Bowie State University is building a dynamic future on a proud heritage. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is the oldest Historically Black College/University in Maryland and one of the ten oldest in the country. It is also a diverse university whose students, along with faculty and staff, represent many ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Bowie State University provides high-quality and affordable educational opportunities for students with ambitions to achieve and succeed. In addition to its 22 undergraduate majors, Bowie State offers 35 master's, doctoral, and advanced certification programs with specific focus on science, technology, business, education and related disciplines. A supportive academic environment empowers students to think critically, make new discoveries, value differences and emerge as leaders in a highly technical, rapidly changing global society. The university’s advanced teaching and research facilities include a FlexPod, one of the latest computing innovations with the capabilities of a supercomputer in a box the size of two student desks. Bowie is also home to a satellite operations control center managed in conjunction with NASA and an all-Steinway Fine and Performing Arts Center equipped with the latest technologies for digital media arts and music production. As a member institution of the University System of Maryland, Bowie State upholds the System’s mission of providing high-caliber, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities. Bowie State is in the midst of one of the nation's most exciting metropolitan areas, within easy reach of Washington, DC, and Baltimore. At the same time, it boasts a serene campus on a 300-acre suburban wooded tract. With seven residence halls, the University is a hub of 24/7 undergraduate life, yet it also offers convenient evening classes and online courses to serve employed professionals seeking to move ahead in their careers. We invite you to take a closer look at Bowie State: you will like what you see. Bowie State University is an outgrowth of a school opened in Baltimore, Md. by an organization dedicated to offering educational opportunities that the state failed to provide for its black citizens. From those humble beginnings, Bowie State has become a comprehensive university, offering 22 undergraduate majors and 35 master’s, doctoral and advanced certification programs in a broad range of disciplines. Bowie State University continues to build on its legacy of providing access to high-quality education. Founding of the First School The Baltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People was organized in 1864 by 46 men, comprised of businessmen, lawyers, clergymen and Quakers, committed to opening schools to educate the state’s newly emancipated citizens. One of those men was Joseph M. Cushing, an outspoken champion for the education of the black population. As chairman of the Educational Committee for Maryland’s Constitutional Convention in 1864, Cushing chastised the committee’s refusal to fund schools for black people: “There will come a time when this state will be forced by public opinion to provide means for educating our colored population.” The association opened its first Baltimore school, School #1, on January 9, 1865 in the African Baptist Church in Crane’s Building on the corner of Calvert and Saratoga streets. The school offered courses in the elements of education. Courses to train teachers were added in 1866. The facility was woefully inadequate. In 1867, with the aid of the Freedmen’s Bureau, the Quakers of England and others, the Baltimore Association purchased and renovated the Old Friends Meeting House at the corner of Saratoga and Courtland streets to house the Baltimore Normal School for Colored Teachers. Move to Bowie After repeated petitions from the Baltimore Normal School trustees, the state legislature authorized the Board of Education to assume control of the school in 1908 and re-designated it as Normal School No. 3, finally fulfilling the dream of Cushing and the Baltimore Association. By 1910, the state decided to relocate the school to Bowie, Md., purchasing a 187-acre tract formerly known as Jericho Farm dating to 1716. The school opened at the new location in 1911 with about 60 students and Don Speed Smith Goodloe as the first black man to head the school as principal. In 1914, its name changed to the Maryland Normal and Industrial School at Bowie. Under President Leonidas James, the school began a two-year professional curriculum in teacher education in 1925, which expanded to a three-year program in 1931. A four-year program to train elementary school teachers was introduced in 1935, and the school was renamed the Maryland Teachers College at Bowie in 1938. Teacher education continued to expand under the 25-year tenure of President William Henry. The institution established programs to train teachers for junior high school (1951) and secondary education (1961) and advanced toward becoming a liberal arts college. Transition to a State Liberal Arts College The Maryland State Legislature authorized the college to become Bowie State College in 1963, following the establishment of a liberal arts program. New majors in English, history and general social science were added, expanding offerings beyond teacher education. Under President Samuel Myers, the college established its first graduate degree program, offering the Master of Education in 1969. The first director of the graduate division was Dr. J. Alexander Wiseman, a graduate of the Maryland Teachers College at Bowie and the first African-American to earn a doctoral degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. Emergence as a Comprehensive University In 1988, Bowie State College became Bowie State University under President James Lyons, reflecting significant growth in academic programs, enrollment and community service. On the same day, the university also became one of the member institutions of the newly formed University System of Maryland. Bowie State University gained recognition as a leader in the education of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In 1995, Bowie State won an 11-year, $27 million award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration/National Science Foundation, becoming one of only six national Model Institutions for Excellence in STEM. Today’s Bowie State University Bowie State University ranks among the nation’s top comprehensive universities, cultivating next-generation leaders by providing opportunities for students to discover their strengths through focused academic experiences and opportunities to tackle real-world problems. Now more than ever, Bowie State University is committed to preparing students for success in a highly technological, global society.