Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, is a state-related, independent institution of higher learning. Degrees are offered at the bachelor’s, master’s, professional and doctoral levels. The diverse student body is representative of 43 states and 23 foreign countries. Tuskegee was established in 1880 by an act of the Alabama State Legislature. The school’s first president, Dr. Booker T. Washington, officially opened Tuskegee Normal on July 4, 1881.
The date is symbolic of the independence that Dr. Washington would direct a class of newly emancipated Blacks toward progress through “industry and education.” In 1882, Dr. Washington contracted to purchase 100 acres of farmland. The purchase formed the nucleus of the current day campus. The landscape and student-built structures within the 100-acre area comprise the Tuskegee Institute National Historic District. Tuskegee University is the only institution of higher learning in the United States to be designated a National Historic Site and operated as a unit of the National Park System, a testament to the national significance of the University and its leaders.
Tuskegee rose to national prominence under the leadership of its founder, Dr. Washington, who headed the institution from 1881 until his death at age 59 in 1915. During his tenure, institutional independence was gained in 1892, again through legislation, when Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute was granted authority to act independent of the state of Alabama. Dr. Washington, a highly skilled organizer and fund-raiser, was counsel to American Presidents, a strong advocate of Negro business, and instrumental in the development of educational institutions throughout the South. He maintained a lifelong devotion to his institution and to his home – the South. Dr. Washington is buried on the campus of Tuskegee University near the University Chapel.
Robert R. Moton was president of Tuskegee from 1915 to 1935. Under his leadership, the Tuskegee Veteran’s Administration Hospital was created on land donated by the Institute. The Tuskegee VA Hospital, opened in 1923, was the first and only staffed by Black professionals. Dr. Moton was succeeded in 1935 by Dr. Frederick D. Patterson. Dr. Patterson oversaw the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee. Today, nearly 75 percent of Black veterinarians in America are Tuskegee graduates. Dr. Patterson also brought the Tuskegee Airmen flight training program to the Institute. The all-Black squadrons of Tuskegee Airmen were highly decorated World War II combat veterans and forerunners of the modern day Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Patterson is also credited with founding the United Negro College Fund, which to date has raised more than $1 billion for student aid. Dr. Luther H. Foster became president of Tuskegee Institute in 1953.
Dr. Foster led Tuskegee through the transformational years of the Civil Rights Movement. Student action, symbolized by student martyr and SNCC member Sammy Younge, as well as legal action represented by Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960), attests to Tuskegee’s involvement in The Movement. Current president Dr. Benjamin F. Payton began his tenure in 1981. Under his leadership, Tuskegee attained University status (1985), began offering its first Ph.D degrees, the Kellogg Conference Center was established, the college of business and the only aerospace science engineering program on an HBCU campus were created and the National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site were launched. Dr. Payton served as Chairman of President George W. Bush’s Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Dedicated in 1922, the Booker T. Washington Monument, called “Lifting the Veil,” stands at the center of campus. The inscription at its base reads, “He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry.” For Tuskegee, the process of unveiling is continuous and lifelong.
University Profile
LOCATION: Tuskegee, AL
FOUNDED: 1881
ENROLLMENT: 2,800
NICKNAME: Golden Tigers
BAND: Marching Crimson Pipers
COLORS: Old Gold & Crimson
WEB SITE: www.tuskegee.edu
Athletic Department Telephone: (334) 727-8849; (334) 727-8520
Athletic Department Fax: (334) 724-4233
SPORTS INFORMATION:
Office Phone: (334) 727-8150 Fax: (334) 727-8202
Home Phone: (334) 724-9461
SID E-mail Address: houstona@tuskegee.edu
 President: Dr. Benjamin F. Payton |
 Athletics Director: Stacy Danley |
