From Campus to Classroom: Stories That Shape Education
- Fort Valley State University is a top public HBCU in Georgia, known for strong STEM and education program outcomes.
- FVSU produces leading numbers of African American graduates in agriculture, engineering, and computer and information sciences.
- The university’s accredited four-year veterinary technology program and high teacher certification pass rates reflect career-ready focus.
Fort Valley State University is a public land grant university born out of the 1890 Morrill Act. It is located in Fort Valley, GA and sits on a beautiful 1,385-acre campus. The school speaks of its own founding, stating,
On November 6, 1895, an interracial group of 15 black men— at least half of whom were former slaves— and three white men, petitioned the Superior Court of Houston County, GA to legalize the creation of a school to “promote the cause of mental and manual education in the state of Georgia,” and the Fort Valley High and Industrial School was born. The group’s leader, John Wesley Davison, himself a child slave, was hired as its first principal after its incorporation on January 6, 1896. The school’s popularity was overwhelming, and enrollment pushed the boundaries of its capacity. FVSU is one of few colleges founded by former slaves, including founders Davison, Virgil Gideon Barnett, Peter Fann, Henry Lowman, Thomas McAfee, James Isaac Miller, Charlie H. Nixon, and Thomas W. Williams, who bonded with founders Stephen Elisha Bassett, Allen Cooper, Francis W. Gano, John Howard Hale, David Jones, J.R. Jones, D.L. Lawrence, Alonzo L. Nixon, and Lee O’Neal to create an enduring testament to the power of knowledge to overcome fear and mistrust.
One of the first graduates of the young school was Austin Thomas Walden, who graduated in 1902 and became Georgia’s first black judge since Reconstruction.
The school boasts of itself presently stating,
Today, Fort Valley State University continues to help talented students access opportunity through education under the leadership of Dr. Paul Jones, who became president on December 16, 2015 after holding numerous senior leadership roles within the University System of Georgia, including serving as interim president of both Darton State College and Georgia College & State University. FVSU continues to garner a national reputation for educational excellence, producing more bachelor’s degree graduates in math-related majors than any other school in the country during 2 of the past 3 years. In Georgia, FVSU is the number one producer of African Americans with bachelor’s degrees in agriculture, agriculture operations, and related sciences and a top 5 producer of African-Americans with degrees in engineering technologies and engineering related fields, family and consumer/human sciences, and computer and information sciences and support services. The school also ranks in the top 10 of schools in Georgia in producing African Americans with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and physical sciences. One hundred percent of education major graduates pass the state certification exam, and 90% find teaching positions, are enrolled in graduate school, or become gainfully employed in careers related to education within one month of graduating. The school’s online bachelor’s degree programs have been ranked in the top ten nationwide by various publications and ranking organizations.
FVSU offers bachelors and masters degrees in over 50 majors! Its most popular majors are Biology, Criminal Justice, and Psychology. In 2024 it was ranked the number 1 public HBCU in Georgia. In 2023, it was ranked as one of the top 10 performers in the south for social mobility due to FVSU graduating a large number of Pell Grant recipients. The National Science Foundation provides more funding STEM research at FVSU than any other public teaching college in Georgia!
FVSU’s bachelor’s degree program in veterinary technology is the only accredited four-year program of its kind in Georgia.
FVSU is the home of the wildcats! It offers sports in Basketball, Football, Track and Field, Cross Country, Volleyball and softball!
Notable Alumni:
Jo Ann Gibson Robinson: Mother of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Larry Rayfield Wright: NFL Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboy.
Edith Igram Grant: First AA Female Judge in the State of Georgia
Thomas Dortch: Chairman of 100 Black Men
Catherine Hardy: Olympic Gold Medalist
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