Freshmen start moving in at Wiley College

MARSHALL, Texas (KSLA) — Freshman and transfer students began moving into residence halls Thursday (Aug. 3) at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas.

“So far, we’ve had over 100 students to check in; we’re looking for 100 more,” said Dr. Danielle Brooks, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

The campus was abuzz with parents and new students from throughout the country excited to spend the next four years at Wiley College.

“Freshman are coming from Louisiana, Texas, Philadelphia, California, you name it.”

KEY DATES

Aug. 3: Freshmen move in
Aug. 4: Orientation
Aug. 5: Returning students move in
Aug. 7: First day of classes
Oct. 29-Nov. 5: Homecoming

New Wildcats spent Thursday moving into dormitories, attending informational sessions and getting their ID photos taken.

Over the next few days, hundreds of students will be back on campus.

“I can’t wait to get back on campus. I can’t wait to be at college,” said Jordan Dansby, a returning junior. “And I’m far away from home. So to feel at home in a completely different state means a lot.”

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On July 31, the administration got faculty members and staffers ready for the fall:

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Staffers say the close-knit community feels like family.

“I have attended an HBCU myself and worked at others,” said Deonqua Isaac, executive director of enrollment management. “But one thing about Wiley is that it expresses that family feeling; it’s very evident here at Wiley.”

Wiley College is a historically black, primarily liberal arts, baccalaureate degree-granting institution affiliated with The United Methodist Church. It is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

The Freedman’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church founded the school near Marshall, Texas, in 1873, less than eight years after all hostilities were quieted from the Civil War. It’s named after minister, medical missionary and educator Bishop Isaac William Wiley.

Wiley College opened its doors just south of Marshall with two frame buildings. In 1880, the college’s founders moved the school to 55 acres of wooded land nearer to Marshall where the college stands today. Four additional buildings were constructed and Wiley College had effectively become the first Black college west of the Mississippi River.

In 1906, the college boasted of 11 buildings, including the King Industrial Home for Girls, which brought the study of home economics to Wiley College. on campus.

The campus’ first brick building was constructed during President Matthew Winfred Dogan Sr.’s administration (1896-1942). It was built of bricks made on campus and was constructed by students. Subsequent campus buildings were constructed around this main building and housed programs in mechanics, printing, tailoring, broom making, woodworking and industrial programs.

Coe Hall, named for former teacher Isabel Coe, was built to serve as the men’s dormitory in 1915. Coe’s father had donated $5,000 to the college. Thirkield Hall, a three-story structure, was built in 1918 and named for Bishop Wilbur P. Thirkield, a close friend of the college and former president of Howard University.

The Daniel Adams Brainard Chapel was erected in 1924 with a capacity for 800 students. It was equipped with a pipe organ that was one-of-a-kind among similar sized colleges of the time.

In 1925, Dogan Hall was built to accommodate women in dormitories. The Refectory also was erected during this time period as a dining hall for students and a place for extra-curricular activities.

In 1929, the school renamed itself Wiley College, dropping the use of the word “University.” It was at this time the high school and trade school were discontinued. Wiley College was recognized in 1933 as an “A” class college by the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools of the Southern states. This marked the first time any Black school had ever been rated by the same agency and standards as other universities.

During the 1920 and 1930s, the automobile was not widely used by many students and their families; thus the nation’s rail system was the preferred and sometimes only means of travel to Wiley College. Coaches with special connections from Dallas, Houston, Shreveport and Beaumont carried students to Marshall and Wiley College on the “Wiley Express.”

At a time when Jesse Owens was thundering to an unprecedented four gold medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Wiley College was introducing football to Black colleges and was a leader in forming the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The school won many national championships in football and basketball, having more championship athletic teams than all its opponents of the SWAC combined.

This drive for excellence spilled over into the academic arenas with a debating championship in 1935 and notable accomplishments in the field of dramatic competitions. It is that debating championship for which Wiley College is most recognized today thanks to a movie directed by Denzel Washington, who also starred in the production.

The college garnered rare, international visibility Dec. 25, 2007, with the release of “The Great Debaters,” which was produced by HARPO Productions and the Weinstein Co. This major motion picture captured the fame and notoriety of Professor Melvin B. Tolson and the intellectual legacy of four former students — Hobart Jarrett, Henry Heights, James Farmer, Jr. and Henrietta Bell (Wells). It was their 1935 victory over that year’s national champions that was the subject of the movie. The college subsequently received a $1 million gift from Washington to revive the school’s debate team, which was named in honor of Tolson and Washington.

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