Virginia Union University (VUU) is a
historically black universityHistorically 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....
located in
Richmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools,
Richmond Theological InstituteRichmond Theological Institute had its beginnings in November 1865 when the American Baptist Home Mission Society sponsored Joseph Getchell Binney, formerly of Columbian College in Washington, DC, and later of Karen Theological Seminary in Rangoon, Burma, in a short-lived class in Richmond, VA for...
and
Wayland SeminaryWayland Seminary was the Washington, D.C. school of the National Theological Institute. The Institute was established beginning in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, designed primarily for providing education and training for African-American freedmen to enter into the ministry...
, each founded after the end of
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
by the
American Baptist Home Mission SocietyThe 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...
. VUU's 84 acres (34 ha) campus is located at 1500 North Lombardy Street in
Richmond's North SideThe North Side is an area composed of northern Richmond, Virginia and some parts of Henrico County, Virginia.The area is home to many diverse neighborhoods, especially early streetcar suburbs, including Barton Heights, Bellevue, Ginter Park, Washington Park, Hermitage Road, Highland Park, Sherwood...
.
Mission
Virginia Union University stated mission is to "1) Provide a nurturing intellectually challenging and spiritually enriching environment for learning; 2) Empower students to develop strong moral values for success; and 3) Develop scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners of a global society."
The University was founded in 1865 to give the newly emancipated freedmen an opportunity for education of the mind in an ethical, religious environment. Excellent teaching and enlightened guidance for all students remain the institution's primary emphases. An historically black university, Virginia Union University embraces the uniqueness and contributions of the
African DiasporaThe African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
, celebrating the value of cultural and intellectual diversity. However, enrollment is open to all students without regard to racial background.
Seeking to empower students for the pursuit of life-long learning, the University provides comprehensive undergraduate liberal arts programs and graduate education for
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
ministries. To this end, a guiding principle of the University's educational program is a strong focus upon moral values and ethics, and students are encouraged to engage in activities that promote self-actualization.
History
style="font-size: 1.25em;" |University presidents
| Malcolm MacVicar |
1899–1904 |
First President |
| Dr. George Rice Hovey |
1904–1918 |
Second President |
| Mr. William John Clark |
1919–1941 |
Third President |
| Dr. John Malcus Ellison* |
1941–1955 |
Fourth President |
| Dr. Samuel Dewitt Proctor |
1955–1960 |
Fifth President |
| Dr. Thomas Howard Henderson |
1960–1970 |
Sixth President |
| Dr. Allix Bledsoe James |
1970–1979 |
Seventh President |
| Dr. David Thomas Shannon |
1979–1985 |
Eighth President |
| Dr. S. Dallas Simmons |
1985–1999 |
Ninth President |
| Dr. Bernard Wayne Franklin |
1999–2003 |
Tenth President |
| Dr. Belinda C. Anderson |
2003–2008 |
Eleventh President |
| Dr. Claude G. Perkins |
2009–present |
Twelfth President |
| *first VUU alumnus and African-American to serve as President of the University |
The
American Baptist Home Mission SocietyThe 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...
founded the school in 1865 shortly after Union troops took control of
Richmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, at the end of the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Approximately 4 million former
African AmericanAfrican 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...
slaves, or freedmen, were to become citizens, although many had been deprived of formal education and prevented from becoming literate by Southern state laws. Southern states were in upheaval after the war. Both planters and freedmen were trying to figure out what a free labor market would entail.
Members of the
American Baptist Home Mission SocietyThe 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...
(ABHMS) proposed a "National Theological Institute" to educate freedmen wishing to enter the Baptist ministry. Soon, the proposed mission was expanded to offer courses and programs at college, high school and even preparatory levels, to both men and women. This effort was the beginning of Virginia Union University.
Separate branches of the National Theological Institute were set up in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and
Richmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, with classes beginning in 1867. In Washington, the school became known as
Wayland SeminaryWayland Seminary was the Washington, D.C. school of the National Theological Institute. The Institute was established beginning in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, designed primarily for providing education and training for African-American freedmen to enter into the ministry...
, named in commemoration of Dr.
Francis WaylandFrancis Wayland , American Baptist educator and economist, was born in New York City, New York. He was president of Brown University and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washington, D.C., Wayland Seminary was established in 1867, primarily to educate...
