Florida Memorial University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
Florida Memorial University |
|
|---|---|
| Established | 1879 |
| Location | Miami Gardens, Florida, United States |
Florida Memorial University is a private coeducational four-year university in Miami Gardens, Florida accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It offers 41 undergraduate degree programs and three graduate degree programs through its eight academic divisions.
As one of the 39 member institutions of the United Negro College Fund, Florida Memorial University continues its proud tradition as a historically Black, Baptist-related institution providing students with a quality education that helps create tomorrow’s leaders today.
FMU's sports teams compete in the Florida Sun Conference.
[edit] History
One of the oldest academic centers in the U.S. state of Florida, the university was founded in 1879 as the Florida Baptist Institute in Live Oak. Soon after, the American Baptist Home Mission gave its full support and the first regular school year began in 1880.
In 1882, the Florida Baptist Academy was established in Jacksonville, Florida. The name was later changed to Florida Normal and Industrial Institute. It was there that two brothers, James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson (faculty member), wrote the words and music to what became known as the “Negro National Anthem,” "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing", in 1900.
Florida Normal and Industrial Institute moved to St. Augustine in 1918 on part of a 110-acre tract of land known as “Old Homes Plantation,” formerly one of the largest slave plantations in Florida. University historians state that this is where the famous bell which now sits above the Susie C. Holley Chapel was purchased. The bell was originally used to gather slaves to issue daily orders. It was also stated that this bell was cast at the same foundry as the Liberty Bell, which is enshrined in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1941, the Live Oak and St. Augustine institutions merged, changing their limited offerings from a junior college classification to a four-year liberal arts institution which graduated its first four-year class in 1945. Its name was changed in 1950 to Florida Normal and Industrial Memorial College. In 1963, the charter was again amended to change the name to Florida Memorial College. In 1968, the College relocated to its present site in Northwest Miami and by 1972 graduated its first class at the Miami site. Florida Memorial College celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1979 and began a series of expansion projects on the 44-acre site.
Dr. Albert E. Smith was appointed as the College’s tenth president in 1993, heralding another period of growth in the institution’s rich history. In December 2004, the institution’s name was changed to Florida Memorial University with the announcement being made at the Annual Founders' Day Convocation in March 2005.
