Shaw University
Encyclopedia
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university
(HBCU) in Raleigh, North Carolina
, United States
. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States.
Shaw is affiliated with the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and a member of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
which supports the Shaw University Divinity School. Along with Howard University
, Hampton University
, Lincoln University, PA and Virginia Union University
, Shaw was a co-founding member of the NCAA Division II's Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference
, the oldest African American
athletic association in the U.S. The university has won CIAA
championships in Football, Basketball(women's and mens), and Mens Tennis.
The university won a 5-year grant with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to create a Partnership for the Elimination of Health Disparities for minorities, and a 7-year grant with Johns Hopkins University
for Gerontological Research. In 2007, Shaw received $2.5 million from the National Science Foundation
to support its Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
program. In 2004, Shaw University received $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an Upward Bound Program.
, the Council for Social Work Education, and the American Psychological Association
. The Divinity School is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
as its Kinesiotherapy and Sports Medicine program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
.
The university offers undergraduate degrees in natural science, business and accounting, religion and philosophy, and education and computer science and graduate programs in Divinity, Religious Education and Early Childhood Instruction.
The College of Adult and Professional Education (CAPE) has centers in Greenville
, Kannapolis
, High Point
, Rocky Mount
, Ahoskie
, Fayetteville
, Durham
, Wilmington
, and Asheville
.
. Rev. Dr. Henry Martin Tupper
came south immediately after the end of the Civil War, establishing the Second Baptist Church of Raleigh (changed to Tabernacle Baptist Church in 1910, and now the Tupper Memorial Baptist Church.) Later Tupper and his Bible study students constructed a two-story church, with one story for the church, and one for the Raleigh Institute, where he taught freedmen. By 1915, supported by the American Baptist Home Mission, the school had 291 students, evenly divided between men and women.
It was renamed Shaw Collegiate Institute after Elijah Shaw, benefactor of Shaw Hall, the first building. In 1875, it became Shaw University. In 1873, Estey Hall
the female dormitory in the U.S. on a coeducational campus was built. Leonard Medical School
was founded in 1881 as the first four-year medical school in the South to train black doctors and pharmacists. It was also the first medical school in North Carolina to offer a four-year curriculum and operated until 1918. Given their importance in the education of African Americans, both Estey Hall and Leonard Hall are on the National Register of Historic Places
.
By 1900, more than 30,000 black teachers had been trained.
Shaw University has been called the mother of African-American colleges in North Carolina, as North Carolina Central University
, Elizabeth City State University
, and Fayetteville State University
founding presidents were Shaw alumni. The founder of Livingstone College
studied at Shaw before transferring to Lincoln University
. What became North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
was located on Shaw's campus during its first year.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC) began at a conference held at Shaw University and led by Ella Baker
in 1960. SNCC was created to coordinate activities among numerous civil rights groups, support civil rights leaders and publicize their activities. SNCC played a strong role in Freedom Summer
and the voter registration drives in Mississippi during 1964 and 1965.
In the 1990s, Shaw ran a successful capital campaign to renovate historic buildings and construct new campus facilities, including the Talbert O. Shaw Center for Teachers' Education.
In 2005, SUDS received a 10-year accreditation from the Association for Theological Schools and began construction on the Center for Early Childhood Education, Research and Development.
Another example of new directions is that the university is collaborating with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on a Partnership for the Elimination of Health Disparities Center. As noted by Dr. Daniel Howard, center co-director at Shaw University, establishing the research resources at Shaw, meant that "more African American college students can become health researchers, which is a definite plus when trying to eliminate disparities."
Shaw University is also a member of the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges (CRC) Program. This intercollegiate program is a consortium to pool resources of courses and programs, material, and professors for the sake of providing effective education to all the students. The participating colleges are Shaw University, North Carolina State University
, Saint Augustine's College, Wake Technical Community College
, Peace College
, and Meredith College
.
. The study concluded that racial discrimination had contributed to the military's overlooking the contributions of black soldiers. The 272-page study recommended ten soldiers whose military records suggested they deserved the Medal of Honor.
