Bethune-Cookman College Graduates to University Status

In 1904 Mary McLeod Bethune, the daughter of former slaves, founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. In 1923 the school became a coeducational high school after a merger with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida. In 1931 Bethune-Cookman College began as a two-year institution. In 1941 the state of Florida approved its elevation to a four-year college.

Now the historically black educational institution is known as Bethune-Cookman University. The name change is the result of a new master’s degree program in “transformative leadership.” This program, which currently enrolls about 20 students, includes courses in business, communications, ethics, and learning theory.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.