Academics
Central State University is a historically Black institution in Wilberforce, Ohio (with campus branches in both Dayton and Xenia), offering its 4,000 undergraduates access to top-flight academics across four colleges: Engineering, Science, Technology and Agriculture; Education; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and the College of Business. Many of the colleges also provide the option of a three-year degree for select programs, incorporating previous credits and summer sessions. As an 1890 land-grant institution, Central State continuously seeks to teach students to be productive members of society who give back to the communities that formed them through teaching, research, and service. The Undergraduate Student Success Center ensures that students have access to academic support and a strong cocurricular foundation from which to develop learning habits, and provides advising, tutoring (live and via online eTutoring), and skills workshops. In an effort to create global citizens and culturally curious learners, study abroad opportunities are available through the Center for International Education.
Career
Signature events such as Homecoming and Charter Day, which celebrates the establishment of the Combined Normal and Industrial Department at Wilberforce University, provide a sense of tradition and the opportunity for students to reflect on the university’s heritage. The Office of Student Life and Development is home to all nine of the schools’ Greek organizations, and is constantly seeking to add new student organizations to its ranks. The Central State University Chorus is an acclaimed ensemble that has performed all over the world, whose repertoire highlights the contributions of Black composers and arrangers. The hub of student activity is the 85,000-square-foot University Student Center, which houses a 500-seat cafeteria, two ballrooms, and numerous recreational spaces. The school’s athletic teams (the Marauders and Lady Marauders) play in the NCAA Division II level, and are supported by the Invincible Marching Marauders marching band.
Culture
Top degrees awarded by Central State include Business Administration, Psychology, and Communications. The school has enforced its commitment to student placement and talent development by establishing the Center of Excellence for HBCU Corporate Engagement, which has partnered with companies such as Nationwide, Procter and Gamble, and JP Morgan Chase. The Office of Career Services is there to assist students with all of their planning needs, offering résumé reviews, mock interviews, professional development workshops, and fall and spring career fairs. Notable alumni include Hastings Kamuzu Banda (former president of Malawi), Teddy Seymour (first Black man to sail around the world solo), and Elizabeth Eckford (one of the Little Rock Nine).