Morgan State University: Founding, Evolution, and Milestones

Founding and early mission

• After the $1850$ Fugitive Slave Act, a group of Black leaders proposed a school in Baltimore on $12/25/1866$ to elevate Black men morally and intellectually for church leadership.
• Founding five clergymen who spearheaded the idea: Benjamin Brown, James Peck, Elijah Grissom, James Harper, Samuel Green senior.
• Samuel Green senior: born on the Eastern Shore in $1802$; bought freedom after his enslaver died in $1834$; freed his wife after five years; his son Sandal Green Junior escaped with Harriet Tubman; Green was arrested in 1857 under a book-banning law (1842) for possessing Uncle Tom's Cabin; pardoned after five years by Governor Augustus Brantford; later connected with the effort that led to Morgan.
• The five clergymen and allies formed the basis for what would become Morgan State University; the institution began as the Centenary Biblical Institute.

Growth from a ministerial training school to Morgan College

• Early mission focused on training Black men for ministry; by $1874$, women were admitted for training too; by $1879$ the school became a normal school.
• The school moved locations multiple times: from Sharp Street Church to a narrow three-story building at $44 East Saratoga Street$ by $1872$; later expanded to a new West Baltimore site in the early 20th century; in $1881$ the third home was established.
• In $1890$, the institution was renamed Morgan College in honor of Lyndon F. Morgan, a former chair of the board of trustees, reflecting its growth and the state’s investment in Black higher education.
• The forerunner to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore traces back to these efforts on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

20th century expansion and Harlem Renaissance influence

• Turn of the century leadership: Dr. John Oakley Spencer became president in $1902$; he secured a pivotal gift from Andrew Carnegie in $1907$ ($50{,}000$) to build a new facility and to relocate for growth.
• Location and expansion: Morgan moved to a site at the corner of Dillon and Tollsburg Lane; neighbors initially opposed the move; Morgan purchased the land and continued rapid growth.
• The campus quickly outgrew its spaces; by $1918$ Morgan opened its West Baltimore campus in a new building; the institution’s academy prepared students for higher education; the academy produced notable alumni such as Edgar Amos Love (cofounder of Omega Psi Phi) and Zora Neale Hurston, who earned her high school degree in $1918$.
• Tragedy and setback: the Morgan College Annex in Lynchburg, VA, burned on $12/10/1917$; the Morgan Academy itself closed in $1927$.
• By 1935, three events shaped Morgan’s trajectory: Curley Byrd, then president of the University of Maryland, sought to steer Maryland higher education strategically; a lawsuit by Donald Murray challenged exclusion of Blacks from the University of Maryland’s law school; Maryland purchased the Princess Anne Academy for $100{,}000$ to influence desegregation dynamics.
• By $1937$, four Black trustees were appointed to Morgan’s nine-member board: Josiah Henry, Willard Allen, Carrington Davis, and Carl Murphy (editor/publisher of the Afro-American). Murphy pressed for greater Black governance on state-supported institutions.
• Morgan’s status and Harlem Renaissance: Morgan attracted prominent Black scholars and leaders (Nick Aaron Ford, Ellen Irene Diggs, Iva Jones, Benjamin Quarles, Roland McConnell). In $1948$, Martin D. Jenkins became president.

Civil rights era and institutional leadership navigation

• 1953: Carl Murphy became chair of the board, guiding Morgan through rising civil rights tensions.
• 1958: Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the commencement address, framing the campus around dignity, nonviolence, and equality.
• 1962 and 1967: Malcolm X spoke at Morgan (debated with a professor on integration vs. Black nationalism); Stokely Carmichael spoke in 1967, signaling Black Power and opposition to the Vietnam War.
• 1970: Morgan canceled ROTC day amid antiwar protests; a budget confrontation with the state culminated in a confrontation outside the governor’s office; Morgan received increased state funding amid student demonstrations; Jenkins resigned shortly after.
• 1971–1975: Leadership transitions included Cheek (1971–1974) and Andrew Billingsley (appointed 1975).

Transition to university status and subsequent governance

• 1975: Morgan College became Morgan State University; the push to upgrade from college to university accelerated.
• 1975: Ina McMillan was named chair of the board, becoming Maryland’s first Black female board chair; she had a distinguished record with equity in education and the NAACP.
• McMillan’s tenure lasted about 15 months; she faced governance tensions over financial oversight.
• 1984: Billingsley’s tenure ended; Earl Richardson became the ninth president; under his leadership, Morgan expanded with 17 renovated buildings, 12 new facilities, and a 75% surge in enrollment.
• By the late 2000s, Morgan’s growth continued under new leadership; enrollment reached approximately $10{,}000$ by 2023, and the campus expanded to a modern, 200+ acre footprint.
• Strategic initiatives included positioning Morgan as a top public urban research university and pursuing the Maryland College of Osteopathic Medicine (a first for a historically Black college/university in decades).
• The campus site across the street, once the target of segregation-era protests, was redeveloped; Morgan’s campus was designated a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Legacy and core takeaways

• Morgan State University evolved from a ministers’ training institute to a major public urban research university through persistent leadership, civil rights activism, and strategic state partnerships.
• It served as a center for Harlem Renaissance scholars, civil rights leadership, and Black academic achievement.
• The institution embodies resilience: from the basement of a Sharp Street church to a large, modern campus, reflecting sustained pursuit of opportunity and excellence.

Final reflection for exam recall

• Founding purpose and five founders; Samuel Green Sr.’s personal narrative as a lens into Black resilience.
• Transition milestones: Centenary Biblical Institute → Morgan College (1890) → Morgan State University (1975).
• Key leaders: Spencer, Jenkins, Billingsley, Richardson, and Wilson (current era) driving growth and modernization.
• Civil rights context: growth alongside King, Malcolm X, Carmichael; balancing public stance with political realities.
• Harlem Renaissance influence and Black scholarship on campus (Ford, Diggs, Jones, Quarles, McConnell).
• Modern expansion: enrollment growth, medical education ambitions, and preservation as a national treasure.