Virginia Union University

Virginia Union University
Motto	The Lord Will Provide
Type	Private, HBCU
Established	1865
Religious affiliation	American Baptist Churches USA & National Baptist Convention
Endowment	$29 million
President	Hakim Lucas
Students	1,700
Location	Richmond, Virginia, United States; 37°33′45.8″N 77°27′3″W / 37.562722°N 77.45083°WCoordinates: 37°33′45.8″N 77°27′3″W / 37.562722°N 77.45083°W
Campus	Urban, 84 acres (33.99 ha)
Colors	Maroon and Steel;
Athletics	NCAA Division II
Nickname	Panthers
Affiliations	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Website	www.vuu.edu
	Virginia Union University
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Virginia Landmarks Register
Location	1500 N. Lombardy St., Richmond, Virginia, United States
Area	11 acres (4.5 ha)
Built	1899
Architect	John H. Coxhead
Architectural style	Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	82004590
VLR No.	127-0354
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 26, 1982
Designated VLR	June 16, 1981

Virginia Union University (VUU) is a private historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. In 1932, Hartshorn Memorial College, a women's college, merged with VUU.

Background[]

The university was founded in 1865 to give the newly emancipated freedmen an opportunity for education of the mind in an ethical, religious environment. A historically black university, Virginia Union University embraces the uniqueness and contributions of the African Diaspora, celebrating the value of cultural and intellectual diversity. However, enrollment is open to all students without regard to racial background.

The university provides comprehensive undergraduate liberal arts programs and graduate education for Christian 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[]

Pickford Hall, Virginia Union University

The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school in 1865 shortly after Union troops took control of Richmond, Virginia, at the end of the American Civil War. Approximately 4 million former African American slaves, or freedmen, were to become citizens. Many had been deprived of formal education and prevented from becoming literate by Southern state laws. Southern states were in economic upheaval after the war. The college became the first academic library at an HBCU, building the library in 1865 the same year the college was established.^[3]

Members of the ABHMS proposed a National Theological Institute to educate freedmen wishing to enter the Baptist ministry.^[4] Soon the proposed mission was expanded to offer courses and programs at college, high school, and 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., and Richmond, Virginia, with classes beginning in 1867. In Washington, the school became known as Wayland Seminary, named in commemoration of Dr. Francis Wayland, former president of Brown University and a leader in the anti-slavery struggle. The first and only president was Dr. , who administered Wayland for thirty years (1867–1897). Famous students there included Dr. Booker T. Washington and Dr. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.^[4]

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 Mary Ann Lumpkin, the African-American widow of the deceased white owner. In 1899, the Richmond Theological Institute (formerly Colver Institute) joined with Wayland Seminary of Washington to form Virginia Union University at Richmond.

In 1932, the women's college Hartshorn Memorial College,^[5]^[6] established in Richmond in 1883, became a part of Virginia Union University. Storer College, a historically black Baptist college in West Virginia (founded in 1867), merged its endowment with Virginia Union in 1964.^[7]

University presidents
Name	Term
Malcolm MacVicar	1899–1904
Dr. George Rice Hovey	1904–1918
William John Clark	1919–1941
Dr. John Malcus Ellison*	1941–1955
Dr. Samuel Dewitt Proctor	1955–1960
Dr. Thomas Howard Henderson	1960–1970
Dr. Allix Bledsoe James	1970–1979
Dr. David Thomas Shannon	1979–1985
Dr. S. Dallas Simmons	1985–1999
Dr. Bernard Wayne Franklin	1999–2003
Dr. Belinda C. Anderson	2003–2008
Dr. Claude G. Perkins	2009–2016
Dr. Joseph F. Johnson	2016-2017(Acting)
Dr. Hakim Lucas	2017−present
*first VUU alumnus and African-American to serve as President of the University

Governance[]

The current president is Hakim Lucas, who was appointed in August 2017. Lucas is in litigation involving his former employment at Bethune-Cookman University surrounding the financing and construction of a dorm.^[8]

Academics[]

The university is divided into four main schools:^[9]

Evelyn Reid Syphax School of Education and Interdisciplinary Studies
School of Arts and Sciences
Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology
Sydney Lewis School of Business

Theology Program[]

Virginia Union University's Theological training program is called "The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University". The school of theology has produced preachers such as Dean John W. Kinney, Dr. Miles Jones, Dr. A.B. James, and . The school is a member of the Washington Theological Consortium.^[10]

