Norfolk State University Norfolk State University ( NSU ) is a four - year , state - supported , coed , liberal arts , historically black university located in Norfolk , Virginia . The University is a member - school of Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Virginia High - Tech Partnership . Academics . The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools has accredited Norfolk State to award associate , baccalaureate , master and doctoral degrees . Currently , Norfolk State offers two doctorate and 15 master ' s degrees , including Master ' s degree programs in Optical Engineering , Computer Science , and Criminal Justice . The school also offers 36 undergraduate degrees , with a new degree being offered in Optical Engineering . Schools . Norfolk State ' s undergraduate and graduate programs are divided into eight schools / colleges . History . The institution was founded in 1935 as the Norfolk Unit of Virginia Union University ( VUU ) . Eighty - five students attended the first classes held in 1935 . Mr . Samuel Fischer Scott , an alumnus of Virginia Union and Portsmouth native , served as the first director with the primary focus of maintaining the solvency of the school . Dr . Lyman Beecher Brooks , a Virginia Union alumnus , succeeded Mr . Scott as director in 1938 , and served as provost , 1963 – 1969 , and the first president 1969 - 1975 . In 1942 , the school became independent of VUU and was named Norfolk Polytechnic College . Within two years , by an act of the Virginia Legislature , it became a part of Virginia State College ( now Virginia State University ) . By 1950 , the 15th anniversary of the College founding , the faculty had grown to fifty and the student enrollment to 1 , 018 . In 1952 , the College ' s athletic teams adopted the " Spartan " name and identity . The City of Norfolk provided a permanent site for the college on Corprew Avenue , and in 1955 Brown Hall , formerly Tidewater Hall , opened as the first permanent building on the new campus . In 1956 Norfolk State College granted its first bachelor ' s degrees . In 1969 , the college divided from Virginia State College and was named Norfolk State College . The College was issued accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools the same year with an enrollment of 5 , 400 students . In 1975 and the year following , the first Master ’ s degrees were awarded in Communications and Social Work , respectively . Dr . Harrison Benjamin Wilson , Jr . , in 1975 , succeeded Dr . Lyman Beecher Brooks as President after 37 years . When the college was granted university status in 1979 by the General Assembly of Virginia , it changed its name to Norfolk State University . Norfolk State University celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1985 with a year of observances and with an enrollment of 7 , 200 . In 1995 Norfolk State University ' s enrollment reached 9 , 112 . Upon the retirement of Dr . Harrison Benjamin Wilson in 1997 , Dr . Marie Valentine McDemmond , became NSU ’ s third President in 1997 and served until her retirement . Dr . Carolyn Winstead Meyers was selected as the fourth President and began service on July 1 , 2006 . Dr . Tony Atwater was announced as the new president in 2011 . Campus . Located on the former site of the Memorial Park Golf Course , which the city of Norfolk sold to the school for one dollar , the campus now encompasses of land and 31 buildings at ( 36 . 8495922 , - 76 . 2627174 ) The Joseph G . Echols Memorial Hall is a large health , physical education , and ROTC complex with a seating capacity of 7 , 500 . Other facilities include a 30 , 000 - seat football stadium ; a television studio and radio station , an African art museum , and a multi - purpose performing arts center . Research facilities include a life sciences building with a planetarium and a materials research wing with crystal growth , organic synthesis , laser spectroscopy , and magnetic resonance equipment . In September 2009 , the New Student Center facility opened . The three story building , which includes a game room , a dining area , a new bookstore , a wellness center ( work - out facility ) , student lounges , and administrative offices , marks the first of two major projects for NSU . Construction on a New Nursing and General Classroom Building is underway and scheduled to open in 2014 , . Other recent construction on the campus includes the new police station ( 2007 ) , the Marie V . McDemmond Center for Applied Research ( 2006 ) , and the Spartan Suites Apartments ( 2005 ) , and state - of - the - art Library ( 2012 ) . Student activities . The university offers organized and informal co - curricular activities including 63 student organizations , leadership workshops , intramural activities , student publications and student internships . Marching band . The Marching Spartan Legion Band performs at campus events and during Norfolk State football games . They were featured performers in the Honda Battle of the Bands in 2007 and 2008 . National fraternities and sororities . All nine of the National Pan - Hellenic Council organizations currently have chapters at Norfolk State University . These organizations are : The Council of Independent Organizations includes : Student media . Newspaper . " The Spartan Echo " is the official student - produced newspaper of Norfolk State University . The paper is available in a print ( available twice a month ) and ( updated daily ) . The online edition was awarded Best Online Site and Best Online Video by the Black College Communication Association in 2009 . WNSB ( College Radio Station ) . Norfolk State operates WNSB ( FM ) radio , which broadcasts in stereo 24 hours a day from the campus and covers all of the Hampton Roads , Virginia area , reaching the Eastern Shore of Virginia , northeast North Carolina and the Richmond , Virginia suburbs . Established on and known as " " Hot 91 . 1 " " , WNSB ' s programming is also broadcast via the internet . Athletics . Norfolk State sports teams participate in NCAA Division I ( Football Championship Subdivision for all sports including football ) in the Mid - Eastern Athletic Conference ( MEAC ) . Norfolk State was formerly a member of the Eastern Intercollegiate Conference ( 1953 – 1960 ) and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association ( 1962 – 1996 ) . The 2011 – 12 Norfolk State Spartans men ' s basketball team won the 2012 MEAC Men ' s Basketball Tournament championship which gave them the conference ' s automatic bid in the 2012 NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Tournament , the school ' s first ever appearance in the tournament . The Spartans , a 15 seed , defeated the # 2 seeded Missouri Tigers in the second round , 86 - 84 . This victory was only the fifth time in NCAA Tournament history that a 15 seed defeated a 2 seed , with the last coming in 2001 . Notable faculty and staff . This list of notable faculty and staff contains current and former faculty , staff and presidents of the Norfolk State University . Notable alumni . This is a partial list of notable alumni which includes graduates , non - graduate former students , and current students of Norfolk State University or predecessors such as Norfolk State College .