Wiley University

History

Wiley University was established in 1873 in Marshall, Texas, by the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It is the oldest historically black college (or institute of higher education) west of the Mississippi River. It was started as both a college and high school.

In 1880, the campus was moved to a seventy-acre plot in downtown Marshall. The former campus location was in south Marshall, near the remaining Wiley College Cemetery. In 1888, Henry B. Pemberton was the first college graduate, he was awarded a B.A. degree.

F.C. Moore was the first president, and for the first twenty years the president and all the faculty and staff, were church missionaries and were White. The first African American president of Wiley University was Isaiah B. Scott, who served from 1893 until 1896; with his election he changed the institutions policy regarding the race of faculty and staff. In 1896, Scott became editor of the Southwest Christian Advocate, and Matthew Winfred Dogan replaced him as the president, a role he maintained until 1942.

In 1906 a fire destroyed five of the eleven buildings on campus, but they were rebuilt. In 1907, the president’s home and a library on campus were built by students, after president Dogan was able to secure a Carnegie Foundation grant. The library was open to the entire community of Marshall, and it was the only library until 1974. By 1929, the institution no longer supported a high school. During that same year, the university renamed itself as Wiley College.

Civil Rights Movement

Wiley, along with Bishop College, was instrumental in the Civil Rights movement in Texas. Wiley and Bishop students launched the first sit-ins in Texas in the rotunda of the Old Harrison County Courthouse to protest segregation in public facilities.

James Farmer, son of James L. Farmer, Sr., graduated from Wiley and became one of the "Big Four" of the Civil Rights Movement. Together with Roy Wilkins, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Whitney M. Young Jr., James Farmer helped organize the first sit-ins and Freedom Rides in the United States.

Presidents

• F. C. Moore, 1873–1876
• W. H. Davis, 1876–1885
• N. D. Clifford, 1885–1888
• George Whitaker, 1888–1889
• P. A. Pool, 1889–1893
• Isaiah B. Scott, 1893–1896; the first African American president
• Matthew Winfred Dogan Sr., 1896–1942
• E. C. McLeod, 1942–1948
• Julius Sebastian Scott Sr., 1948–1958
• Thomas Winston Cole Sr., 1958–1971
• Robert E. Hayes Sr., 1971–1986
• E.W. Rand (interim), 1986
• David R. Houston (interim), 1987
• David L. Beckley, 1987–1993
• Lamore J. Carter, 1993–1996
• Julius Samuel Scott Jr., 1996–1998
• Ronald L. Swain, 1998–2000
• Haywood L. Strickland, 2000–2018
• Herman J. Felton Jr., 2019–present

Debate team

Tony Scherman's article about the Wiley College debate team for the 1997 Spring issue of American Legacy sparked a renewed interest in its history. The success of the 1935 Wiley College debate team, coached by professor and poet Melvin Tolson, was the subject of a 2005 AMS Pictures documentary, The Great Debaters, The Real Great Debaters of Wiley College, which received heavy play around Texas, followed by the 2007 dramatic movie, The Great Debaters, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. In 1935, the Wiley College debate team defeated the reigning national debate champion, the University of Southern California (depicted as Harvard University in *The Great Debaters'').

In 2007, Denzel Washington announced a donation of $1 million to Wiley so the team could be re-established. The following year, The Great Debaters movie debuted, starring Washington; the college's debate team has taken this name, too.

In 2014, the 23-person team won 1st place at the Pi Kappa Delta Comprehensive National Tournament. This was the largest Pi Kappa Delta Tournament in their 101-year history. This was the first national speech and debate title won by an HBCU. Three years later, the college led the establishment of the first HBCU National Speech and Debate League. In 2018, Wiley hosted the first HBCU National Speech and Debate League Tournament.

Athletics

The Wiley athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC), formerly known as the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), since the 2022–23 academic year. The Wildcats previously competed in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) from 1998–99 to 2021–22. They were also a founding member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) from 1920–21 to 1967–68, which is currently an NCAA Division I FCS athletic conference.

Wiley competes in ten intercollegiate varsity teams: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, track & field and volleyball. Wiley the Wildcat is the mascot. Former sports included cheerleading.