Student activities[]

Fraternities and sororities[]

Nine of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations are currently at Virginia Union University. These organizations are:

Organization	Symbol	Chapter	Chapter symbol
Alpha Kappa Alpha	ΑΚΑ	Alpha Eta	AH
Alpha Phi Alpha	ΑΦΑ	Gamma	Γ
Delta Sigma Theta	ΔΣΘ	Beta Epsilon	BE
Kappa Alpha Psi	ΚΑΨ	Alpha Gamma	ΑΓ
Omega Psi Phi	ΩΨΦ	Zeta	Z
Phi Beta Sigma	ΦΒΣ	Lambda	Λ
Sigma Gamma Rho	ΣΓΡ	Tau	T
Zeta Phi Beta	ΖΦΒ	Nu	N
Iota Phi Theta	ΙΦΘ	Theta Omicron	ΘΟ

Athletics[]

Virginia Union competes in the NCAA Division II in the Eastern Division of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. 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.^[11]

In 2018, both Virginia Union University's DII Men & Women's Basketball Teams won the CIAA Championship.^[12] Virginia Union plays basketball and volleyball in the Barco-Stevens Hall, built as the Belgian Building for the 1939 New York World's Fair. The building, which has stone reliefs depicting the Belgian Congo, was one of thirteen facilities designated as "unique" by NCAA News in 2005. The building was awarded to the university in 1941 and moved to its present location in 1943. The basketball team began using the facility in early 1947.^[13]

Notable alumni[]

Charles S. Johnson
Spottswood William Robinson III
Douglas Wilder
Ben Wallace

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
James Atkins	2002	Former NFL player
Mamye BaCote	1961	Virginia House of Delegates (2004-2016)
Darius Bea	attended two years	Negro league outfielder and pitcher	^[14]
Bessye J. Bearden	1900s	Journalist and social activist; mother of artist Romare Bearden
Leslie Garland Bolling	1924	Early 20th century wood carver
Simeon Booker	1941	award-winning journalist and the first African-American reporter for The Washington Post
Michael Brim	1988	former National Football League player
Roslyn M. Brock	1987	Chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Homer S. Brown		judge, civil rights leader, and state representative in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Henry Allen Bullock	1928	Historian, winner of the Bancroft Prize
Tamarat Makonnen	1994	Film director, producer and writer
Emmett C. Burns, Jr.		Maryland House of Delegates (1995–2006)
Terry Davis	1989	Former NBA player	^[15]
Robert Prentiss Daniel	1924	President of Shaw and Virginia State universities for more than 30 years in total	^[16]
Will Downing	attended	R&B Singer
	2007	Songwriter, Hip Hop recording artist, and Record producer (did not graduate)
AJ English	1990	former Professional Basketball Player	^[15]
Walter Fauntroy	1955	Civil rights leader, minister, former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, from Washington, D.C.'s At-large district and was a candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination
Dr. Anderson J. Franklin		Professor of Psychology at the School of Education at Boston College	^[17]
Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr.	1948	first African-American to reach the rank of admiral in the United States Navy
Abram Lincoln Harris	1922	Economist; chair, Economics Dept. Howard University (1936–1945); professor, University of Chicago
Pete Hunter	2002	former National Football League player
Cornelius Johnson	1967	Former NFL player
Eugene Kinckle Jones	1906	Member of the Black Cabinet under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Dwight Clinton Jones	1967	Mayor of Richmond, Virginia (2009–2016)
	1943	Inventor, microwave systems hardware; 31 U.S. Patents
Charles Spurgeon Johnson	1916	first black president of Fisk University
Lyman T. Johnson	1930	integrated the University of Kentucky
Leontine T. Kelly	1960	a bishop of the United Methodist Church
Henry L. Marsh	1956	first African-American mayor of Richmond, Virginia and member of the Virginia Senate from the 16th district
Benjamin Mays	1916-1917, transferred to Bates College	President of Morehouse College, mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.
Bai T. Moore		Liberian author and poet
Delores McQuinn	1976	Virginia House of Delegates (2009-present)
Charles Oakley		Professional basketball Player	^[15]
Chandler Owen	1913	Writer, editor and early member of the Socialist Party of America.
Wendell H. Phillips		member, Maryland House of Delegates (1979–1987)
Samuel DeWitt Proctor	1942	President of VUU and president of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he made close acquaintance with then student body president Jesse Jackson
		Dean, Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University
Randall Robinson		Attorney; founder of TransAfrica
James R. Roebuck, Jr.	1966	member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 188
Spottswood William Robinson III	1937	Prominent civil rights attorney, dean of Howard University Law School, first African American to be appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Frank S. Royal	1961	chairman of VUU's board; director of public companies; former president of the National Medical Association	^[18]
Herbert Scott	1974	National Football League player, 2-time All-Pro, 3-time Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys	^[19]
Wyatt T Walker		Activist, civil rights motivator, musician, Theologian who gave letter to Dr. Martin Luther King from Coretta; close confidant and preacher
Ben Wallace	1996	Professional Basketball Player, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA Champions; Detroit Pistons	^[15]
Douglas Wilder	1951	first African-American governor of Virginia (1990–1994) and Mayor of Richmond (2005–2009)