In January 1995, the team’s findings were sent to the U.S. Department of Defense
. In April 1996, the department agreed that seven of the ten soldiers should be awarded the Medal of Honor. All ten had been awarded other medals during the war years. President Bill Clinton awarded the Medals of Honor on January 13, 1997.
The department's decision in response to Shaw's study marked only the third time that the military re-evaluated military records to award the Medal of Honor. Only one of the seven nominees, 1st Lt. Vernon Baker
of St. Maries, Idaho
, was alive to receive his medal. Those who were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously were: 1st Lt. Charles L. Thomas
of Detroit, Michigan
; Pvt. George Watson
of Birmingham, Alabama
; Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr.
of Los Angeles, California
; 1st Lt. John R. Fox
of Boston, Massachusetts; Pfc. Willy F. James Jr.
of Kansas City, Kansas
; and Staff Sgt. Ruben Rivers
of Tecumseh, Oklahoma
.
Division II's Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference
. Shaw University's Basketball team participates in the CIAA annual Basketball Tournament, which is the third most attended athletic event in collegiate sports after the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East tournaments. Shaw fields 14 varsity athletic teams including teams in men's basketball, women's basketball, football, tennis, baseball, cheerleading, men's and women's track and field, volleyball, golf, and bowling.
In 2002, Shaw University's men's basketball team won the CIAA championship. Also the lady's basketball team, won the 2008 CIAA championship. The football team, reestablished by Dr. Clarence G. Newsome in 2002, played at the Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina through the 2008 season. In 2009, the team relocated their home games to Millbrook High School in Raleigh. The 2011 season will be played at Durham County Stadium. It won the CIAA football championship in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2010. The football team has also made the Division II playoffs in 2007 and 2010. Also in 2011 both men's and women's teams won the CIAA Tournament making Shaw the last school since Norfolk State in 1975 to win the big three championships in the same year.
There are several organizations and clubs on-campus, including The Shaw Players and Company, the Student Government Association, cheerleaders, intramural and extramural sports, sororities, fraternities, gospel and university choirs. The University also has jazz, pep, and concert bands as well as the COGs (Children of God) which represents a wide range of student activities that exist at Shaw University. The university's radio station, 88.9 FM or WSHA, is one of the popular jazz stations in the triangle. The university supports the Honda Quiz Bowl Team, the Shawensis Literary Club, the Shaw Men and Shaw Women Society, the Divine Nine, the Student North Carolina Association of Educators, the Pre-Alumni Council, and the Shaw Journal Campus Newspaper. These pre-professional organizations provide ways to enhance classroom activities while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow students.
in Atlanta, Georgia
. Also, several Shaw student-musicians played the sounds behind the 2002, Twentieth Century Fox motion picture, Drumline.
. As of July 2011, Durham County Stadium
will remain the home of the Shaw University
Bears football team until construction plans towards building a new facility on Shaw Farm(a 40 acre lot donated to the university under James Cheek's administration on rock quarry rd. in Raleigh NC and the site of the National Alumni House) is completed and implemented. The main campus is located in the heart of downtown Raleigh
. Five of the thirty-two buildings are national and state historic landmarks which are the Frazier House, Estey Hall
, Tyler Hall, Leonard Hall
, and the Rogers-Bagley-Daniels-Pegues House. The Campus has a memorial garden in the heart of the campus which is also the location of the tombs of the founder of Shaw University, Dr. Henry Martin Tupper and his wife Sarah and the University Belltower, that was erected in honor of those who came and left the institution, from its founding to its present.
The Campus has Three Libraries, The James E. Cheek Library, The TOS Education Library, and the Divinity School Library, that houses over 210,000 volumes, 10,000 ebooks, and many other sources of scholarly and cultural literature as well as microforms, located throughout Shaw University(including cape sites). Also, the Raleigh Business and Technology Center is located on Shaw's campus. Planned in 1989, Shaw University
city council officials and Saint Augustine's College in a joint effort built the current facility on Shaw's Campus. Both colleges use the center for classes and community programs. The Campus has four dorms, the Flemming-Kee Men's Dorm, the Dimple Newsome Dorm, Talbert O. Shaw Men's Dorm and the Talbert O. Shaw Women's Dorm. Other resources available on or adjacent to the campus are McDonald's, The Willie E. Gary
Student Center which houses the Bear's Den (Game Room and Grill), and the Cyber Cafe'.
