
William Grant Still - first Black American to conduct a major American orchestra
![william_grant_still.jpg](https://cso.org/media/xhsixlkk/william_grant_still.jpg)
Bayard Rustin - Civil rights activist
![Bayard-Rustin-1963.jpg](https://cdn.britannica.com/85/183385-050-76B78FBE/Bayard-Rustin-1963.jpg)
Leontyne Price - first Black woman prima donna of the Met Opera
![24PRICE4-jumbo.jpg](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/12/24/arts/24PRICE4/24PRICE4-jumbo.jpg)
Shontel Brown - Congresswoman representing Ohio's 11th district
![192px-Shontel_Brown_116th_Congress.jpg](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Shontel_Brown_116th_Congress.jpg/192px-Shontel_Brown_116th_Congress.jpg)
Main Campus
![7BD6YNIKNZCMPN6BW4P5UZ3Z3M.jpg](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coxohio/7BD6YNIKNZCMPN6BW4P5UZ3Z3M.jpg)
![90](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2b562a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2572x1584+122+0/resize/880x542!/quality/90/?url=http://npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/legacy/sites/wosu2/files/201703/wilberforce_2.jpg)
![wilberforce-585x330.jpg](https://cdn.uncf.org/wp-content/uploads/wilberforce-585x330.jpg)
Basketball gym
Hounds of Sound marching band
![7df708c5-7cc5-4b98-a768-b15034e69ed2-large16x9_Wilberforcebandbldg1.jpeg](https://image-renderer.sinclairstoryline.com/prod/image-renderer/16x9/full/1015/center/80/7df708c5-7cc5-4b98-a768-b15034e69ed2-large16x9_Wilberforcebandbldg1.jpeg)
![wu-band-homecoming-2.jpg](http://npr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/d6/80/a8599caf4618b223dafc0aaa63e3/wu-band-homecoming-2.jpg)
Cheerleaders
Royal Desire Dancers
Miss Wilberforce
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