History
For students interested in pursuing a degree at a small town university with the appeal and recognition of a much larger institution, Grambling State University is a good choice. There is much diversity and a harmonious blend of cultures, classes and interests.
A constituent member of the University of Louisiana System (ULS), GSU is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Its instructional programs are delivered through its four colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Professional Studies; and its School of Graduate Studies and Research. Within this structure, the University offers sixty-four programs, leading to certification, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. The University offers the only doctorate in developmental education in the nation.
For incoming students not yet adjusted to college life, the Office of Academic Support and Special Programs offers assistance through its First Year Experience Program. The Earl Lester Cole Honors College provides advanced opportunities for academically talented students; and the Division of Continuing Education and Special Programs is designed to enhance the learning opportunities of non-traditional students.
In addition to its Distance Learning Program – the first in the state to offer a bachelor’s degree – GSU operates two Mobile Automated Learning Labs (MALLs) that provide community and worksite access to individualized and computerized instruction and learning.
Located in the center of the campus is A. C. Lewis Memorial Library, a technology-rich facility with outstanding resource materials and research tools for its nearly 6,000 students.
Grambling State University emerged from the desire of African-American farmers in rural north Louisiana who wanted to educate other African Americans in the northern and western parts of the state. In 1896, the North Louisiana Colored Agriculture Relief Association was formed to organize and operate a school.
After opening a small school west of what is now the town of Grambling, the Association requested assistance from Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Charles P. Adams, sent to aid the group in organizing an industrial school, became its founder and first president.
Under Adams’ leadership, the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School opened on November 1, 1901. Four years later, the school moved to its present location and was renamed the North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School. By 1928, the school was able to offer two-year professional certificates and diplomas after becoming a state junior college. The school was renamed Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute.
In 1936, Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones became the second president. The program was reorganized to emphasize rural education. It became internationally known as “The Louisiana Plan” or “A Venture in Rural Teacher Education.” Professional teaching certificates were awarded when a third year was added in 1936, and the first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1944 in elementary education.
The institution’s name was changed to Grambling College in 1946. Thereafter, the college prepared secondary teachers and added curricula in sciences, liberal arts and business. With these programs in effect, the school was transformed from a single purpose institution of teacher education into a multipurpose college. During the 1950s, the college obtained full membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In 1974, the addition of graduate programs in early childhood and elementary education gave the school a new status and a new name – Grambling State University.
From 1977 to 2000, the University moved and prospered. Several new academic programs were incorporated and new facilities -including a business and computer science building, school of nursing, student services building, stadium, stadium support facility, and an intramural sports center - were added to the 384-acre campus
Through the years, the University has acquired the prestige and academic strength noted only among much larger institutions. From its distinction of being one of the country’s top producers of African American graduates, to being the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson, Sr. and its internationally renowned Tiger Marching Band, Grambling State University has become a household name in this country and abroad.
During Robinson’s stellar 57-year coaching career, the University gained a national reputation as being “the cradle of the pros” because of the large number of student-athletes who joined the professional ranks in football, basketball and baseball.
After Robinson’s retirement in 1997, former GSU standout and NFL
Super Bowl XXII
MVP Doug Williams took over the reigns of the University’s football
program. He led the team to national and regional championships.
Additionally, the University holds the distinction of being the first Louisiana institution to bring a sitting U. S. President to its campus. The Honorable William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton was the featured speaker during commencement exercises held in May 1999. Nearly two years later, the Tiger Marching Band was the only Louisiana entity included in the inaugural parade for U.S. President George W. Bush.
Five presidents served during this period – from 1977 to 2001: Dr. Joseph Benjamin Johnson, Dr. Harold W. Lundy, Dr. Raymond Hicks, Dr. Leonard Haynes, III, and Dr. Steve A. Favors.
The advent of a new millennium and the beginning of a second century of service ushered in Grambling State University’s first female president, Dr. Neari Francois Warner. Warner who served a three-year interim term.
In 2004, Dr. Horace A. Judson became the institution’s seventh president. Under his leadership, the University is aggressively moving to reclaim its legacy and claim its place.
Steeped in history and a longstanding tradition of excellence, Grambling State University continues to emphasize the value and importance of each student, exemplifying its motto: Where Everybody Is Somebody.
