About Medgar Evers College

Medgar Wiley Evers, (b.1925 - d. 1963), known as “The Man in Mississippi,” is a seminal figure in the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. The third of four children, Medgar was born on July 2, 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi to James and Jessie Evers. Evers grew up in a devoutly religious home in segregated Mississippi, where services and accommodations such as schools and public facilities were specified for “Colored” or “White” use. Despite the fact that he could not attend the same theaters or drink from the same fountains as white Mississippians, like many men of his generation, Evers left his home to enlist in the military following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Although he was serving his country against its foreign enemies, Evers soon became disillusioned by the fact that while he was supposedly fighting for freedom of people halfway around the world, his own nation was rooted in the unequal segregationist ideology of separation and white supremacy. Evers’ experiences of the racist sentiments of white citizens as an African-American soldier demonstrated to him the need for action.

Emboldened by lessons learned while at war, Evers returned to Mississippi and dedicated himself to academic studies at Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1952. Evers was acutely aware of the need to continue the struggle against injustice and soon became an important member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Jackson, Mississippi. From 1954 until his assassination in 1963, Evers traveled throughout Mississippi organizing African Americans in peaceful protest, economic boycotts, political sit-ins, and voter registration drives to draw national and world attention to unjust practices.

Elected the first Field Secretary of the NAACP, Evers created new strategies to enfranchise and empower African-Americans. As Dr. Patricia Murrain writes, “…articulating the demands of the black masses, Evers was instrumental in wielding hosts of fragmented, inarticulate and somewhat ineffective voices into unification.” Evers’ work was instrumental to many political and social victories for African Americans in Mississippi, most notably the admission of James Meredith to the previously white-only University of Mississippi.

However, on June 12, 1963, “The Man in Mississippi,” who was the voice of so many disenfranchised Americans, was silenced by a shot to the back in the driveway of his home. Following Evers’ assassination, his wife Myrlie continued his legacy by traveling around the world stressing the positive achievements of the Civil Rights Movement and the necessity to continue the struggle until the dream of equality is realized. Myrlie Evers has remained a stalwart figure in the struggle for Civil Rights up to the present, serving as the Chairperson of the NAACP’s Board of Directors from 1995 to 1998

History of Medgar Evers College

Medgar Evers College has the distinction of being the youngest of the four-year senior colleges in The City University of New York. In the early 1960’s, the Central Brooklyn community recognized the need and expressed a desire for a local public college. Through various community organizations including, but not limited to, the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council, and the NAACP, and through their local elected officials, the residents of Central Brooklyn approached the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York with this request. Members of the various community-based organizations constituted the Bedford-Stuyvesant Coalition on Educational Needs and Services, which served as the primary vehicle for interfacing with the Board of Higher Education. After many discussions and much involvement by community residents and the Coalition, the Board of Higher Education, on November 17, 1967, “approved the sponsorship of Community College Number VII, with the indication of an intention to admit students in the Fall of l969.”

On 13 February 1968, the Board of Higher Education announced that the college would be located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. On 27 January 1969 the Board approved the establishment of an “experimental four-year college of professional studies offering both career and transfer associate degrees and the baccalaureate degree, to be located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, said college to be established in place of a previously approved but not started new Community College VII, and further directed that the City University Master Plan be amended accordingly.” This action was endorsed by action of the Regents on March 20, 1970.

The Board of Higher Education Proceedings of April 14, 1970 reflect the Board action, which modified the 1968 Master Plan to delete Community College Number Seven and listed in lieu thereof under Senior College, “College XVII, Mid-Brooklyn, Initial Facilities, Estimated Cost: $10,000,000.” The College was officially established on July 30, 1970 when Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller signed the legislation approving the “establishment of an experimental four-year college of professional studies offering both career and transfer associate degrees and the baccalaureate degree…” Finally, on September 28, 1970 the Board of Higher Education approved the recommendation from the College’s Community Council that the name of the college be Medgar Evers College, in honor of the martyred civil rights leader, Medgar Wiley Evers (1925-1963). In recognition of this, September 28th is observed as “Founders’ Day” at Medgar Evers College on December 2, 1970, the Medgar Evers College Community Council, chaired by John Enoch, and the Board of Higher Education co-hosted an announcement ceremony at the Y.M.C.A. on 139 Monroe Street in Brooklyn. Chairman Enoch stated, “The Medgar Evers College, reflecting the image of the martyred leader who dedicated his life to the cause of individual freedom, dignity and personal fulfillment, will add another pillar of strength to the growing educational, economic, cultural and social foundations of the central Brooklyn community and New York City.” Mr. Evers’ widow, Mrs. Myrlie Evers, and two of the couple’s three children flew in from Claremont, California for the ceremony. She was presented a scroll that cited Mr. Evers’ “…effective contribution to the cause of human freedom and dignity…In choosing the name of Medgar Evers, it is our hope that his ideals will inspire students and faculty of the college in their pursuit of truth as the surest path to human freedom and social justice.”

