PhD thesis,
Bowie state college: From a private normal school to a multi-purpose state college
University of Pittsburgh, PhD Thesis, (1983)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to present the history of Bowie State College from its beginnings to a private normal school to a multi-purpose state college. The changes that occurred in the administration, curriculum, faculty, student body, and physical plant have been examined in relation to the institution's purposes. Attention has also been given to the roles the local community, the state, and the nation played in the growth of the institution. Sources used in this study include a wide range of primary sources: college catalogues, student newspapers, newsletters, letters, biographical accounts by administrators, minutes, state records, and newspapers. Secondary sources secured from the histories of Black higher educator, and histories of education in Maryland and America. The study has traced Bowie State College from its beginning as a small private normal school to its present position as a multi-purpose state college. Following an introduction to the study, the period of the founding of the school is presented. The events which culminated in the school becoming a state institution and relocating from Baltimore to Bowie is examined. The period of expansion in the years between 1910 and 1940 is next examined, also the tumultuous 1960s followed by growth, and uncertainty is examined. The study ends with a retrospective look at the Bowie State College experience.
