History of the University
The year was 1904 when a very determined young black woman, Mary McLeod Bethune, opened the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. It underwent several stages of growth and development through the years. As a result of a merger with Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida, it became a co-ed high school in 1923. A year later, the school became affiliated with the United Methodist Church, evolved into a junior college by 1931, and became known as Bethune-Cookman College. In 1941, the Florida State Department of Education approved baccalaureate programs offering liberal arts and teacher education.
Mrs. Bethune retired in 1942, and Dr. James E. Colton became president. In 1946, Mrs. Bethune resumed the presidency for one additional year. In 1947, Dr. Richard V. Moore Sr., became Bethune-Cookman’s president. The curriculum expanded, student enrollment increased, and new buildings were constructed for residential housing and classrooms. Under Dr. Moore’s tenure, the College received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and in 1970, joined the United Negro College Fund and other academic and professional organizations.
Dr. Oswald P. Bronson Sr., an alumnus, served as its fourth president from 1975 to 2004. Dr. Bronson increased student enrollment and led to the College’s continuous development and expansion. Degree offerings increased from 12 in 1974 to 37 by 2003, and seven continuing education centers were operated throughout the state. A rapidly increasing student enrollment resulted in the construction of more student housing and academic buildings.
Dr. Trudie Kibbe Reed served as the College’s fifth president from 2004 to 2012. Under Dr. Reed’s leadership, the International Institute for Civic Participation and Social Responsibility was launched, expanding student learning about citizenship and leadership development. Under her tenure, with the addition of graduate programs in Transformative Leadership and Integrated Environmental Sciences in 2007, the College became a University. Campus improvements included the Rev. Eugene Zimmerman and Alexis Pugh Student Scholarship Houses, the L. Gale Lemerand School of Nursing, Michael & Libby Johnson Center for Civic Engagement, Odessa Chambliss Wellness Center, and Lee E. Rhyant Residential Life Center.
In March 2012, the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Edison O. Jackson as the sixth president of Bethune-Cookman University. During his short tenure, he has increased philanthropic giving to the University and garnered the support of the community that was evident during the presidency of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. In addition, he has remodeled the Dining Hall, upgraded Joyner and Bronson Halls, renovated Gertrude Heyn Memorial Chapel, and broken ground to add 4 additional floors to the Harrison Rhodes Memorial Social Science building.
In addition to maintaining its accreditations with SACS, the Florida State Board of Education, and the United Methodist Church Board of Higher Education, the College added new accreditations for Nursing and Teacher Education programs. Since 1943, Bethune-Cookman has graduated more than 15,000 students who have continued to provide support to their alma mater. Many alumni are employed in the fields of education, healthcare, business, politics, government, science, religion, athletics, environmental sciences, and research.
Last Will and Testament
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune left a heritage in the college she founded. She also left her Last Will and Testament, an everlasting and priceless document of challenge, hope, and responsibility for African-Americans and other people, which states the following:
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.I leave you love. Love builds. It is positive and helpful. It is more beneficial than hate. |
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I leave you hope. The Negroes’ growth will be great in the years to come. Theirs will be a better world. This I believe with all my heart. |
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I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. As long as Negroes are hemmed into racial blocks by prejudice and pressure, it will be necessary for them to band together for economic betterment. |
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I leave you a thirst for education. Knowledge is the prime need of the Hour. If we continue in this trend, we will be able to rear increasing numbers of strong, purposeful men and women, equipped with vision, mental clarity, health and education. |
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I leave you a respect for the uses of power. We live in a world, which respects power above all things. Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom. |
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I leave you faith. Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. |
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I leave you racial dignity. I want Negroes to maintain their human dignity at all costs. We, as Negroes, must recognize that we are the custodians as well as the heirs of a great civilization. |
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I leave you a desire to live harmoniously with our fellow men. The problem of color is world- wide. It is found in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. I appeal to American Negroes - North, South, East and West - to recognize their common problems and unite to solve them. |
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I leave you finally a responsibility to our young people. The world around us really belongs to youth, for youth will take over its future management. Our children must never lose their zeal for building a better world. |
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If I have a legacy to leave my people, it is my philosophy of living and serving. As I face tomorrow, I am content, for I think I have spent my life well. I pray now that my philosophy may be helpful to those who share my vision of a world of Peace, Progress, Brotherhood and Love.” |
The Mary McLeod Bethune Home
“The Foundation”
A National Historic Landmark
Built in 1905, the Mary McLeod Bethune home is where Dr. Bethune lived and conducted much of the official business of the college she founded in 1904. The grounds of Dr. Bethune’s home are also the location of her final resting place. A memorial gravesite and garden are located in close proximity to her home. The home was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1975. On July 10, 1977, her 102nd birthday, a second marker was erected at the home by the Association for the Study of AfroAmerican Life and History, in cooperation with the Amoco Foundation. The site is also the 94th United Methodist Historic Site. The home currently serves as a museum and is visited by public and private school students, as well as, Native Floridians and national and international tourists. Visitors capture just a bit of the greatness of this remarkable woman and receive inspiration from the legacy that Dr. Bethune willed to the American public.
Bethune-Cookman University Mission, Vision and Core Values
University Mission Statement
The mission of Bethune-Cookman University is to develop global leaders committed to service, life-long learning and diversity by providing a faith-based environment of academic excellence and transformative experiences.
Revised by the Bethune-Cookman Board of Trustees, October, 2013
Vision for the Future
Bethune-Cookman University seeks to define a new standard for academic excellence as a way to become the best small college in the southern region. To educate and empower people to seek their own solution; to advocate tor opportunities for all citizens to improve their quality of life; and to inculcate an international perspective that would facilitate a keen appreciation of the new global realities.
