Marshall University is a
coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United
States, founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief
Justice of the United States.
The university is currently composed
of nine undergraduate colleges: College of Business (COB), College of Education
and Professional Development (COE), College of Arts and Media (COAM), College
of Health Professions (COHP), Honors College, College of Information Technology
and Engineering (CITE), College of Liberal Arts (COLA), College of Science
(COS), and University College; three graduate colleges, the general Graduate
College, the School of Pharmacy, and the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine;
and a regional center for cancer research, which has a national reputation for
its programs in rural healthcare delivery.The forensic science graduate program
is one of nearly twenty post-graduate-level academic programs in the United
States accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.The University's
digital forensics program is the first program in the world to receive
accreditation in digital forensics from the Forensic Science Education Programs
Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). The College of Business has achieved AACSB
accreditation.(FEPAC).
Marshall University has a
non-residential branch campus, focused on graduate education, in South
Charleston, the Marshall University - South Charleston Campus, which also
offers classes throughout the southern half of the state, including at the Erma
Byrd Higher Education Center in Beckley.(FEPAC). It also offers undergraduate
courses, under three "centers", the Southern Mountain Center,
operating on the campuses of the Southern West Virginia Community College in
Logan and Williamsonand at the YMCA in Gilbert; the Mid-Ohio Valley Center in
Point Pleasant and the Teays Valley Center in Hurricane.(FEPAC).[citation
needed] Marshall University also operates the Robert C. Byrd Institute, with
operations on both the Huntington and South Charleston campuses, as well as in
Fairmont, West Virginia.(FEPAC). The institute's goal is the transfer of
technology from the academic departments to private industry to support job
development in the region.
Marshall University was founded in
1837 as a private subscription school by residents of Guyandotte and the
surrounding area. The landmark Old Main, which now serves as the primary
administrative building for the university, was built on land known as Maple
Grove, at the time the home of the Mount Hebron Church in what was then the
state ofVirginia.[5] John Laidley, a local attorney, hosted the meeting which
led to the founding of Marshall Academy, which was named after Laidley's
friend, the eminent John Marshall[5]who had served as the fourth Chief Justice
of the United States from January 1801 to July 1835.
On March 30, 1838, the institution
was formally dedicated by the Virginia General Assembly as Marshall Academy;
however this institution was not a college level institution as that was
understood at that time.[6] In 1858, the Virginia General Assembly changed the
name to Marshall College,but this change still did not reflect its status as a
true college. The Civil War closed the often financially challenged school for
much of the 1860s.
On June 20, 1863, Cabell County,
Virginia, was one of the 50 counties separated from Virginia at the height of
the American Civil War to form the State of West Virginia, and the college fell
within the new state. In 1867, the West Virginia Legislature resurrected the
institution as a teacher training facility and renamed it State Normal School
of Marshall College.This began the history of the college as a state-supported
post-secondary institution. With the exception of the Old Main building, expansion
of the facilities and the college itself did not begin until 1907, when the
West Virginia Board of Regents changed the title of the presiding officer from
"principal" to "president" and allowed the creation of new
college-level departments.At that time, enrollment surpassed 1,000 students.
The school began offering four-year degrees for the first time in 1920.
In 1937, the college suffered
through a devastating flooding by the Ohio River.Numerous structures, such as
Northcott Hall and the James E. Morrow Library were extensively flooded. Much
of Huntington was also heavily damaged, and as a result, a floodwall was
constructed around much of the town to prevent future occurrences.
The West Virginia Board of Education
authorized Marshall College in 1938 to offer the master's degree in six
programs: chemistry,education, history, political science, psychology, and
sociology, as the institution underwent another expansion. In that year the
school was accredited as a "university level institution"; however,
elevation to university status would remain a contentious political issue for
decades to come. Further expansion accelerated after World War II.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy spoke at
the college during his cross-country campaign for the presidency.
On March 2, 1961, West Virginia
Legislature finally elevated Marshall to university status, and the legislation
was signed by Governor W. W. Barron.The student newspaper, The Parthenon,
prepared two front pages for the day, depending on the outcome of the
legislature's vote. Also in 1961, WMUL-FM began operations as the first public
radio station in West Virginia. The station, which began in the Science
Building at 10 watts of power, now broadcasts from the Communications Building
with 1,400 watts.