References[]

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
^ Wheeler, Maurice, et al. “A Brief History of Library Service to African Americans.” American Libraries, vol. 35, no. 2, 2004, pp. 42–45. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25649066
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Virginia Union University (1865– )". Online Encyclopedia of Significant People and Places in African American History. Blackpast.org. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
^ "A Guide to the Hartshorn Memorial College Reunion Collection 1976–1980". L. Douglas Wilder Library Archives. February 7, 1980. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
^ "Virginia Archives Month October 2007: Images in Celebration". Library of Virginia Archives. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
^ Hylton, Raymond. "University History". About Virginia Union. Virginia Union University. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
^ "Virginia Union president accused in lawsuit of accepting improper payments at past job". Richmond Times Dispatch. January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-09-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Member Institutions". Washington Theological Consortium. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
^ "Men's Sports / Women's Sports". Virginia Union University Athletics website. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
^ Newsroom, NBC12. "VUU men's, women's basketball teams win CIAA Championship". www.nbc12.com. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
^ "Facilities: Barco-Stevens Hall". Virginia Union University Athletics website. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
^ Zabitka, Matt (July 30, 1952). "UC's Doc Bea Shoots Pool to Sharpen Batting Eye; Triple Off Satchel Paige Brought Words of Warning". Chester Times. p. 16. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "NBA/ABA Players who attended Virginia Union University". DataBase Sports. Archived from the original on 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2006-06-17.
^ Guthrie, R.V. (1998). Production of Black Psychologists in America: 'Even the Rat Was White' (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. pp. 155–212.
^ "Anderson J Franklin Boston College". Boston College, Lynch School of Education. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
^ "Meharry board chair to retire after 30 years". Nashville Post. January 10, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
^ Ellis, Josh (May 30, 2012). "The Ultimate 53: Herb Scott Can't Be Forgotten". Dallas Cowboys.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012.

External links[]

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[register-2] "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.

[3] Wheeler, Maurice, et al. “A Brief History of Library Service to African Americans.” American Libraries, vol. 35, no. 2, 2004, pp. 42–45. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25649066

[blackpast.org-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Virginia Union University (1865– )". Online Encyclopedia of Significant People and Places in African American History. Blackpast.org. Retrieved May 12, 2012.

[5] "A Guide to the Hartshorn Memorial College Reunion Collection 1976–1980". L. Douglas Wilder Library Archives. February 7, 1980. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

[6] "Virginia Archives Month October 2007: Images in Celebration". Library of Virginia Archives. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

[Hylton-7] Hylton, Raymond. "University History". About Virginia Union. Virginia Union University. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.

[8] "Virginia Union president accused in lawsuit of accepting improper payments at past job". Richmond Times Dispatch. January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.

[9] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-09-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[10] "Member Institutions". Washington Theological Consortium. Retrieved September 1, 2009.

[11] "Men's Sports / Women's Sports". Virginia Union University Athletics website. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

[12] Newsroom, NBC12. "VUU men's, women's basketball teams win CIAA Championship". www.nbc12.com. Retrieved 2021-02-04.

[13] "Facilities: Barco-Stevens Hall". Virginia Union University Athletics website. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

[14] Zabitka, Matt (July 30, 1952). "UC's Doc Bea Shoots Pool to Sharpen Batting Eye; Triple Off Satchel Paige Brought Words of Warning". Chester Times. p. 16. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[baskref-15] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d "NBA/ABA Players who attended Virginia Union University". DataBase Sports. Archived from the original on 2006-09-20. Retrieved 2006-06-17.