.
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
(HBCU) in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States.
Shaw is affiliated with the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and a member of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
National Baptist Convention
National Baptist Convention may refer to:One of several historically African-American Christian denominations:*National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., the oldest and largest denomination using this name, formed in the late 19th century...
which supports the Shaw University Divinity School. Along with Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Hampton University
Hampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
, Lincoln University, PA and Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
, Shaw was a co-founding member of the NCAA Division II's Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is a college athletic conference, mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities. Recent addition Chowan University is the first non-HBCU to play in the conference. Conference teams participate in the NCAA's Division II...
, the oldest African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
athletic association in the U.S. The university has won CIAA
CIAA
CIAA may refer to the:* Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, a U.S. athletic conference competing in NCAA Division II* Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU, a European trade organization...
championships in Football, Basketball(women's and mens), and Mens Tennis.
The university won a 5-year grant with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to create a Partnership for the Elimination of Health Disparities for minorities, and a 7-year grant with Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
for Gerontological Research. In 2007, Shaw received $2.5 million from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
to support its Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
program. In 2004, Shaw University received $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an Upward Bound Program.
Academics
Shaw is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and SchoolsSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
, the Council for Social Work Education, and the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
. The Divinity School is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada
The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has more than 250 member institutions...
as its Kinesiotherapy and Sports Medicine program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, , is an agency of accreditation for the accredits postsecondary education programs in 19 different allied health and related fields....
, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S....
.
The university offers undergraduate degrees in natural science, business and accounting, religion and philosophy, and education and computer science and graduate programs in Divinity, Religious Education and Early Childhood Instruction.
The College of Adult and Professional Education (CAPE) has centers in Greenville
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
, Kannapolis
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
, High Point
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
, Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Rocky Mount is an All-America City Award-winning city in Edgecombe and Nash counties in the coastal plains of the state of North Carolina. Although it was not formally incorporated until February 28, 1867, the North Carolina community that became the city of Rocky Mount dates from the beginning of...
, Ahoskie
Ahoskie, North Carolina
Ahoskie is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina. The population was 4,523 at the 2000 census. Ahoskie is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Its nickname is "The Only One" because no other town in the world is known by the same name...
, Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
, Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, and Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
.
History
| Dr. Henry Martin Tupper | 1865–1893 | First/Founder |
| Dr. Charles Francis Meserve | 1894–1919 | |
| Dr. Joseph Leishman Peacock | 1920–1931 | |
| Dr. William Stuart Nelson | 1931–1936 | |
| Dr. Robert Prentiss Daniel | 1936–1950 | |
| Dr. William Russell Strassner | 1951–1962 | |
| Dr. James Edward Cheek* | 1963–1969 | |
| Dr. King Vergil Cheek* | 1969–1971 | |
| Dr. J. Archie Hargraves | 1971–1977 | |
| Dr. Stanley Hugh Smith | 1978–1987 | |
| Dr. John Lucas* | 1981–1987 | |
| Dr. Talbert O. Shaw | 1988–2002 | |
| Dr. Clarence G. Newsome | 2003–2009 | |
| Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy | 2009–2010 | |
| Dr.Irma McClaurin | 2010–2011 | |
| Dr.Dorothy Cowser Yancy-Interim | president | |
| *Alumnus |
Founding to the 1860s
The school was founded by the American Baptist Home Mission SocietyHome mission society
The American Baptist Home Mission Societies is a Christian missionary society. It was established in New York City in 1832 to operate in the American frontier, with the stated mission "to preach the Gospel, establish churches and give support and ministry to the unchurched and destitute." In the...
