Mississippi Valley State University
Itta Bena, MS
University Website: www.mvsu.edu/Apply Online: www.mvsu.edu/prospective_students/admissions/intent_to_enroll.php
Mississippi Valley State University (commonly referred to as MVSU) is a historically black university located in unincorporated Leflore County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta, near Itta Bena. MVSU is a member- school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
The institution, which opened in 1950, was created by the Mississippi Legislature as Mississippi Vocational College. The legislation to form the institution was signed into law by Governor Thomas L. Bailey on April 5, 1946. The legislature anticipated that legal segregation of public education was in danger (and would in four years be declared unconstitutional in the United States Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education the institution, hoping that its existence would draw African-American applicants who might have otherwise applied to attend Mississippi's premier whites-only institutions—the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. Creating separate institutions of higher learning for Mississippi's black population, the state's political leaders hoped, would help ease the pressure to integrate the state's premier universities. To attract the support of those who opposed any government action to provide higher education to blacks, those proposing creation of M.V.C. used the term "vocational" to imply that the institution's main purpose would be to train blacks to take on blue-collar jobs.
The site selection committee appointed by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning had originally selected the Greenwood Army Air Base, which had many facilities ready for use and thus would have been a very cost-effective choice. The Greenwood Commonwealth celebrated the choice. However, residents of Carroll County, Mississippi objected to having the institution located near their property. Thus after further study, the proposed site was moved to Itta Bena. Even that town, however, objected to too close a proximity of a black institution, so the final site was chosen to place the college away from the downtown area, on cheap, uncultivatable land.
In 1964, Mississippi Vocational College was renamed Mississippi Valley State College.
In February 1969, a nonviolent student boycott which included 800 students, male and female was organized to protest President White's administration of the institution. The students were demanding required courses in black history, more library purchases of works by black writers, remedial courses in English and Math, scheduling of prominent black speakers and fewer curfew restrictions.
In the early 1970s, civil rights leaders continued to protest the inequalities in higher education opportunities offered to whites and blacks in Mississippi. In an effort to defuse some of the criticism, Gov. [William Waller] proposed changing the names of three black institutions from "colleges" to "universities." Thus, in 1974, the institution was renamed again, as Mississippi Valley State University'.
Following President White, Dr. Earnest A. Boykins took office in July 1971. Dr. Joe L. Boyer became MVSU's third president in January 1982 and was followed by Dr. William W. Sutton in July 1988. Dr. Lester C. Newman became the fifth president of MVSU on July 1, 1998. Dr. Donna H. Oliver became MVSU's sixth president and first female president on January 1, 2009. Effective December 2012, the Mississippi IHL appointed Dr. Alfred Rankins Jr. as the Acting President of the University. []
In 1998, the university renamed many of the buildings on campus, except for the ones named after Sillers, Wright, and J. H. White.
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Mississippi Valley State University College Scholarships
McDonald's Black and Positively Golden ScholarshipThurgood Marshall College Fund |
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award Up to $15,000 |
deadline April 25, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Scholarship is available to full - time undergraduate students attending TMCF - member HBCUs and Predominately Black Institutions. You must have a minimum 2.7 GPA and demonstrate financial need to be eligible for this award. View Scholarship Details |
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Delta Community Credit Union HBCU ScholarshipDelta Community Credit Union |
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award $5,000 |
deadline April 30, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Delta Community Credit Union HBCU Scholarship is available to high school seniors and undergraduate students. You must be a resident of Georgia and be attending or accepted into an HBCU to be eligible for this award. View Scholarship Details |
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Marki Lemons Ryhal Education Advancement ScholarshipChicago Association of REALTORS |
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award $500 |
deadline June 01, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Marki Lemons Ryhal Education Advancement Scholarship is available to African - American female students residing in underserved communities within the Chicagoland area. You must be pursuing a real estate license, OR be attending an HBCU or Chicago State University to be eligible for this award. View Scholarship Details |
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Dr. May Hope Wilkins Legacy ScholarshipDr. May Hope Wilkins Legacy Scholarship, Inc. |
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award Up to $15,000 |
deadline April 30, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Dr. May Hope Wilkins Legacy Scholarship is available to HBCU undergraduate students. You must be majoring in the field of education to be eligible for this award. View Scholarship Details |
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Luther Vandross Foundation ScholarshipLuther Vandross Foundation |
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award Up to $5,000 |
deadline May 08, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Luther Vandross Foundation Scholarship is available to full - time HBCU students. You must have a minimum 2.5 GPA to be eligible for this award. View Scholarship Details |
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Myra L. Austin Taylor Memorial ScholarshipThe Dooley Foundation |
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award $500 |
deadline May 23, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Myra L. Austin Taylor Memorial Scholarship is available to students who are currently attending or will attend an HBCU. You must be majoring in education / elementary education or be a current member of your institution's band, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, and provide proof of 90 hours or more of community service to be eligible for this award. ... View Scholarship Details |
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Feeder School ScholarshipMississippi College School of Law |
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award 100% of tuition |
deadline Varies |
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DescriptionThe Feeder School Scholarship is available to students entering Mississippi College School of Law. To be eligible, you must be graduating from one of the following schools: Jackson State University, Louisiana State University, Louisiana Tech University, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Tougaloo College,... View Scholarship Details |
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Valedictorian/Salutatorian Academic Scholarship - Mississippi Valley State UniversityMississippi Valley State University |
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award 100% of tuition |
deadline June 15, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Valedictorian/Salutatorian Academic Scholarship is available to incoming freshman students at Mississippi Valley State University who have attained the honor of being the valedictorian or salutatorian of the their high school graduating class. View Scholarship Details |
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Academic Transfer Scholarship - Mississippi Valley State UniversityMississippi Valley State University |
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award 100% of tuition |
deadline June 15, 2025 |
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DescriptionThe Academic Transfer Scholarship is open to entering transfer students at Mississippi Valley State University. You must have a minimum 3.25 GPA to be eligible for this award. View Scholarship Details |
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San Diego HBCU ScholarshipRestore, Uplift & Hope |
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award Varies |
deadline Varies |
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DescriptionThe San Diego HBCU Scholarship is available to high school seniors. To be eligible, you must be graduating from a San Diego County high school, have been accepted to a HBCU, and submit a 500 - word essay on the following topic: "Why I want to attend an HBCU." View Scholarship Details |