Fayetteville State University

In continuing the series on historically Black colleges and universities, here is Fayetteville State University.

Fayetteville State University is a four-year public comprehensive regional university located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. FSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Fayetteville State University is located in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is a member of the greater University of North Carolina system. A few courses are offered at the campus in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Fayetteville State University was founded in 1867 as the Howard School for African-Americans, became a 4-year school in 1933, and received university status in 1969. Ward Seabrook the school became Fayetteville State Teachers College, thereafter being authorized to grant the Bachelor of Science degree in Education. The general academic structure took its present configuration in 1985 when the University became a Comprehensive Level 1 Institution.

The University now awards bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. It is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and School, among others. The University is part of the North Carolina Research Education Network and provides distance learning through remote videoconferencing centers throughout the state. Fayetteville State University’s mission statement says that the University’s mission is “to provide quality education to its students through a basic liberal arts foundation, specialized professional training, and specific graduate programs.”

FSU has its beginnings in the end of the Civil War, when the local Black community began devising a plan for an educational system. The school that would become FSU opened its doors in 1869. Through various changes in administration and some legislative acts, the institution became the University it is today, and formally adopted its current name in 1969.

Fayetteville State University is a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). The university won back-to-back CIAA football championships in 2002 and 2003, and was the Western Division Champion in 2002, 2003, and 2004. The University currently participates in 10
NCAA sports, including men’s football, basketball, cross-country/track, and golf.

The University is composed of a number of different schools and colleges: the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education.
Bachelor’s degrees are awarded in a number of different disciplines, including criminal justice, natural sciences, performing and fine arts, various humanities programs, education, management, and social work. Minors are also awarded in many of these fields.

Master’s degrees are awarded in biology, mathematics, and psychology, English, history, educational leadership, reading, and business administration (MBA). The school awards one doctoral degrees, an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.
Fayetteville State offers 39 undergraduate and 20 graduate degree programs in the arts, sciences, business, and education. FSU ranks among the top producers in the country of skilled, Black graduates, especially in the fields of mathematics, psychology, computer science, education, social sciences, and history. The faculty-to-student ratio is 20-to-1, meaning that FSU students get individualized attention from FSU’s expert faculty. The Criminal Justice program enrolls approximately 400 majors and is housed in the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. The Criminal Justice program prepares graduates for careers in corrections, justice, and public service.

The Fayetteville State University Library offers electronic catalogs and on-line databases, in additional to physical volumes stored on site. The University has several special collections, including the personal papers of author Charles Chesnutt and members of his family.

The city of Fayetteville has a population of approximately 130,000 and is located in the Cape Fear area of southeastern North Carolina. The military bases of Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base are located nearby. The city has an arts center, a museum dedicated to the Cape Fear region, and the Airborne & Special Operations museum, which is operated in conjunction with the U.S. Army.
Fayetteville is a paradise for anyone whether they enjoy staying home or going out. A claim to fame was the fact that putt-putt golf was created in Fayetteville.