The community was then and continues to be an important force in the life of the College. The method of planning for the college and selection of its first president were unprecedented in the history of the Board of Higher Education. For the first time, representatives of the local community participated actively in the decision-making process. Seven members of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Coalition on Educational Needs and Services served on the Presidential Search Committee and the mandated Community Council was organized in the Spring of 1970 under the leadership of Mr. John Enoch, Acting Chairman. The sense of commitment and service to the community, which pervades throughout the College, may be attributed directly to the multi-faceted roles, which the Community Council and the community as-a-whole, have played in the establishment, growth and development of this institution.

Medgar Evers College was founded as a senior college of The City University of New York in 1969 through a partnership between the educators and community leaders in Central Brooklyn. More than just college named for a famous person, Medgar Evers College is a family whose members strive to fulfill their namesake’s legacy through a commitment to the educational empowerment of the African Diaspora community. Although Medgar Evers was born into a world where people of different races were not allowed to mix, students and faculty of Medgar Evers College gather each day in the community of harmony, equality and understanding for which he gave his life.

Mission Statement

Medgar Evers College was founded as a result of collaborative efforts by community leaders, elected officials, the Chancellor and the Board of Higher Education of The City University of New York. The College, named after the late civil rights leader, Medgar Evers, was established in 1969 with a mandate to meet the educational and social needs of Central Brooklyn. The College is committed to the fulfillment of this mandate.

In keeping with the philosophy of The City University and Medgar Evers College, we believe that education is the right of all individuals in the pursuit of self-actualization. Consequently, the College’s mission is to develop and maintain high quality, professional, career-oriented undergraduate degree programs in the context of liberal education. The College offers programs both at the baccalaureate and at the associate degree levels, giving close attention to the articulation between the two-year and the four-year programs.

The College has a commitment to students who desire self-improvement, a sound education, an opportunity to develop a personal value system, and an opportunity to gain maximum benefits from life experience and from their environment.

Goals

Goal One: Consistent with The City University of New York Board of Trustees’ policy, the College seeks to serve the Central Brooklyn community which is comprised of students with diverse educational, socioeconomic, political, cultural and national backgrounds.

Goal Two: The College seeks to provide students with the essential basic and academic knowledge and skills necessary for rigorous undergraduate study, entry into graduate and professional schools, and career advancement and to incorporate the experiential resources of students into their attainment of skills and knowledge and academic excellence.

Goal Three: The College seeks to improve students’ understanding of self, past and present societies, and future trends by providing its students with a liberal education which communicates the knowledge of tradition, the teachings of scholars, and the beauty and profundity of their cultural heritage.

Goal Four: The College seeks to prepare students for leadership roles in a changing world, so that they and the College can be energizers or change-agents in the community.

Goal Five: The College seeks to develop non-degree educational and co-curricular social, economic, and cultural programs which serve its students and a broad population of community residents.

Goal Six: The College seeks to fulfill its mission through active interaction with community representatives.

Goal Seven: The College seeks to create a positive environment that provides opportunities for professional growth of all its employees and that permits freedom of thought and inquiry, the free exchange of ideas, and the pursuit and advancement of knowledge by faculty and students.

Goal Eight: The College seeks to develop and maintain processes and procedures for coordination and oversight that ensure that standards of quality are met and that its Mission, Goals, and priorities are accomplished as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Degree and Certificate Programs

The following list is the State Department of Education’s Inventory of approved Degree and Certificate Programs and all approved programs leading to professional licensure in New York State offered by the College. Each program has been assigned a HEGIS Code by the U.S. Department of Education. The degrees and certificates listed are also those used by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) and the Office of the State Comptroller for Administration and Programs and by the U.S. Department for Administration and Oversight of Federal Student Aid Programs.

Minors: Criminal Justice, Finance, Economics, Multi-Media & Web Technologies, Public Administration

Minors: Cannabis Studies, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Earth System Science, Mathematics, Physics and Space Science

Minors: English Literature, English Writing, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Social Work

Minor:  Early Childhood, Urban Education for STEM Majors