Dr. Edison O. Jackson, President
The University is guided by its core values:
F.I.R.S.T
F - Faith: We recognize and uphold the Christian tradition while welcoming the diversity of faiths.
I - Integrity: We live in a way that reflects our deepest convictions.
R - Respect: We recognize the inherent dignity and worth of each person.
S - Service: We seek social justice through civic engagement.
T- Thirst for Knowledge: We are engaged in the continuous pursuit of learning that transforms us and the world.
University Statement on Ethics and Values
Bethune-Cookman University seeks to develop graduates who are honorable and democratic citizens capable of making worthwhile contributions to society. The University expects its students to uphold the highest moral and ethical standards by practicing self-discipline. Students are held accountable for their behavior. The University believes that commitment, perseverance, and high regard for the value and quality of work should be demonstrated with pride as tasks are completed with accuracy and timeliness. Bethune-Cookman University further affirms that students should respect the environment, including the University’s grounds, buildings, and all other property.
Bethune-Cookman University seeks to develop graduates who demonstrate academic excellence. Graduates are expected to show competence in their careers and vocations by mastering verbal and written communication skills, research techniques, and aggressively pursuing knowledge in their major areas of study. Bethune-Cookman University believes that its graduates are individuals who will enter the future full of confidence and self-esteem.
Human Worth and Dignity
Based on the premise that all human beings are worthy of respect, honor, and dignity, Bethune-Cookman University is a proponent of the concept of human worth that is deeply embodied in its founding and purpose. In communicating this fundamental belief, the University seeks to define those characteristics that reflect honesty, tolerance, and genuine sincerity in all phases of human relations. The University strives to instill within each student the value of human worth and to show justice, compassion, and equality towards all.
Spiritual Growth and Development
Bethune-Cookman University, founded in the Christian tradition, strives to facilitate spiritual growth by nurturing a continuous understanding and appreciation of the ecumenical tradition and heritage of the institution. The study and acceptance of other religious cultures is demonstrated with tolerance, understanding, and love toward others. Students will be able to make wholesome decisions for themselves and important contributions to their communities. (Approved by Bethune-Cookman University Board of Trustees, October 16, 1992)
Institutional Student Learning Outcomes
As a transformative leader, the graduate will possess:
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Complex cognitive skills |
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The graduate actively engages in critical reflection based on analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of experiences that promote positive transformation in fellow human beings. |
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Practical knowledge and competency |
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When applying discipline-specific principles, the student will discriminate among possible solutions, selecting and supporting those that take into consideration societal impact (e.g., the health, safety, and empowerment of others).
- Graduates will demonstrate an awareness of the historical development of cultures and societies. (History, Social Sciences)
- Graduates will perform, interpret, analyze or, otherwise, demonstrate appreciation of musical, visual, literary, and/or other works of art. (Fine Arts)
- When performing communication tasks, graduates will provide content that is factually correct, supported with evidence, explained with sufficient details and, if written, properly documented with a minimum of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage. (English, Communication)
- When applying the principles of mathematics, science, and/or engineering, the graduate will propose and evaluate a solution to a problem. (Sciences)
- When assigned to teams, graduates will share responsibilities, analyze ideas, discern feasible solutions, build a consensus, and develop a strategy for action and the evaluation of action. (Leadership)
- Using technology, graduates will demonstrate competency in functioning efficiently and effectively in the management of information for problem-solving. (Technology)
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An appreciation of human differences and commonalities |
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The graduate actively discriminates among positions, selecting and supporting those that empower fellow human beings. Across the curriculum, the student will demonstrate sensitivity and respect for human differences and commonalities in the various domains in which they occur including, but not limited to, differences by age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socio-economic status. |
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An integrated sense of identity and civic responsibility |
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The graduate actively defends positions that move global society in a direction that promotes self-worth, self-directed lifelong learning, social justice, and civic engagement. The graduate will demonstrate a passion for lifelong learning fostered by a holistic view of self-worth and the capacity to be a self-directed learner. When assigned to teams, graduates will share responsibility, analyze ideas, discern feasible solutions, build a consensus, and develop strategies for action and evaluation in defense of positions that move self and the global society in a direction that promotes social justice and civic responsibility. |
Equal Employment and Educational Opportunities
Bethune-Cookman University is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity in all phases of the employment relationship, including advertising, hiring, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, or marital status. The University is also committed to the principles of nondiscrimination in its educational programs and activities. No person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, age, disability or sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination in any program or activity of the University. Any employee or student who has a complaint regarding the University’s compliance with these standards should contact the Office of Regulatory and Legal Affairs in the Department of Human Resources Management.
Sexual Harassment
Statement of Policy
Bethune-Cookman University is committed to maintaining an educational and working environment free from sexual harassment and sexual violence. Sexual harassment or sexual violence by any employee or student is prohibited and will not be tolerated. Persons violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action which may include, but is not be limited to, written warning, demotion, transfer, suspension, expulsion, dismissal, or termination.
No employee or student shall sexually harass or commit sexual violence against another employee or student, nor shall any employee or student sexually harass or commit sexual violence against any person with whom they have contact in connection with their employment or academic pursuits. No employee or student shall threaten another current or prospective employee or student by stating, suggesting or otherwise indicating that said individual’s refusal to submit to sexual advances will result in an adverse job or academic action. No employee or student shall promise a current or prospective faculty, staff or student any benefit in return for submission to sexual advances or granting sexual favors. Any employment or academic decisions which carry out such threats or promises are likewise prohibited.
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