[16] Guthrie, R.V. (1998). Production of Black Psychologists in America: 'Even the Rat Was White' (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. pp. 155–212.

[17] "Anderson J Franklin Boston College". Boston College, Lynch School of Education. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

[18] "Meharry board chair to retire after 30 years". Nashville Post. January 10, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2018.

[19] Ellis, Josh (May 30, 2012). "The Ultimate 53: Herb Scott Can't Be Forgotten". Dallas Cowboys.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012.

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show v t Colleges and universities in Virginia
Public	Christopher Newport University College of William & Mary Eastern Virginia Medical School George Mason University James Madison University Joint Forces Staff College Longwood University Marine Corps University Norfolk State University Old Dominion University Radford University Richard Bland College University of Mary Washington University of Virginia University of Virginia's College at Wise Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Community College System Virginia Military Institute Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia State University Virginia–Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Private	Appalachian College of Pharmacy Appalachian School of Law Art Institute of Virginia Beach Atlantic University Averett University Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond Bluefield College Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing Bridgewater College Christendom College Cordoba University DeVry University Eastern Mennonite University ECPI University Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine Emory and Henry College Fairfax University of America Ferrum College George Washington University Virginia Campus Hampden–Sydney College Hampton University Hartland College Hollins University Jefferson College of Health Sciences John Leland Center for Theological Studies Liberty University Lynchburg College Mary Baldwin University Marymount University Patrick Henry College Randolph College Randolph–Macon College Regent University Roanoke College Shenandoah University Southern Virginia University Stratford University Sweet Briar College Union Presbyterian Seminary University of Management and Technology University of the Potomac University of Richmond Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Union University Virginia University of Lynchburg Virginia Wesleyan University Washington and Lee University
Defunct	Art Institute of Washington Blackstone College for Girls Elizabeth College Frederick College Gibbs College Marion College Saint Paul's College Sullins College University of Northern Virginia Virginia Intermont College Westwood College
Complete list

show v t Historically black colleges and universities
Public institutions	Alabama A&M Alabama State Albany State Alcorn State Arkansas–Pine Bluff Bishop State CC Bluefield State Bowie State Central State Cheyney Coahoma CC Coppin State Delaware State Elizabeth City State Fayetteville State Florida A&M Fort Valley State Gadsden State CC Grambling State Harris–Stowe Hinds CC Jackson State Kentucky State Langston Lincoln, Missouri Lincoln, Pennsylvania Maryland, Eastern Shore Mississippi Valley State Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central Prairie View A&M Savannah State Shelton State CC South Carolina State Southern Southern–New Orleans Southern–Shreveport Tennessee State Texas Southern UDC UVI Virginia State West Virginia State Winston-Salem State
Private institutions	Allen Arkansas Baptist Barber–Scotia Benedict Bennett Bethune–Cookman Claflin Clark Atlanta Dillard Edward Waters Fisk Florida Memorial University Hampton Howard Huston–Tillotson Interdenominational Theological Center Jarvis Christian Johnson C. Smith Knoxville Lane LeMoyne–Owen Livingstone Meharry Miles Morehouse Morehouse School of Medicine Morris Brown Morris Oakwood Paine Paul Quinn Philander Smith Rust Selma Shaw Simmons College (Ky.) Southwestern Christian Spelman Stillman St. Augustine's Talladega Texas College Tougaloo Tuskegee Virginia Union Virginia University Voorhees Wilberforce Wiley Xavier (Louisiana)
Defunct institutions	Bishop Booker T. Washington Carver Collier-Blocker Concordia Alabama Daniel Payne Gibbs Guadalupe Hampton Jackson Johnson Kittrell Lewis College of Business Lincoln Junior College Mississippi Industrial College Morristown Mount Hermon Female Seminary Roosevelt Rosenwald Saint Paul's Storer Straight Suwannee River Volusia County Western
Consortia	Atlanta University Center Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southwestern Athletic Conference

show v t Washington Theological Consortium
Members	Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS. Cyril and Methodius The Catholic University of America School of Theology and Religious Studies Howard University School of Divinity John Leland Center for Theological Studies Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University United Lutheran Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary Wesley Theological Seminary
Associate Members	Paulist Fathers' House of Mission and Studies Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
Affiliate Members	Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences
Public Educational Institution	Museum of the Bible

show v t U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
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