Bluefield State University

The Bluefield Colored Institute was founded in 1895 as a "high-graded school" for African Americans.[2] At that time, the West Virginia Constitution prohibited racially integrated public education. Bluefield was within 100 miles of 70% of the state’s African American residents. The school was located on a steep four-acre (0.0016 km2) site to the north side of the Norfolk & Western railroad tracks.

Principal Hamilton Hatter supervised the first class of 40 pupils. Nathan Cook Brackett, an Abolitionist and first president of Storer College, served as president of the Board of Regents.[3]

Hatter oversaw the construction of Mahood Hall, the administrative building, as well as dormitories Lewis Hall and West Hall. Mahood Hall was named for State Senator William Mahood (R-Mercer County), who wrote the Institute's sponsoring legislation.

In 1906, Hatter was succeeded by Robert P. Sims, who would lead the Institute, then College, for three decades. Sims, a graduate of Hillsdale College, showed dedication, commitment, and prudent management during his lengthy tenure. In 1909, the Institute became a normal school, adding the training of teachers to its curriculum. By 1920, enrollment climbed to 235, with summer sessions for teacher certification adding hundreds more.

Campus growth followed enrollment gains, expanding to 23 acres and the addition of Payne and Conley Halls. Enrollment grew to more than six hundred on its "terraced hills."

The President's House, later renamed Hatter Hall, was built in 1930 and added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4]

In 1932, the State of West Virginia recognized the Institute's success, accredited its education curriculum, and changed its name to Bluefield State Teachers College.

Sims' successor, Henry Dickason, was an Institute alumnus and president from 1936 to 1952.

In 1943, the state again accredited an expanded curriculum and renamed the school Bluefield State College.

During the late 1960s, black students protested that the state was transforming the school from a traditional black college to a white commuter college. One of the allegations made was that black faculty and staff were being fired and replaced by less qualified white personnel. On November 21, 1968, the racial tensions culminated in the bombing of the gymnasium. A $5,000 reward was offered by Governor Hulett C. Smith. Ironically, the administration responded by immediately closing the dormitories, which housed a significant percentage of the college's out-of-state black student population, hastening the transition to a predominantly white college.[5]

Neither the city nor the college were isolated from the demonstrations and demands for civil rights that dominated much of the 1960s. African American students protested that the school administration was working actively to transform Bluefield State from a historic black residential college to a commuter college comprised predominantly of white students. Tension persisted, and on November 21, 1968, a bomb exploded in the gymnasium. No one was injured, but the damage was extensive. A $5,000 reward was offered by Governor Hulett C. Smith. College president Wendell Hardway responded by closing all dormitories immediately and permanently. Students returning from Thanksgiving break found themselves locked out. The actions accelerated the college’s transition to a majority white student body.[6][7][8][9]

Despite these changes, overall enrollment remained strong through the succeeding decades. In 2003, the West Virginia Legislature created a community college system offering two-year degrees at new institutions across the state. Among them was New River Community and Technical College. Bluefield State was required to transfer all its two-year programs, except engineering and nursing, to New River. This resulted in losing approximately half of the college's enrollment.[10]

The succeeding years were of slow decline, with occasional calls from state legislators to merge the college with nearby Concord University.

In 2019, the Board of Trustees hired former West Liberty University president Robin Capehart as interim President.[11]

Later that year, President Capehart and Gov. Jim Justice announced the return to a residential campus with the groundbreaking for the first residence hall since the 1960s.

In 2021, Bluefield State acquired the former Bluefield Regional Medical Center property, adding 68 acres to the campus and renamed the student facility Medical Education Center. Former patient rooms were converted to residences; a cafeteria and lounge areas were built in time for the 2021–22 school year.

In 2021, Bluefield State was recognized as the fastest-growing college or university in West Virginia.[12]

In 2022, the state’s Higher Education Planning Commission acknowledged the institution’s swift progress, accredited its first Master of Business Administration program, and renamed the school Bluefield State University.[13][14]

Later that year, Bluefield State University was ranked as the Best HBCU in West Virginia by University HQ.[15]

The university is organized into six colleges/schools:

• College of Arts and Sciences
• W. Paul Cole, Jr. School of Business
• College of Engineering Technology
• College of Health Sciences
• School of Criminal Justice
• School of Education

*Note: This racial-ethnic group includes Asian, Native American or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and other racial or ethnic categories not explicitly listed in the table.

As of the 2022–2023 school year, the student body is 59.3% female and 40.6% male.[16]

Bluefield State became a residential university in 2021 for the first time since 1968.

• Official website
• Official athletics website