Wiley University
Wiley University has a distinct history of social change contributions to the Nation. Our alumni have impacted almost every corner of the movement for Black civil rights in the U.S. Situated as one of the first HBCUs west of the Mississippi, Wiley University offers a community of scholars, activists, leaders, debaters, vocalists, and athletes. Serving for over 150 years as a beacon of light, we embrace our slogan “Go Forth Inspired.”
Wiley University is a private four-year, historically Black university (HBCU) located in Marshall, TX. Founded in 1873, Wiley University offers a dynamic learning environment that is transformative. Wiley University centers the student experience in its mission and serves as an incubator for students who want to impact the world.
The university also supports spiritual, ethical, moral and leadership development. The faculty provides a rigorous curriculum for preparing graduates for professional or graduate studies and/or productive careers in traditional and emerging career fields.
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Your story matters. Tell us how UNCF has empowered you and your future, and inspire others to pursue their own college success.
Wiley University appoints NCAA Division I Standout as 13th Head Women’s Basketball Coach
Wiley University is pleased to announce the appointment of Coach Destiny Lane Frazier, Ed.D., as the 13th head women’s basketball coach. She was formally introduced during a press conference at the Wiley University Welcome Center on Monday.
Dr. Frazier arrives in Marshall following a standout collegiate playing career at the NCAA Division I level and a track record of success as a head coach.
“I am honored and excited to lead the Lady Wildcats basketball program,” Dr. Frazier said. “Wiley University has a deep, historic legacy in women’s basketball, and I look forward to building upon that strong foundation while mentoring these young women to excel both on the court and in the classroom.” >>Read More
We Are a Doctoral Institution — SACSCOC Approves Level V Status and the Executive Ph.D. in Business
by Herman J. Felton, Jr., Ph.D., J.D.
Dear Wileyites,
Stop what you are doing. Take a breath. And let this settle into your spirit: as of today, Wiley University is a doctoral degree-granting institution.
The Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) has approved our substantive change request to advance to Level V status, and with it, the authorization to offer our first doctoral program, the Executive Ph.D. in Business Administration, offered in three concentrations in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence & Business Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Faith-Based Administration. The program will be delivered in a 24-month online executive format anchored by in-person intensive residencies, drawing accomplished leaders from across the nation to our beloved hill in Marshall, Texas.
I want you to understand what you have done. Not the administration. Not the cabinet. You. Every faculty member who held the standard high. Every staff member who treated this campus as a sacred trust. Every student who chose Wiley University and made us better by being here. Accreditors do not elevate paperwork; they elevate institutions, and institutions are people. This is your achievement. >>Read More
Higher Education Leadership Foundation: HBCU Leaders Gather in Charlotte to Chart a Path Forward
On a Friday morning inside the gleaming new science center at Johnson C. Smith University, a room full of HBCU presidents, chancellors, scholars, and higher education advocates gathered for what organizers framed not as a moment of reflection, but as a reckoning.
“This is not a season of reflection,” said Dr. Herman J. Felton Jr., president of Wiley University and one of the founders of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F), as he opened the foundation’s inaugural “A Futurist Symposium: Mapping the Future for the HBCU.” “It is a season of provocation.”
The two-day gathering, held on the JCSU campus, brought together leaders from across the HBCU ecosystem — from small private institutions to flagship universities, from philanthropic intermediaries to corporate partners, all under the banner of charting the future for these storied institutions. For a decade, H.E.L.F has convened these gatherings to strengthen the pipeline of HBCU leadership and to wrestle with the structural challenges confronting Black higher education institutions. This year, with federal funding streams under threat, enrollment pressures intensifying, and the political climate growing more hostile, the stakes felt considerably higher. >>Read More
Wiley University Provost Authors Chapter in New Bloomsbury Volume on Student Belonging and HBCU Leadership
Dr. Morris Thomas, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wiley University, has authored a chapter in the newly released volume Students’ Sense of Belonging and Involvement in College: Key Insights from Research for Practice by Bloomsbury. The anthology is edited by Dr. Terrell L. Strayhorn, one of the foremost scholars on student belonging in higher education. A tenured professor in the Evelyn Reid Syphax School of Education and Director of the Center for the Study of HBCUs at Virginia Union University, Dr. Strayhorn brings extensive expertise in psychology, higher education, HBCU research, and student success. His leadership of the anthology further positions Dr. Thomas’s chapter within a national scholarly conversation on belonging, access, and the practices that help students persist and thrive.
