Morgan State University celebrates its 144th birthday today. I was born 92 years after Morgan State University became one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in America. Founded in 1867 as the Centenary Biblical Institute by the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the school's original mission was to train young men for the ministry. It broadened its mission to educate both men and women as teachers. It was renamed Morgan College in 1890 in honor of the Reverend Lyttleton Morgan, who donated land to the college. Morgan awarded its first baccalaureate degree in 1895.
Morgan remained a private institution until 1939. By this time the College had become an all-inclusive institution. In 1975 the Maryland Legislature designated Morgan as a university, gave it the authority to offer doctorates, and provided for it to once again have its own governing board. In 1988 Maryland reorganized its higher education structure. It strengthened its coordinating board, the Higher Education Commission, and abolished the state college system.
The 1988 legislation also strengthened Morgan's authority to offer advanced programs and designated the campus as Maryland's Public Urban University.
It is important that we learn OURstory whenever possible. Are there any Morgan State alumni in the village?