On January 20, 2022, Wiley received an invitation to join the GCAC, along with Oakwood University (from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)) and the return of Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), effective beginning in July 2022. The GCAC is an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA.

Campus gallery

File:Haywood L. Strickland Hall.jpg|Haywood L. Strickland Hall at Wiley College File:Julius S. Scott, Sr. Chapel at Wiley College.jpg|Julius S. Scott, Sr. Chapel at Wiley College File:Dogan Hall at Wiley College.jpg|Dogan Hall at Wiley College File:Thirkield Hall at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.jpg|Thirkield Hall at Wiley College File:The Fred Thomas Long Student Union building at Wiley College.jpg|The Fred Thomas Long Student Union building at Wiley College

Notable people

Notable faculty

Notable alumni

References

References

1. "Members of CIC: Texas". [[Council of Independent Colleges.
2. (20 November 2007). "Wiley College (1873- ) - The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed".
3. "Wiley College | A Place Where Every Student Can Succeed".
4. "Index of /".
5. "Wiley College's Great Debaters | Humanities Texas".
6. "Wiley College Announces Name Change as Part of Homecoming Festivities".
7. Brooks, F. Erik. (2011-09-13). "Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia". Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
8. http://www.core-online.org/History/james_farmer_bio.ht {{Dead link. (February 2022)
9. "James Farmer Memorial Page".
10. "Wiley College".
11. Kirby, Bill. (2020). "Oct. 11, 1974: Dr. Julius Scott was great for college and community".
12. (2018-07-06). "Haywood Strickland Leaving Wiley College in Good Hands".
13. (2017-07-26). "Wiley president to retire".
14. Richardson, Robin Y.. (2019-03-16). "Wiley College celebrates installation of 17th president".
15. "BlackNews.com – ''American Legacy Magazine'''s Story: The Great Debaters, Turns from Pages to the Big Screen Directed By and Starring Denzel Washington and Produced By Oprah Winfrey".
16. "Wiley College".
17. [http://www.dallasnews.com/.../012608dnmetragland.2257669.html Wiley College – A Place Where Every Student Can Succeed], ''Dallas News''
18. "Wiley College - Wiley College to create HBCU Speech and Debate League".
19. "Wiley College - Wiley College kicks off first-ever HBCU National Speech and Debate Championship Tournament!".
20. (January 20, 2022). "GCAC Extends Membership To Oakwood University, Wiley College, Southern University at New Orleans".
21. (1946). "Marshall Texas Directory".
22. ''The Decatur Review'' Long obituary March 24, 1966 page 13
23. ''The Chicago Defender'' "Wiley Coach Drops Dead in Football Classic" December 15, 1945 pages 1 & 5 and ''The Chicago Defender'' "Harry Long Joins Wiley Grid Staff" July 13, 1929 page 9
24. (1976). "Who's Who in the South and Southwest". Marquis Who's Who.
25. Ronnick, Michele Valerie. "Lovinggood, Reuben Shannon".
26. (May 1953). "Wiley Graduate of 1899 to be Honored with Citation". Wiley College.
27. link. (2011-07-26 , HistoryLink, November 10, 1998. Accessed online September 30, 2008.)
28. "James Farmer Biography: Greensboro Voices".
29. (April 2024). "Richard Holmes became MSU's first black student 40 years ago". Mississippi State University.
30. "Conrad O. Johnson: Hall of Fame profile".
31. "16 Apr 1990, 16 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram at Newspapers.com".
32. Lewis, Bert (May 19, 1928). [https://www.mediafire.com/view/myjx0cbind9mxbh "Wiley Downs Bishop, 6-4; Livingston Stars"]{{Dead link. (April 2024)
33. "Walter McAfee".
34. (1951-09-03). "Oliver Randolph". [[The New York Times]].
35. "C. O. Simpkins, Sr.: Civil Rights Champion". cosimpkins.com.
36. (28 January 2008). "One man's mission". ESPN.com.
37. "Bubbha Thomas: 1937-2020".
38. Dogan Teycer, Lucile. (May 1953). "Lois Towles in Wiley Concert". Wiley College.
39. Martin, Douglas. (March 12, 2008). "Henrietta Bell Wells female member of Wiley College debate team". The New York Times.
40. {{IMDb name