Gov. Markell Signs DSU 125th Resolution
On May 3, Gov. Jack Markell signed Senate Joint Resolution No. 8, which honors DSU in the observance of its 125th anniversary.
Sponsored by State Sen. Brian Bushweller and State Rep. Sean Lynn, the below Senate Joint Resolution No. 8 reads:
DELAWARE STATE SENATE
148th GENERAL ASSEMBLY
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8
HONORING DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ON THE OCCASION OF THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS FOUNDING ON 15 MAY, 1891, AND DESIGNATING 15 MAY 2016 AS “DSU DAY IN DELAWARE.”
WHEREAS, on the 15th Day of May, 1891, the Delaware General Assembly enacted legislation establishing an institution of higher learning to be known as “the State College for Colored Students”; and
WHEREAS, the legislature’s action came in response to the enactment by the U.S. Congress the year before of the Second Morrill Act, which provided for the establishment of land-grant colleges for African American students in states that maintained separate educational facilities for white and black students; and
WHEREAS, the new college first opened its doors for classes on the Second Day of February, 1892, with a total of twelve students, a number which had risen, by 1895, to 28 students, with the first class of degree candidates graduating in 1898; and
WHEREAS, when the college began, five courses of study leading to a baccalaureate degree were offered: Agricultural, Chemical, Classical, Engineering, and Scientific; with a Preparatory Department being established in 1893 for students who needed remedial education upon entering the college before pursuing a major course of study; and
WHEREAS, a three-year “normal course,” leading to a teacher’s certificate was initiated in 1897, which was extended to a full four-year bachelor’s degree course in 1911; and
WHEREAS, to provide an opportunity for its students who were preparing to become teachers, the college opened a “Model Grade School” during the 1916–1917 school year to provide a higher quality education for students in grades four through eight from both Delaware and out-of-state; and
WHEREAS, in 1921, at a time when Delaware public schools were segregated, with most Delaware African American students without ready access to the City of Wilmington—which then had the state’s only high school open to African American students—having to end their studies after completion of the Eighth Grade, Delaware State College also undertook the extremely important role of establishing a high school in the then-DuPont Building (which operated for the next 31 years) to provide downstate students with a full high school education, granting a high school diploma on successful completion of a four-year course of study, after which many of these students entered a regular course of college study; and
WHEREAS, in 1944, the college received provisional accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, followed in 1947 by an act of the Delaware General Assembly renaming the institution “Delaware State College”; and
WHEREAS, in November,1949, the continued existence of the college was threatened when its accreditation was revoked, leading to strong and concerted effort to maintain the existence of the institution and regain its accredited status, an effort led from 1953 to 1960 by Delaware State College President Jerome H. Holland, whose pivotal leadership is widely credited with guiding the institution to the point where it regained its Middle States accreditation in 1957, a status it has retained ever since, and, concurrently, has achieved and maintained national accreditations of its Teacher Education, Nursing, Social Work, Hospitality and Tourism Management, and Food and Nutritional Science degree programs, as well as the international accreditation of its College of Business; and
WHEREAS, since 1957, Delaware State has grown in stature as a center for teaching, research and public service and has broadened its programs and course offerings greatly; and
WHEREAS, while Delaware State—which, in 1993, officially became Delaware State University—has remained among the finest “Historically Black Colleges and Universities” in the United States, it now serves a diverse student population, with undergraduate studies organized into six colleges containing a total of 21 academic departments offering 53 bachelor’s degree programs, 25 master’s degrees and five doctoral degrees; and
WHEREAS, by the fall of 2014, Delaware State University’s student enrollment had grown to 4,644 students, and its campus had grown from a 95-acre property with three buildings to the present 356-acre pedestrian campus with over 40 buildings and four outdoor athletic fields, as well as two farm properties in the Kenton and Smyrna areas, subsidiary locations in Georgetown and Wilmington, and an Airway Science Program that maintains a fleet of aircraft and a base of operations at the Delaware Air Park in Cheswold; and
WHEREAS, throughout its history, Delaware State has been led by many outstanding educators and trustees, as well as ten presidents: Wesley P. Webb (1891–1895); William C. Jason (1895–1923); Richard S. Grossley (1923–1942); Howard D. Gregg (1942–1949); Oscar J. Chapman (1950–1951); Jerome H. Holland (1953–1960); Luna I. Mishoe (1960–1987); William B. DeLauder (1987–2003); Allen L. Sessoms (2003–2008); and Harry L. Williams (January, 2010–Present); with Maurice E. Thomasson serving as acting president from 1949 to 1950 and again from 1951 to 1953, and Claibourne D. Smith serving in that capacity from 2008 until 2010; and
WHEREAS, Delaware State University remains today, as it has been throughout the past 125 years, a great treasure in the life of the First State, which has given its many thousands of students the keys to lives of success and accomplishment;
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 148th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, with the approval of the Governor, that we do hereby extend to Delaware State University, its students, alumni, faculty, staff and administration, the heartfelt congratulations and best wishes of the State of Delaware on the occasion of the 125th Anniversary of this great educational institution, together with our thanks for the positive role the university has played in so many lives over the years.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 15th Day of May, 2016 is hereby designated as “DSU Day in Delaware.”
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we also extend to them the sincere hope that Delaware State University will continue to prosper and serve as an important force for good in the State of Delaware for many more years to come.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitably-prepared copy of this document be presented to Dr. Harry L. Williams, President of Delaware State University, upon its enactment.