. Rev. Dr. Henry Martin Tupper
Henry Martin Tupper
Henry Martin Tupper D.D. was a Baptist minister who founded Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, the first university established for African Americans following the end of the civil war, and the oldest historically black college and university in the Southern United States, as well as one...
came south immediately after the end of the Civil War, establishing the Second Baptist Church of Raleigh (changed to Tabernacle Baptist Church in 1910, and now the Tupper Memorial Baptist Church.) Later Tupper and his Bible study students constructed a two-story church, with one story for the church, and one for the Raleigh Institute, where he taught freedmen. By 1915, supported by the American Baptist Home Mission, the school had 291 students, evenly divided between men and women.
It was renamed Shaw Collegiate Institute after Elijah Shaw, benefactor of Shaw Hall, the first building. In 1875, it became Shaw University. In 1873, Estey Hall
Estey Hall
Estey Hall is a historic building on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the first building constructed for the higher education of African-American women in the United States...
the female dormitory in the U.S. on a coeducational campus was built. Leonard Medical School
Leonard Hall (Shaw University)
Leonard Hall is a historic educational building located on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Built in 1881 and originally named Leonard Medical Center , Leonard Hall was established when medical schools were professionalizing...
was founded in 1881 as the first four-year medical school in the South to train black doctors and pharmacists. It was also the first medical school in North Carolina to offer a four-year curriculum and operated until 1918. Given their importance in the education of African Americans, both Estey Hall and Leonard Hall are on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
By 1900, more than 30,000 black teachers had been trained.
Shaw University has been called the mother of African-American colleges in North Carolina, as North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University is a public historically black university in the University of North Carolina system, located in Durham, North Carolina, offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and doctoral levels....
, Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University
Elizabeth City State University is a public, historically black college located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in the United States...
, and Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville State University is a historically black, regional university located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. FSU is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.-Academics:The primary...
founding presidents were Shaw alumni. The founder of Livingstone College
Livingstone College
Livingstone College is a private, historically black, four-year college in Salisbury, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church...
studied at Shaw before transferring to Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...
. What became North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest publicly funded historically black college in the state of North Carolina.NC A&T is a constituent institution of the University of North...
was located on Shaw's campus during its first year.
U.S. Civil Rights Movement
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
(SNCC) began at a conference held at Shaw University and led by Ella Baker
Ella Baker
Ella Josephine Baker was an African American civil rights and human rights activist beginning in the 1930s....
in 1960. SNCC was created to coordinate activities among numerous civil rights groups, support civil rights leaders and publicize their activities. SNCC played a strong role in Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many African American voters as possible in Mississippi which had historically excluded most blacks from voting...
and the voter registration drives in Mississippi during 1964 and 1965.
1980s to present
By the mid-1980s, enrollment declined and the university was deeply in debt. President Talbert O. Shaw (1988–2003) (not related to the namesake) increased the student body from 1,600 to 2,700, restructured debt and created the Raleigh Business and Technology Center.In the 1990s, Shaw ran a successful capital campaign to renovate historic buildings and construct new campus facilities, including the Talbert O. Shaw Center for Teachers' Education.
In 2005, SUDS received a 10-year accreditation from the Association for Theological Schools and began construction on the Center for Early Childhood Education, Research and Development.
Another example of new directions is that the university is collaborating with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on a Partnership for the Elimination of Health Disparities Center. As noted by Dr. Daniel Howard, center co-director at Shaw University, establishing the research resources at Shaw, meant that "more African American college students can become health researchers, which is a definite plus when trying to eliminate disparities."
Shaw University is also a member of the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges (CRC) Program. This intercollegiate program is a consortium to pool resources of courses and programs, material, and professors for the sake of providing effective education to all the students. The participating colleges are Shaw University, North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
, Saint Augustine's College, Wake Technical Community College
Wake Technical Community College
Wake Technical Community College, commonly known as Wake Tech, is a two-year accredited institution of higher education and technical training school. Its main campus is located approximately five miles south of Raleigh, North Carolina, near McCullers Crossroads. It also operates several branch...
, Peace College
Peace College
William Peace University is a small liberal arts college located in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian church.-History:...
, and Meredith College
Meredith College
Meredith College is a liberal arts women's college located in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the 2010-2011 academic year, there were approximately 2,300 students enrolled, including about 350 graduate students, making Meredith the largest women's college in the southeastern United States...
