Rate this HBCU Day 83: Bethune-Cookman University

[DrBanneker]

We last covered Texas College which received an average score of 5.3.

See the updated leaderboard here

Today we head to the university founded by icon Mary McLeod Bethune (last Florida school @get these nets). Mary McLeod Bethune was well-known for her passionate pursuit of education and her job was made easier by nearby Jacksonville's Black community which was one of the more progressive and educated Black communities in the South at the turn of the century. She founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904 in what is now Daytona Beach. She used her savings ($1.50) to start the school in a home of a friend starting with five young girls. With advice from Booker T. Washington on how to raise funds and put potential donors on her board, the school would grow mightily having 250 girls only three years later and constructing its first dedicated building. Bethune would receive international attention and audiences with US presidents.

Nearby, the Cookman Institute, formed earlier in 1872, was a similar school for boys. It was started to educate ex-slaves and for a time was the only formal educational institute for Blacks in the entire state of Florida. It was named for the Methodist minister Rev. Alfred Cookman. In 1923, it merged with Bethune's school (now called Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute) for financial stability to form the Daytona Cookman Collegiate Institute which would become Bethune-Cookman College in 1941 and Bethune-Cookman University in 2007.

Bethune-Cookman is well-known for its band and dancers which have performed in Super Bowls among other events. It is also the largest Florida HBCU after Florida A&M.

Daytona School in 1905

Cookman Institute

Founded: 1904

City, State: Daytona Beach, FL

Type: 4-year, Private not-for-profit (United Methodist affiliated)

Nickname: Wildcats

Enrollment and percent Black enrollment: 2,624 (2,513 undergraduate), 94% Black

Part-time student percentage: 5%

First Generation Student Percentage: 42%

Percentage of students from households under $30k/over $100k: 61% / 4%

Out of State Percentage: 23%, (Top States: Georgia, California, Maryland, Alabama, Ohio)

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 15:1

Admissions Acceptance Rate: 85%

4-Yr / 6-Yr Graduation rates: 18% / 35%

Transfer out rate: 15%

Male/Female percentages (Female:Male Ratio): 38% male/ 62% female (1.6:1 ratio)

Tuition: $15k

Median Federal Debt After Graduation: $31k

Median Parent PLUS Loans After Graduation: $28k

Median Earning 10-Years after 10 years from freshman year: $38k

Median Earnings for specific majors after 3 years after graduation:
Registered Nursing: $65k, Accounting: $34k, Biology: $34k, Criminal Justice: $32k

Top Majors by Degrees:
Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Psychology, Exercise Science, Hospitality Business, Registered Nursing, Computer Science

Endowment: ~$25M

Alumni Engagement: 19% of alumni give back

Athletic Conference: MEAC (NCAA Div 1)

Mascot: Wildcat

Notable Alumni:
A. Philip Randolph - street car porter labor organizer and civil rights activist (went to high school at Cookman Institute)

James Dean - first elected Black judge in Florida after Reconstruction

Majorie Joyner - businesswoman and inventor of the permanent wave machine

Main Campus:

Daytona Stadium

Moore Gymnasium

Marching Wildcats

Cheerleaders

14 Karat Gold Dancers

Miss Bethune Cookman

@invalid @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 @Anerdyblackguy

 

[DrBanneker]

Tbh, I held back on this one due to the whole Ed Reed football affair and the issues (not unique to BCU unfortunately) that it brought up. I didn't mention it in the summary but we can discuss the legitimate issues in the thread.

 

[MostReal]

BCU seems solid enough. Despite their recent troubles, I expect they will rebound because they have a sound foundational history of doing so.

 

[staticshock]

I’ll have to reluctantly give them a 7. I know they take in a ton of metro Atlanta kids for their band program. My old high school has like 10 kids there right now

Not a fan of their style but they’re solid.


I’ve never been on their campus, but we traveled to play them in Daytona in 08, & they play on an off campus stadium. Daytona was beautiful and it was my first time seeing the ocean..I was literally shocked how beautiful it was

 

[Rollie Forbes]

Tbh, I held back on this one due to the whole Ed Reed football affair and the issues (not unique to BCU unfortunately) that it brought up. I didn't mention it in the summary but we can discuss the legitimate issues in the thread.

I extended BCU a little grace for this very reason. Unfortunately, financial mismanagement is a problem for many of our schools.
In spite of the drama with Coach Reed, BCU has a well-earned history of being one of our finest schools when it comes to academics.

 

[hcobbland84]

My alma mater.

Was glad I chose to go there after high school (got accepted into the both schools I applied to, Western Michigan and Bethune -Cookman), as it was an eye opening experience.

Everything you see in the Black community and the larger diaspora, I encountered there.

 

[get these nets]

Thanks, great profile. Mary McLeod Bethune's story is really under-reported in the modern era.
Very influential woman who worked to get resources for her community.

Alumni engagement is very high, as pointed out by the numbers. It extends beyond financial contributions as the alumni have been VERY vocal critics of the school's leadership and their decisions.

. Shaq's mom is a graduate, and he was one of the rich men who was ready to write a check because of Ed Reed becoming the coach. He publicly confirmed why he didn't do it after Reed left.

If there are alums here, they could weigh in personally about what has been happening since BCU was in the spotlight months ago.

 

[DrBanneker]

My alma mater.

Was glad I chose to go there after high school (got accepted into the both schools I applied to, Western Michigan and Bethune -Cookman), as it was an eye opening experience.

Everything you see in the Black community and the larger diaspora, I encountered there.

Cool. Any more details you can give? How did the alumni take the whole Ed Reed situation and its exposé of the school's issues?

 

[hcobbland84]

Cool. Any more details you can give? How did the alumni take the whole Ed Reed situation and its exposé of the school's issues?

The spring semester my freshman year, the dormitory I stayed in was nearly burned down when a student set fire to his room because he wanted us to meet God.

Ga. Teen Arrested in Fla. Dorm Fire

A student was arrested on arson charges in connection with a dormitory fire at...

www.ourmidland.com

The issues at Cookman were well known before Ed Reed got there, but him being a big name was going to bring more attention to these issues than the administrators wanted.

There are some alumni that viewed his hiring as him using Cookman to get experience before parlaying this into a higher paying job at a P5 school, and others who thought he would be a good fit long term based on the connections he has and the collective upgrades that would be attached to his name.

Many schools are using revenue generating sports (mainly football and basketball) to finance the university’s growth and development. Cookman’s problem continues to be administrators who have an archaic way of doing things and their constant need to never be challenged.

 

[get these nets]

Charles Barkley and Reggie Theus: Two Stars With One Misson - Bethune-Cookman University - Bethune-Cookman University Athletics

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Charles Barkley, through The Barkley Foundation, recently provided a generous and transformative donation to Bethune-Cookman University, as

bcuathletics.com

07/06/23
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Charles Barkley, through The Barkley Foundation, recently provided a generous and transformative donation to Bethune-Cookman University, as the first installment of the NBA Hall of Famer's $1 million dollar pledge was received by the University.

Reggie Theus, Director of Athletics and Men's Basketball Head Coach at B-CU said, "The donation is a game changer."

The highlight of that support was announced in April, when Theus and his staff broke ground on a new on-campus turf practice facility to house Bethune-Cookman Football, which is set to begin hosting the Wildcats this fall