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Elizabeth City State University

Coordinates: 36°16′52″N 76°12′54″W / 36.28120°N 76.21512°W / 36.28120; -76.21512
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Elizabeth City State University
Former name
State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City
(1891–1937)
Elizabeth City State Teachers College
(1937–1961)
Elizabeth City State College
(1961–1969)
Motto"To Live is to Learn"
TypePublic historically black university
EstablishedMarch 3, 1891; 134 years ago (March 3, 1891)
Parent institution
University of North Carolina
AccreditationSACS
Academic affiliations
TMCF
Endowment$16.7 million (2021)[1]
ChancellorCatherine Edmonds (interim)
Students2,149
Undergraduates2,033
Postgraduates116
Location
Elizabeth City
,
North Carolina
,
United States

36°16′52″N 76°12′54″W / 36.28120°N 76.21512°W / 36.28120; -76.21512
CampusDistant town[2], 200 acres (0.81 km2)
ColorsRoyal blue and white[3]
   
NicknameVikings
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division II – CIAA
MascotVik the Viking
Websitewww.ecsu.edu
Map

Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically Black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the University of North Carolina system.

History

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Lane Hall (1909), the oldest campus building

Elizabeth City State University was established by the North Carolina General Assembly on March 3, 1891, as the State Colored Normal School at Elizabeth City, in response to a bill calling for the creation of a two-year Normal School for the "teaching and training [of] teachers of the colored race to teach in the common schools of North Carolina." Peter Weddick Moore was its first leader.[4] The school provided training for teachers of primary grades.

The campus quadrangle and six surrounding buildings are included in the Elizabeth City State Teachers College Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.[5][6]

In 1937, the school made the transformation into a full four-year teachers college and was officially named Elizabeth City State Teachers College, while expanding its role to include the training of principals as well. In 1939, the college awarded its first bachelor of science degrees in its program of elementary education.[7] Within the following twenty-five years, the college expanded its offerings to include a vocational-technical program and a total of thirteen academic majors.

In December 1961, the college gained membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1963 its name was changed to Elizabeth City State College. In 1969, its name was changed to Elizabeth City State University to reflect expansion and the addition of graduate programs. When the University of North Carolina System was formed in 1972, ECSU became one of the system's sixteen constituent universities and entered into its current phase of development and organization.[8] ECSU is home to the only four-year aviation science degree program in North Carolina.[9]

In 2020, Elizabeth City State received $15 million from MacKenzie Scott. Her donation is the largest single gift in the university's history.[10]

2025 shooting

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On April 27, 2025, a shooter opened fire on campus during a school event. One person was killed and six others were injured, including three students.[11][12]

List of Chief Executive Officers

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Source:[13]

  • Peter Weddick Moore, A.M., LL.D. (Principal, 1891–1928, President Emeritus, 1928–1934)
  • John Henry Bias, A.B., LL.D. (President, 1928–1939)
  • Harold Leonard Trigg, Ed.D. (President, 1939–1945)
  • Sidney David Williams, A.M., D.PED. (President, 1946–1958, President Emeritus, 1969–1974)
  • Walter Nathaniel Ridley, Ed.D. (President, 1958–1968, President Emeritus, 1988–1996)
  • Marion Dennis Thorpe, Ph.D. (President, 1968–1972, Chancellor, 1972–1983)
  • Jimmy Raymond Jenkins, Ph.D. (Chancellor, 1983–1995, Chancellor Emeritus, 1995–present)
  • Mickey Lynn Burnim, Ph.D. (Chancellor, 1995–2006)
  • Willie J. Gilchrist, Ed.D. (Chancellor, 2006–2013)
  • Charles L. Becton, J.D. (Interim Chancellor, 2013–2014)
  • Stacey Franklin Jones, Ph.D. (Chancellor, 2014-2015)[14][15]
  • Thomas Conway, Ph.D. (Interim Chancellor, January 1, 2016 - 2018)[14]
  • Karrie Gibson Dixon, Ed.D. (Chancellor, 2018–2024)[16][17]
  • Catherine Edmonds, E.d.D. (Interim Chancellor, July 1, 2024 - present)[18]

Campus

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ECSU's campus encompasses 200 acres (0.81 km2), mostly flanked by residential districts. This also includes the Elizabeth City State Teachers College District. This includes the campus quadrangle, Principal's House, Moore Hall G. R. Little Library (now H. L. Trigg Building), Bias Hall, Butler Hall, and Practice School Building. This was listed in the register in 1994.[19]

Academics

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ECSU offers 28 baccalaureate degrees and four master's degrees in one of the following academic departments:[20]

  • Aviation and Emergency Management
  • Business, Accounting and Sport Management
  • Education
  • English and Digital Media
  • Health and Human Studies
  • Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering Technology
  • Military Science
  • Music and Visual Arts
  • Natural Sciences
  • Social Sciences

ECSU also offers special programs that appeal to various interests and fields of study, including the honors program (for high-achieving undergraduates), military science, and study abroad.[21]

Student life

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Students can choose to be involved in various on-campus organizations, including fraternities, sororities, the radio station WRVS-FM, the campus TV station, and intramural sports.[22] Students are able to join the Student Government Association to help make campus life more interesting for students continuing to enroll here. Also, students can choose to apply to Vikings Assisting New Students to lead the New Student Orientation and answer any questions parents or students may have about the school and campus life.

Athletics

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Main article: Elizabeth City State Vikings

As a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, ECSU's athletes, known athletically as the Vikings, compete in the Division II athletic conference known as the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).