, former president of
Brown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and a leader in the anti-slavery struggle. The first and only president was Dr. George Mellen Prentiss King, who administered Wayland for thirty years (1867–97). Famous students there included Dr.
Booker T. WashingtonBooker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, orator, and political leader. He was the dominant figure in the African-American community in the United States from 1890 to 1915...
and Dr.
Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. was a pastor who developed Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York as the largest Protestant congregation in the country, with 10,000 members; a community activist, author, and the father of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr....
In Richmond, the efforts were more difficult. Beginning in 1867, Colver Institute, a VUU predecessor school, was housed in a building long known as Lumpkin's Jail, a former "slave jail" owned by Mrs. Mary Ann Lumpkin, the African-American widow of the deceased white owner. In 1899, the
Richmond Theological InstituteRichmond Theological Institute had its beginnings in November 1865 when the American Baptist Home Mission Society sponsored Joseph Getchell Binney, formerly of Columbian College in Washington, DC, and later of Karen Theological Seminary in Rangoon, Burma, in a short-lived class in Richmond, VA for...
(formerly Colver Institute) joined with
Wayland SeminaryWayland Seminary was the Washington, D.C. school of the National Theological Institute. The Institute was established beginning in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, designed primarily for providing education and training for African-American freedmen to enter into the ministry...
of Washington, D.C. to form Virginia Union University at Richmond.
In 1932, the women's college Hartshorn Memorial College, established in Richmond, Virginia in 1883, became a part of Virginia Union University.
Storer CollegeStorer College was a historically black college located in Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It operated from 1865 until 1955.-Storer School:...
, an historically black
BaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
college in
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
(founded in 1867), merged its endowment with Virginia Union in 1964.
School of Theology
Virginia Union University's Theological training program is called "The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University". The school of theology is known for producing preachers such as Dr. James Henry Harris, Dr John W. Kinney. The School is a member of the
Washington Theological ConsortiumThe Washington Theological Consortium is an ecumenical organization with its regular membership composed of Christian theological schools located in or near the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area that cooperate and share resources....
.
Athletics
Virginia Union competes in the
NCAAThe 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 in the Eastern Division of the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationThe 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 school has varsity teams in men's basketball, football, cross country, golf, tennis and track and field, and in women's basketball, bowling, cross country, tennis and track and field, softball and volleyball.
Virginia Union plays basketball and volleyball in the Barco-Stevens Hall (also known as the
Belgian BuildingThe Belgian Friendship Building or Belgian Pavilion is the former exhibition building for Belgium from the 1939/1940 World's Fair in New York City. It now serves as Barco-Stevens Hall on the campus of Virginia Union University, in Richmond, Virginia.It was designed by Belgian architects Victor...
), which was first built in 1939 as the Belgium Building for the New York World’s Fair. It was listed in the June 20, 2005 edition of the NCAA News as one of 13 athletic facilities around the country which are worthy of “unique” distinction. The Belgium Building, with its stone reliefs of the Belgian Congo on the walls, was awarded to VUU after a competition among the nation’s 23 historically black colleges in 1941. Relocation of the building to its current location on the VUU campus was completed in 1943, and the VUU men’s basketball team played its first game in January, 1947.
Men's Basketball
Under the leadership of head coach Dave Robbins since 1978, the Panthers basketball program has been to the Division II "Final Four" seven times (1980, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2006) and have won three NCAA Division II national championship titles (1980, 1992, 2005). The team was the 2006 National runner-up with a record of 30-4. The team has also captured the
Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationThe 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...
conference championship 20 times.
The school plays in an annual exhibition game with the Division I cross-town rival Virginia Commonwealth University. Coach Robbins' program has produced eight NBA players, including
Detroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
star center
Ben WallaceBen Camey Wallace is an American basketball center for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University and signed with the Washington Bullets as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
, and former
New York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
power forwardPower forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
Charles OakleyCharles Oakley is a retired American professional basketball player and is currently an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association...
.
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball team won the
NCAA Women's Division II Basketball ChampionshipDivision II women's basketball champions for the NCAA The finals are played at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.-Championships:- Schools ranked by titles :-See also:*NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship...
in 1983
Notable alumni
External links