.
Study of World War II service of black veterans
Shaw University led a research study to investigate why no black veterans of WWII had been awarded the Medal of HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. The study concluded that racial discrimination had contributed to the military's overlooking the contributions of black soldiers. The 272-page study recommended ten soldiers whose military records suggested they deserved the Medal of Honor.
In January 1995, the team’s findings were sent to the U.S. Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
. In April 1996, the department agreed that seven of the ten soldiers should be awarded the Medal of Honor. All ten had been awarded other medals during the war years. President Bill Clinton awarded the Medals of Honor on January 13, 1997.
The department's decision in response to Shaw's study marked only the third time that the military re-evaluated military records to award the Medal of Honor. Only one of the seven nominees, 1st Lt. Vernon Baker
Vernon Baker
Vernon Joseph Baker was a United States Army officer who received the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II...
of St. Maries, Idaho
St. Maries, Idaho
St. Maries is a city in Benewah County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,652 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Benewah County. Pronounced St. Mary's.-Geography:St. Maries is located at ....
, was alive to receive his medal. Those who were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously were: 1st Lt. Charles L. Thomas
Charles L. Thomas
Major Charles Leroy Thomas was a United States Army officer who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions while a company commander during the capture of Climbach, France in 1944 — the second African American to be awarded one during World War II...
of Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
; Pvt. George Watson
George Watson (U.S. Army)
George Watson was a private in the United States Army who was killed in action during World War II. He was one of seven African American soldiers to receive the Medal of Honor for their actions during World War II, and the only one of the seven to earn his medal while serving in the Pacific...
of Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
; Staff Sgt. Edward A. Carter Jr.
Edward A. Carter, Jr.
Edward Allen Carter, Jr. was United States Army Staff Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during March 1945 during World War II...
of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
; 1st Lt. John R. Fox
John R. Fox
John Robert Fox was killed in action when he deliberately called for artillery fire on his own position, after his position was overrun, in order to defeat a German attack in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, northern Italy during World War II...
of Boston, Massachusetts; Pfc. Willy F. James Jr.
Willy F. James, Jr.
Willy F. James, Jr. was a United States Army private first class who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during World War II...
of Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
; and Staff Sgt. Ruben Rivers
Ruben Rivers
Ruben Rivers was a Staff Sergeant in the 761st Tank Battalion, black tank battalion which served with distinction in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Sgt...
of Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Tecumseh, Oklahoma
Tecumseh is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,457 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Tecumseh is located at ....
.
Athletics
Shaw University is a member and co-founder of the National Collegiate Athletic AssociationNational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II's Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is a college athletic conference, mostly consisting of historically black colleges and universities. Recent addition Chowan University is the first non-HBCU to play in the conference. Conference teams participate in the NCAA's Division II...
. Shaw University's Basketball team participates in the CIAA annual Basketball Tournament, which is the third most attended athletic event in collegiate sports after the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East tournaments. Shaw fields 14 varsity athletic teams including teams in men's basketball, women's basketball, football, tennis, baseball, cheerleading, men's and women's track and field, volleyball, golf, and bowling.
In 2002, Shaw University's men's basketball team won the CIAA championship. Also the lady's basketball team, won the 2008 CIAA championship. The football team, reestablished by Dr. Clarence G. Newsome in 2002, played at the Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina through the 2008 season. In 2009, the team relocated their home games to Millbrook High School in Raleigh. The 2011 season will be played at Durham County Stadium. It won the CIAA football championship in 2004, 2007, 2008, and 2010. The football team has also made the Division II playoffs in 2007 and 2010. Also in 2011 both men's and women's teams won the CIAA Tournament making Shaw the last school since Norfolk State in 1975 to win the big three championships in the same year.
Extracurricular Activities
Marching band
Shaw's marching band better known as the "platinum sound" was reestablished in the Fall of 2002 along with the reestablishment of the football team. The band has grown from 80 members in 2002 to over 130 members. Shaw's marching band has participated in the Honda Battle of the Bands at the Georgia DomeGeorgia Dome
The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Also, several Shaw student-musicians played the sounds behind the 2002, Twentieth Century Fox motion picture, Drumline.