Dr. Thomas’s chapter, “The Trifecta: The WHOLE Student Experience, Sense of Belonging, and Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs),” co-authored with Cindy Philpot, examines the distinctive experiences, environments, and leadership practices at HBCUs that cultivate belonging among the students they serve. The chapter applies the WHOLE Experience Framework, which stands for Welcoming, Holistic, Open, Liberating, and Empowering. This original model was developed by Dr. Thomas and is now adopted at multiple institutions across the country. >>Read More
Wiley University Facts
A Private Liberal Arts Institution, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, with an intentional focus on social good and leadership.
- Wiley University generates a $35 million impact on the community.
- Wiley University is the home of The Great Debaters, as featured in the film featuring Actor/Director Denzel Washington of the same name.
- Wiley University offers every student a scholarship through its 1873 Campaign.
Wiley University has 16+ pathways to earning an academic degree, one online degree pathway, two adult learner completion pathways in Criminal Justice and Organizational Management, and three new graduate degree pathways in Criminal Justice, Higher Education Administration, and Business Administration.
Related News
Recent News
Wiley College returns to its Roots as Wiley University
Wiley College, an HBCU in Marshall, Texas, announced Friday (Nov. 3) at a 2023 Homecoming event that the institution will be renamed Wiley University, station KYTX reports.
“Becoming Wiley University is not simply an exercise and a name change; it is an exercise in our ability to embrace our past and see the future,” Wiley University President and CEO Dr. Herman J. Felton Jr., said at the event dubbed “Returning to Our Roots.” >>>Read More
The Higher Education Leadership Foundation and Wiley University Partner to Impact HBCUS
Wiley University is pleased to announce that the Higher Education Leadership Foundation (H.E.L.F.), as part of its integration of academic life at Wiley University, will host the 2023 Leadership Institute on campus from December 7-10, 2023. The Institute will welcome over 40 mid/senior level administrators and 17 Historically Black Colleges & University (HBCU) presidents from across the nation to Marshall, TX. >>>Read More
The Freedom Film Project will premiere their Film, 1700 Miles to Freedom
After a year in the making, Wiley University students from the Freedom Film Project will premiere their film on Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 7:00 pm in the Wiley University Pemberton Hayes Auditorium. >>>Read More
Wiley University Celebrates 150 Years, Presents Honorary Doctorate to Ms. Opal Lee
Wiley University will celebrate 150 years from March 13-17, 2023. During this milestone celebration, Wiley University will honor Ms. Opal Lee ‘53, activist, Grandmother of Juneteenth, retired teacher, and counselor with an Honorary Degree. The presentation of this honor to Ms. Opal Lee ‘53 will serve as a highlight during the weeklong events commemorating the University’s Sesquicentennial. >>>Read More
Miss Wiley University UNCF crowned Miss National UNCF
Wiley University sophomore Jordan Dansby has been crowned Miss National UNCF, which makes her the tenth consecutive Wiley student to be named Miss National UNCF. Miss Dansby was announced the winner on Saturday, February 18, 2023, during the Miss National UNCF Coronation at the organization’s Annual National Alumni Council Leadership Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. She is a sophomore from Phoenix, Arizona, majoring in Mass Communications and is active on the Wiley University Volleyball team and the Wiley University Pre-Alumni Council. >>>Read More
Wiley University Staff