Langston University

Langston University is an university in Langston, Oklahoma, USA. It is the only historically black college in the state.  It is the westernmost historically black college in the United States. Though in a rural setting just 10 miles east of Guthrie, Langston also serves an urban mission with University Centers in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

History
The school was started in 1897.  The school was first known as the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University. Langston University was created because of the second Morrill Act in 1890. The law made it so that states with land grant colleges (such as Oklahoma State University, then Oklahoma A&M) had to either allow African-Americans in as students, or provide an alternative school for them to attend.  This was required in order to receive federal money. Langston University is named for John Mercer Langston (1829-1897).  He was a civil rights pioneer.  He was the first African American member of Congress from Virginia.  Langston started the Howard University Law School.  He also served as American consul-general to Haiti.

Poet Melvin B. Tolson taught at Langston from 1947 until 1964.  Tolson was portrayed by Denzel Washington in the film The Great Debaters.

Academics
The University offers associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in a variety of disciplines. It is known as a leader in the field of agricultural research.  It hosts the internationally known E (Kika) de la Garza Institute for Goat Research. The School currently has an open doors admissions policy.

The university was accredited with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in 2005.

Student activities
The student life at Langston University got the attention of BET and the second season of the reality television show College Hill was filmed there. The Langston University Quiz Bowl team won games against Spelman and an all-star team from the City Colleges of Chicago on the 2009 nationally televised "Black College Quiz" show airing nationally throughout Black History Month in 2009 to make the championship game.

Footnotes

Other websites
 www.lunet.edu  Official web site
 Oklahoma Higher Education Institution Fact Sheet 
 LUoldschool.com 
 John Mercer Langston
 E (Kika) de la Garza Institute for Goat Research 

Category:Colleges and universities in Oklahoma
Category:Historically black colleges and universities
Category:1897 establishments in the United States
Category:1890s establishments in Oklahoma Territory