Rate this HBCU Day 53: Elizabeth City State University

[DrBanneker]

We last touched on the only HBCU in Memphis, LeMoyne-Owen College which received an average score of 5.

See the updated leaderboard here

Today we chronicle another public HBCU in North Carolina, the lesser known Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). Actually closer to Norfolk/Hampton than Raleigh, Charlotte, or other major North Carolina cities. It is a medium sized HBCU in a small rural setting. It was founded in 1891 after pressure and meetings by the local Black community lead to a bill being introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly to create a school to train teachers for Black schools. The State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City was thus born. Its energetic first president Peter Weddikk Moore helped provide institutions and stability that would serve the school well as it rode out the racial hostility and economic depression prior to World War II. ECSU, like many HBCUs, gradually gained accreditation and became a liberal arts school.

One program ECSU has that is unique is its aviation science program that trains pilots, avionics technicians, has an unmanned aircraft systems (drones) program, and airport operations managers. It is the only four year aviation science course in North Carolina. Also unique is a bay in Antarctica named the Elizabeth City State University Bay. ECSU is the only HBCU I know that has a geographical feature named after it.




Founded: 1891

City, State: Elizabeth City, NC

Type: 4-year Public

Nickname: Vikings

Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 2,054 (1,956 undergraduate) , 76% Black

Part-time student percentage: 17%

First Generation Student Percentage: 37%

Percentage of students from households under $30k/over $100k: 59% / 3%

Out of State Percentage: 22%

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 16:1

Admissions Acceptance Rate: 77%

4-yr/6-yr graduation rates: 20% / 40%

Transfer out rate: 34%

Male/Female percentages (Female:Male Ratio): 40% male/ 60% female (1.5:1)

Tuition: In-State: $3k, Out-of-State: $7k

Median Federal Debt After Graduation: $23k

Median Parent PLUS Loans After Graduation: $9k

Median Earning 10-Years after 10 years from freshman year: $45k

Median Earnings for specific majors after 3 years after graduation:
Air Transportation: $34k Criminal Justice: $32k, Education: $29k, Business Administration: $27k

Top Majors by Degrees:
Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Biology, Air Transportation, Sports Medicine, Pharmacy

Endowment: ~$12M (received $140M from state budget in 2022)

Alumni Engagement: 11.2% of alumni give back

Athletic Conference: CIAA (NCAA Div II)

Mascot: Vikings

Notable Alumni:
Alice McGill - award winning writer of Black children's books

Larry Johnson - former NFL linebacker and assistant coach at Ohio State University

Shelly Willingham - North Carolina House of Representatives Rep

Gieira Jones - cancer epidemiologist

Main Campus

Aviation Science Building

Roebuck Stadium

Williams Hall Gymnasium

Sound of Class Marching Band

D'Lytes Cheerleaders





Dancers




Miss Elizabeth State

@ab.aspectus @Originalman @#1 pick @Ziggiy @SupaVillain @Tug life @Idaeo @get these nets @MostReal @Bryan Danielson @Rollie Forbes @Sonic Boom of the South @staticshock @Charlie Hustle @BigAggieLean. @Optimus Prime @How Sway? @DropTopDoc @Johnny seawolf

 

[DrBanneker]

 

[Rollie Forbes]

My ex's dad went to ECSU, and he and I used to always go back and forth about who the CIAA's best school is. He would never admit it, but in his heart, he knows.
Hail State!

 

[Optimus Prime]

I was born in Elizabeth City because it was the official college for everyone on my father's side of the family
My Dad grew up with Larry Johnson and played HS football with Larry's brothers.
ECSU the least expensive university in the state of NC
They been trying to close it for a while

 

[get these nets]

Today we chronicle another public HBCU in North Carolina, the lesser known Elizabeth City State University (ECSU). Actually closer to Norfolk/Hampton than Raleigh, Charlotte, or other major North Carolina cities. It is a medium sized HBCU in a small rural setting. It was founded in 1891 after pressure and meetings by the local Black community lead to a bill being introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly to create a school to train teachers for Black schools. The State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City was thus born.


Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 2,054 (1,956 undergraduate) , 76% Black


Out of State Percentage: 22%



Tuition: In-State: $3k, Out-of-State: $7k

Great profile.
Good to read about their Aviation Program.
As you pointed out in the profile, activism and agitation are part of their DNA. Their leaders are still battling politically. They were able to get lawmakers to raise the out of state student cap last year. Puts them in a position to become a regional or national school in the future. The non resident tuition rate seems to be a good value, and should be part of their recruiting efforts.

These 3 historically Black UNC System schools can now admit more out-of-state students

Three historically Black public universities can now admit more out-of-state students thanks to the UNC System Board of Governors raising the enrollment cap Thursday.

The board raised the cap from 25% to 35% at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and North Carolina Central University and from 25% to 50% at Elizabeth City State University.

N.C. A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU, has seen a large influx of out-of-state applications — up 31% from this time last year.


The rise is due to A&T’s growing national reputation, exposure through athletics, alumni engagement and a new spotlight on HBCUs in politics and the media, according to Dawn Nail. She is the interim associate vice provost for enrollment management and head of undergraduate admissions.

In previous years, A&T has had to turn away a lot of quality students because of the enrollment cap, Nail said.



Raising this cap will increase enrollment, diversify the student body and provide financial gains, because out-of-state students pay more for tuition, she said. The school is looking to hit 14,000 students within the next year or so, which Nail said won’t be a problem because applications are not slowing down.

“This is a good opportunity to showcase A&T a little bit more across the country,” Nail said.

N.C. A&T State University campus, Greensboro NC A&T State University

Most UNC System schools are penalized if they admit more than 18% of freshmen undergraduate students from other states, because the system focuses on educating North Carolina students.

But the board raised the cap to 25% for all HBCUs last year so that those schools can grow the size and caliber of their student bodies. The state’s other two public HBCUS — Fayetteville State University and Winston‐Salem State University — will keep that cap.



Critical for Elizabeth City State
For Elizabeth City State, a small HBCU in the northeastern corner of the state near the Virginia border, raising the cap is critical for enrollment growth and attracting higher-caliber students.

ECSU will be allowed to accept up to 50% of first-time freshman — or about 100 students — from out-of-state. That’s still a small number compared to other NC Promise schools, but it’s necessary for the university to grow.

The NC Promise program sets tuition at $1,000 a year for in-state undergraduates and $5,000 a year for out-of-state students.

Charity Bond, an Elizabeth City State University student, studies at the Walter N. and Henrietta B. Ridley Student Complex Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Travis Long tlong@newsobserver.com


After years of rapid high school graduate growth in North Carolina, the number of high school graduates is leveling off dramatically, ECSU Provost Farrah Ward said in an emailed statement.

“With fewer students entering college — and all of the higher education institutions competing for the same students — lifting the out-of-state enrollment cap is important for ECSU’s continued growth,” Ward said.

This change doesn’t mean there will be less spots for eligible North Carolina students. The university has the capacity and eagerness to accept more students on its campus, she said.

The new enrollment caps will be effective with the fall 2022 semester

 

[DrBanneker]

They were able to get lawmakers to raise the out of state student cap last year. Puts them in a position to become a regional or national school in the future. The non resident tuition rate seems to be a good value, and should be part of their recruiting efforts.

Even though I haven't done NCCSU or Fayetteville State yet, I have all the numbers and NC looks like far and away the best state for value/results as far as HBCUs go. NCA&T, WSSU, and even ECSU have relatively high graduation rates, bearable costs (in state at least, NCAT charges the most to out of state students for any HBCU) and good job placement for most business, STEM, and nursing majors.

 

[powmia]

ECSU's current chancellor really put them on a path for success. She turned the school around in a short period of time. It would not surprise me if Karrie Dixon ended up being the next president of WSSU or NC A&T.

Chancellor's Biography

www.ecsu.edu

 

[get these nets]

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