Winston-Salem State University traces its roots back to September 28, 1892 when Simon Green Atkins founded Slater Industrial Academy. The school began in a one-room frame structure with 25 pupils and one teacher, but Dr. Atkins was determined to provide opportunities in higher education for African Americans.
A visionary and committed educator, Dr. Atkins did not let the challenges of the day stand in his way. Even though it was a time when there was no support for public education for anyone, he managed to find the resources necessary to begin his work and, over the years, to grow the institution.
In addition to serving as president of the school for more than 30 years, Dr. Atkins influenced the community beyond the campus. He was involved in the development of a new housing community near the school; he helped found Forsyth Savings and Trust company, the first bank for blacks in the city; and he was also instrumental in starting the YMCA.
His work with Slater Academy, however, was one of his most important contributions to the community. In just five years after he opened the doors, the school was chartered by the State of North Carolina as the Slater Industrial and State Normal School.
From the beginning, the school insisted upon the vital importance of elementary school teachers and provided training that would lead to graduates who impacted the lives of many young African Americans through the days of segregated schools. In recognition of the school’s leadership in this area, the General Assembly of North Carolina granted the school a new charter in 1925, extending its curriculum above high school and changed its name to Winston-Salem Teachers College. By empowering the school to confer appropriate degrees,
Winston-Salem Teachers College became the first African American institution of higher learning in the nation to grant degrees for teaching in the elementary grades.
In 1953, a major change came to the campus with the establishment of the School of Nursing. The school’s charter was revised again in 1957 to expand its curriculum to include secondary education and other specific types of training and, in 1963, the school’s name was changed to Winston-Salem State College to reflect its move beyond graduating teachers. The college became Winston-Salem State University in 1969 and joined the other state-supported universities as part of the University of North Carolina system in 1972.
The name changes through the years are more than just using different words. The changes represent the on-going transformation of the university as it moved from training school teachers and nurses to adding programs for scientists, social workers, physical therapists and other professional fields. Today, the university has more than 6,000 students and offerings over 40 undergraduate programs and 10 graduate programs, including a Ph.D. program in physical therapy.
Winston-Salem State also offers one of the first Internet-based undergraduate degree programs in the nation for graduates of a medical laboratory technology program who want a bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science. The university has the nation’s first Bachelor of Science degree program dedicated to motorsports management and is the only HBCU (Historically Black College and University) to offer a finance degree certified by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
For the past 120 years, Winston-Salem State has continued to provide an education that prepares students for their future and also meets the changing needs of the community, the state and the nation. Today, Winston-Salem State is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world. With a curriculum that focuses on the whole student and critical thinking, the university produces graduates who are creative, flexible problem-solvers who meet the requirements of a knowledge-based, global economy.
From educating future teachers to training students to work biomedical research, Winston-Salem State University focuses on only one thing and that is developing graduates known for leadership and service in their professions and communities. Through all of the changes over the past, the university’s motto has remained the same - “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve.”
More information available at www.wssu.edu.