East Carolina University Telepsychiatry Program - NC-STeP

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Overview

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The North Carolina Statewide Telepsychiatry Program (NC-STeP) was created in response to a growing crisis in North Carolina's emergency departments (EDs) due to the increasing number of mental health visits. According to the North Carolina Hospitals Association (NCHA), in 2013, the year NC-STeP was founded, North Carolina hospitals had 162,000 behavioral health ED visits. In the same year, 10% of ED visits had one or more mental health diagnosis (MHD) codes assigned to the visit, twice the estimated national average. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there was a 17.7% increase in the rate of ED visits of patients with MHD in 2013; compared to 5.1% increase in overall rate of ED visits and people with mental health disorders were admitted to the hospital at twice the rate of those without.

The Vision

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The vision of NC-STeP is to assure that if an individual experiencing an acute behavioral health crisis enters an emergency department or community-based site, s/he will receive timely specialized psychiatric treatment through the statewide network in coordination with available and appropriate clinically relevant community resources.

Elizabeth City State University (2021-2026)

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In recent years, the mental health and well-being of college students have received significant attention from educators, researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. Mental health problems are common among college students. It is estimated that 26.2% of Americans ages 18 and older, or about one in four, have a mental disorder in any one year. During the 2020–2021 school year, more than 60% of college students met the criteria for at least one mental health problem, according to the Healthy Minds Study, which collects data from 373 campuses nationwide. In another national survey, almost three-quarters of students reported moderate or severe psychological distress.In the past decade, mental health symptoms have nearly doubled in college student populations. Academic pressures, along with the usual stressors of starting and attending college, can trigger the initial onset of mental health and substance use issues or worsen existing symptoms. While mental health challenges are common among college students, they are especially severe for minority students in rural areas, who face limited access to mental health care compared to their urban peers, leading to significant disparities. Additionally, cultural and normative barriers, including stigma, can prevent individuals from seeking help, further widening these disparities. In 2022, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina https://www.bluecrossnc.com/ Blue Cross NC invested $1.54 million in ECU to develop telepsychiatry services for students at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU), a historically black public university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, over five years.

The partnership was developed to address the shortage of psychiatric providers in Pasquotank County, where ECSU is located, and a growing need to foster connectedness at a time when mental health concerns on college campuses were surging. ECSU was selected because it is located in a smaller town where mental health services are not easily accessible, and it offers a model similar to the NC-STeP but on a college campus. This model demonstrates the importance of having access to mental health resources in college, especially in institutions where these resources are limited.

As of spring 2025, the program has produced following results:

  • 2,316 PHQ9 screenings
  • 2,317 GAD7 screenings
  • 184 referrals to LCSW/counselors
  • 100 referrals to psychiatrists/Psych NPs
  • 481 scheduled mental health service sessions
  • 1,026 e-mail followups
  • 786 phone checkins
  • 26 on-call/evening sessions,
  • 99 walk-ins seen
  • 170 marketing/outreach activities

Notable alumni

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Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Reggie Langhorne 1984 Former NFL wide receiver
Anthony Hilliard 2009 Professional basketball player
Larry Johnson, Sr. 1973 Former NFL linebacker, current assistant head coach at The Ohio State University; six-time Maryland high school Coach of the Year
Jethro Pugh 1964 Former NFL defensive tackle
Mike Gale 1970 Former professional basketball player in both the ABA and the NBA [23]
Johnnie Walton 1975 Former NFL quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Boston Breakers of the USFL.
Everett McIver 1993 Former NFL offensive guard
Bobby Futrell 1985 Former NFL defensive back
Tim Cofield 1985 Former NFL and CFL linebacker
Stanley Bryant Former NFL and current CFL offensive lineman
Omari Salisbury Journalist, videographer, founder of Converge Media [24]
Kenny Williams Professional basketball player

Notes

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  1. ^ "Data USA - ECSU".
  2. ^ "IPEDS-Elizabeth City State University".
  3. ^ "Brand Identity".
  4. ^ Newbold, N.C. (1939). Five North Carolina Negro Educators. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina. pp. 88–114.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  5. ^ Tom Butchko (September 1992). "Elizabeth City State Teachers College Historic District" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2015-02-01.
  6. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. ^ Wadelington, Charles W. "Elizabeth City State University". NCpedia. North Carolina Government & Heritage Library. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Our History". Elizabeth City State University. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  9. ^ Elizabeth City State University. "Aviation Program". www.ecsu.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  10. ^ "Elizabeth City State receives largest gift from billionaire". HBCU Gameday. Dec 15, 2020. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "1 dead, 6 wounded in shooting at a small North Carolina college". NBC News. 2025-04-27. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  12. ^ "A shooting at a small North Carolina college leaves 1 dead, 6 wounded". AP News. 2025-04-27. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  13. ^ "Presidents/Chancellors". Elizabeth City State University. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Elizabeth City State University chancellor abruptly quits". Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  15. ^ Hawley, \Jon (4 September 2014). "UNC board names new chancellor of ECSU". The Daily Advance. Elizabeth City, NC. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ "The New Chancellor of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina". Dec 24, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  17. ^ "Dr. Karrie Dixon elected chancellor of North Carolina Central University". University of North Carolina System. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  18. ^ "Meet the Interim Chancellor Dr. Catherine Edmonds". Elizabeth City State University. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  19. ^ ^
  20. ^ "Academic Affairs". Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  21. ^ University has programs that appeal to various interests and fields of study, including the honors program, military science, study abroad and Viking Fellows for education majors.
  22. ^ "Student Life". Elizabeth City State University. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  23. ^ "NBA/ABA Players who attended Elizabeth City State University". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on 2006-05-06. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  24. ^ "Converge Media's Omari Salisbury in Conversation with KING 5's Joyce Taylor This Saturday". South Seattle Emerald. 2020-11-13. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
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