Grambling State University
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- 'Grambling' redirects here. For the town, see Grambling, Louisiana.
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Grambling State University Div. I-AA |
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| Motto | The Place Where Everybody Is Somebody |
| Established | 1901 |
| Type | Public Coeducational |
| Endowment | 1.9 million |
| President | Dr. Horace A. Judson |
| Undergraduates | 4,440 |
| Postgraduates | 599 |
| Location | Grambling, Louisiana, [[.]] |
| Campus | Rural |
| Sports teams | Tigers |
| Colors | Black and gold |
| Mascot | Tiger |
| Website | [1][2] |
Grambling State University is one of the best known Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. Located in Grambling, Louisiana, Grambling State was founded in 1901 as the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School. The school's name was changed to Lincoln Parish Training School in 1918, and Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute in 1928. The school became Grambling College in 1946 named after a white saw mill owner, P.G. Grambling, who donated a parcel of land for the school to be constructed, and gained university status in 1974.
A constituent member of the University of Louisiana System (ULS), GSU is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Its instructional programs are delivered through its four colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, and Professional Studies; and its School of Graduate Studies and Research. Within this structure, the University offers sixty-four programs, leading to certification, associate, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees. The University offers the only doctorate in developmental education in the nation.
Grambling State University emerged from the desire of African-American farmers in rural north Louisiana who wanted to educate other African Americans in the northern and western parts of the state. In 1896, the North Louisiana Colored Agriculture Relief Association was formed to organize and operate a school.
After opening a small school west of what is now the town of Grambling, the Association requested assistance from Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Charles P. Adams, sent to aid the group in organizing an industrial school, became its founder and first president.
Under Adams’ leadership, the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School opened on November 1, 1901. Four years later, the school moved to its present location and was renamed the North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School. By 1928, the school was able to offer two-year professional certificates and diplomas after becoming a state junior college. The school was renamed Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute.
In 1936, Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones became the second president. The program was reorganized to emphasize rural education. It became internationally known as “The Louisiana Plan” or “A Venture in Rural Teacher Education.” Professional teaching certificates were awarded when a third year was added in 1936, and the first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1944 in elementary education.
The institution’s name was changed to Grambling College in 1946. Thereafter, the college prepared secondary teachers and added curricula in sciences, liberal arts and business. With these programs in effect, the school was transformed from a single purpose institution of teacher education into a multipurpose college. During the 1950s, the college obtained full membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In 1974, the addition of graduate programs in early childhood and elementary education gave the school a new status and a new name – Grambling State University.
From 1977 to 2000, the University moved and prospered. Several new academic programs were incorporated and new facilities -including a business and computer science building, school of nursing, student services building, stadium, stadium support facility, and an intramural sports center - were added to the 384-acre campus
Through the years, the University has acquired the prestige and academic strength noted only among much larger institutions. From its distinction of being one of the country’s top producers of African American graduates, to being the home of legendary football coach Eddie Robinson and its internationally renowned Tiger Marching Band, Grambling State University has become a household name in this country and abroad.
During Robinson’s stellar 57-year coaching career, the University gained a national reputation as being “the cradle of the pros” because of the large number of student-athletes who joined the professional ranks in football, basketball and baseball.
After Robinson’s retirement in 1997, former GSU standout and NFL Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams took over the reigns of the University’s football program. He led the team to national and regional championships.
Additionally, the University holds the distinction of being the first Louisiana institution to bring a sitting U. S. President to its campus. The Honorable William “Bill” Jefferson Clinton was the featured speaker during commencement exercises held in May 1999. Nearly two years later, the Tiger Marching Band was the only Louisiana entity included in the inaugural parade for U.S. President George W. Bush.
Five presidents served during this period – from 1977 to 2001: Dr. Joseph Benjamin Johnson, Dr. Harold W. Lundy, Dr. Raymond Hicks, Dr. Leonard Haynes, III, and Dr. Steve A. Favors.
The advent of a new millennium and the beginning of a second century of service ushered in Grambling State University’s first female president, Dr. Neari Francois Warner. Warner who served a three-year interim term.
In 2004, Dr. Horace A. Judson became the institution’s seventh president. Under his leadership, the University is aggressively moving to reclaim its legacy and claim its place.
Steeped in history and a longstanding tradition of excellence, Grambling State University continues to emphasize the value and importance of each student, exemplifying its motto: Where Everybody Is Somebody.
Among other things, Grambling is acclaimed for its legendary music and athletic programs. Former football coach Eddie Robinson held the NCAA record for most career wins as a head coach at the time of his retirement in 1997. In 1999, The GSU "World Famed" Tiger Marching Band -- along with GSU's female dance troupe, "The Orchesis Dance Company" -- was featured in a nationally televised commercial as part of Procter & Gamble's "Tampax Was There" marketing campaign. In 1981, the band appeared in "Marching Band/Coke Is It," an award-winning commercial developed for Coca-Cola USA. The band also was featured performing in the Hollywood films Grambling's White Tiger in 1981, and Drumline in 2002.
Grambling State's colors are black and gold, with red as a tertiary color symbolizing the blood of people of African descent. The school's mascot is the "Tigers", and its slogan is "Where everybody is Somebody." Grambling's sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (I-AA for football) in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Grambling State plays its arch rival Southern University in the annual "Bayou Classic," which is hosted in New Orleans over Thanksgiving weekend at the Louisiana Superdome. Broadcast nationally on network television, this bowl game is acknowledged as the largest black event in America. Owing to Hurricane Katrina's devastation of the host city, the Classic was played in Houston in 2005.
In 2006, Grambling State was the setting for the Black Entertainment Television network docudrama "Season of the Tiger", which chronicled the daily lives of members of the football team and marching band throughout the 2005 season.
In the 118th Tournament of Roses Parade, Grambling State's marching band was the marching band in the Star Wars Spectacular, in which all members were wearing Imperial officer uniforms. The present president is Dr.Horace Judason.This university is currently inviting international students.
- Doug Williams, named MVP after winning Super Bowl as quarterback with the Washington Redskins
- Elfrid Payton, all star and award winning Canadian Football League player
- Erykah Badu, singer and actress
- Charlie Joiner, Hall of Fame wide receiver
- Buck Buchanan, Hall of Fame defensive tackle
- Willie Davis, Hall of Fame Green Bay Packers defensive end
- Willie Brown, Hall of Fame cornerback
- Antwahn Nance, NBA Basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers
- Ronnie Coleman, IFBB Pro 8-time Mr. Olympia
- Willis Reed, NBA Hall of Famer- played for the New York Knicks from 1964 to 1974
- Bruce Eugene, record-setting NCAA D-1AA quarterback
- Ronald E. Childs, award-winning Chicago-based journalist, columnist
- Judi Ann Mason, noted playwright, and screenwriter for award-winning network television sitcom "Good Times"
- Leslie Randle, Miss Black Louisiana 2005-2006
- Randy Hymes, NFL Football player for the Minnesota Vikings
- Jason Hatcher, NFL Football player for the Dallas Cowboys
| Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) |
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| Alabama A&M • Alabama State • Alcorn State • Arkansas – Pine Bluff • Grambling State • Jackson State • Mississippi Valley State • Prairie View A&M • Southern • Texas Southern |