Campus Infastructure
Shaw University consists of 32 buildings and nine additional campuses across the state of North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. As of July 2011, Durham County Stadium
Durham County Stadium
Durham County Stadium is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose stadium located in Durham County, North Carolina. The stadium is mostly used for High school football and soccer but also serves as the home field for the Bears of Shaw University despite the school's location in neighboring Wake County. Durham...
will remain the home of the Shaw University
Shaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
Bears football team until construction plans towards building a new facility on Shaw Farm(a 40 acre lot donated to the university under James Cheek's administration on rock quarry rd. in Raleigh NC and the site of the National Alumni House) is completed and implemented. The main campus is located in the heart of downtown Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. Five of the thirty-two buildings are national and state historic landmarks which are the Frazier House, Estey Hall
Estey Hall
Estey Hall is a historic building on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was the first building constructed for the higher education of African-American women in the United States...
, Tyler Hall, Leonard Hall
Leonard Hall (Shaw University)
Leonard Hall is a historic educational building located on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Built in 1881 and originally named Leonard Medical Center , Leonard Hall was established when medical schools were professionalizing...
, and the Rogers-Bagley-Daniels-Pegues House. The Campus has a memorial garden in the heart of the campus which is also the location of the tombs of the founder of Shaw University, Dr. Henry Martin Tupper and his wife Sarah and the University Belltower, that was erected in honor of those who came and left the institution, from its founding to its present.
The Campus has Three Libraries, The James E. Cheek Library, The TOS Education Library, and the Divinity School Library, that houses over 210,000 volumes, 10,000 ebooks, and many other sources of scholarly and cultural literature as well as microforms, located throughout Shaw University(including cape sites). Also, the Raleigh Business and Technology Center is located on Shaw's campus. Planned in 1989, Shaw University
Shaw University
Shaw University, founded as Raleigh Institute, is a private liberal arts institution and historically black university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest HBCU in the Southern United States....
city council officials and Saint Augustine's College in a joint effort built the current facility on Shaw's Campus. Both colleges use the center for classes and community programs. The Campus has four dorms, the Flemming-Kee Men's Dorm, the Dimple Newsome Dorm, Talbert O. Shaw Men's Dorm and the Talbert O. Shaw Women's Dorm. Other resources available on or adjacent to the campus are McDonald's, The Willie E. Gary
Willie E. Gary
Willie E. Gary , once a migrant worker, is an attorney, motivational speaker and cable television executive. Gary has earned his reputation and nickname as "The Giant Killer" by winning suits against some of America's most well known corporate giants, such as Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch, on...
Student Center which houses the Bear's Den (Game Room and Grill), and the Cyber Cafe'.
Student organizations
The university has a range of student organizations, including sororities and fraternities, and honor societies. Other organizations include the Shaw Men and Shaw Women Society (organizations that emphasize development of character),the social science club, Swing Phi Swing, the Shaw University National Alumni Association, the Freemasons and the Order of the Eastern Star, the Religion and Philosophy Club, Grove Phi Grove,Inc., Iota Alpha Omega Christian Fraternity, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
.
Tornados of April 15-17 2011
As a result of the massive destruction of the Mid-April 2011 Southern United States tornado outbreak, the university cancelled classes for the semester. As a result of the storm, two dormitories, the student union, and the roof of estey hall were severely damaged. There were minor injuries but no one was seriously hurt. Julius Stukes Jr, a sophomore at the time, had recorded the events on his camera while running through parts of the tornado. His brave act helped Shaw University become the center of attention and due to valid images, the university was able to recive funding for its lost.Notable alumni
Additional references
- Carter, Wilmoth A. Shaw's Universe: A Monument to Educational Innovation, Raleigh: Shaw University, 1973
- Lincoln, C. Eric, The Black Church in the African American Experience, Durham: Duke University Press, 1990
External links
- www.shawu.edu -- Official web site
- www.shawbears.com -- Athletics web site
- Shaw University Archives: History
- SNCC, 1960-1966: Six Years of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee