Students embarking on their college careers at Delta State this fall will be following a tradition that is three quarters of a century old.  According to Dr. Wayne Blansett, Vice President of Student Affairs, who is heading the 75th Anniversary Committee, September 27, 2000 mark the beginning of a year-long celebration filled with a myriad of activities designed to focus campus and community attention on this very special birthday.
It is hard to imagine that the graceful, tree covered campus of today had once been just a barren "field of dreams" When Delta State Teachers College opened its doors to the first students in the fall of 1925, it was not without many years of forethought, insight, and elbow grease. The civic leaders of Cleveland had done their homework to see that Cleveland would be the site of the Delta's first institution of higher learning.
"We speak today about the tremendous impact that Delta State has made on the Cleveland community, but few of us fully appreciate the hard work and sacrifice that went into the early efforts to bring the college here," says Scott Luth, Director of the Cleveland/Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce. "Delta State is without a doubt one of our greatest assets, thanks to some early Cleveland visionaries."
Cleveland had entered the race for Delta State with an edge over some surrounding communities since its public school system was already thriving and is often touted as one of the first consolidated school districts in the country. As early as 1910 a group of forward thinking businessmen, including Edward B. Hill, W.G. Hardee, Ed Knott, A.K. Eckles, Charles Clark and D.J. Allen, had begun efforts to establish an agricultural high school in Bolivar County. Although their dream was fulfilled and the school opened in 1911, its success was short lived and the County was forced to close its doors after less than a decade because of a lack of funds.
By 1922 the idea of establishing a teachers college in Cleveland on the site of the abandoned county agricultural high school, had become a hot topic around town. In 1923 a Planning Committee was named to work toward that end. Now competing with other Delta towns such as Clarksdale, Sunflower and Morehead, Cleveland had to put its best foot forward to win the acceptance of the College Location Committee, appointed by the state legislature to choose the site of the proposed college.
When the College Location Committee made their visit, the town leaders wined, dined and treated its members to a VIP tour of Cleveland's points of interest, including the former high school campus, with its vacant educational buildings. A month later when the Committee submitted its conditions for selection, Cleveland met all of the requirements. On April 9, 1924. Governor Henry L. Whitfield signed into law Senate Bill Number 263, Chapter 284 of the Mississippi Legislature establishing Delta State Teachers College in Cleveland, Mississippi.
On February 14, 1925 James Wesley Broom was appointed the first President of Delta State Teachers College. On September 16th of that year, the new college officially opened with a gala grand opening ceremony. In its first year the school enrolled almost one hundred students and by early spring of 1926 it was turning away students because dormitories were filled to capacity and available rooms in nearby homes had been exhausted.
Unfortunately the mounting enthusiasm for the fledgling college was dampened in May of 1926 with the sudden death of President Broom. On July 15, 1926, Delta State's second president, William Marion Kethley was appointed. It was Dr. Kethley who would congratulate Delta State's first graduating class of seven in June of 1928. Six more students graduated at the end of the summer term.
In the thirty years of William Kethley's leadership Delta State changed and matured like the many oak trees that he had planted throughout the campus. In 1930 the school received full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. By 1942 the First Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees were awarded, initiating the inevitable transformation of Delta State from a teachers college to a liberal arts university. On February 16, 1955 the school officially changed its name to Delta State College.
Dr. Kethley retired in September of 1956 and was succeeded by James Milton Ewing. When Dr. Ewing was sworn in as the institution's third president there were just 527 students enrolled at Delta State. By his retirement in 1971 the student body had grown to 3,309, and the faculty had increased by 100 professors with six times as many Ph.D.s. on staff. Dr. Ewing also oversaw the construction of seventeen new buildings during his tenure and state appropriations for the college increased by more than $2.5 million.
During Dr. Ewing's time as president Delta State College was organized into four distinct schools: Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; and Graduate Studies. In addition to the Master of Education degree that was offered beginning in 1964, the graduate program expanded in 1969 to include a Master of Business Administration degree, Master of Arts degrees in English and history, Master of Science degrees with majors in biology and chemistry, and a Master of Library Science degree.
After Dr. Ewing's retirement, Delta State welcomed its fourth president, Aubrey Keith Lucas in August of 1971. Throughout the Lucas years campus construction, both of new buildings and renovations to existing structures, continued to abound. There was the Union building, the Physical Plant Facility, a new physical education -athletic facility named the Chadwick-Dickson Intercollegiate Athletic Building honoring two former coaches Eugene Berkley Chadwick and Alex D. Dickson, and numerous renovations. As important as these physical changes to the campus were, before the end of his four-year presidency, Dr. Lucas would witness one of the most significant changes the institution had experienced--Delta State College would officially become Delta State University.
On the occasion of its fiftieth year, Delta State University began a new era under the leadership of its fifth president and its own graduate Dr. Forest Kent Wyatt. From the beginning Dr. Wyatt's administration was marked by memorable events, from his own inauguration, to a year long celebration of the institution's golden anniversary.
The early years of Dr. Wyatt's administration were characterized by outstanding athletic performances beginning with the Lady Statesmen basketball team's three consecutive years (1975, 1976 and 1977) as National Champions. Just months after the Lady Statesmen took top honors for the third time, the Delta State athletic program once again received national attention, when the Statesmen baseball team, under the leadership of Coach "Boo" Ferris came into the spotlight. In 1977 the Statesmen placed third in the NCAA Division II World Series and in 1978 the baseball team won its regional play-off to gain a spot in the World Series where it placed second in the NCAA Division II finals.
The Delta State campus and facilities also became world class and grew dramatically during Dr. Wyatt's years as president. During the twenty-four years he served as president more than 18 new facilities were completed including: Walters Hall; Lena Roberts Sillers Chapel; Forest E. Wyatt Gymnasium; James M. Ewing Hall; Chadwick-Dickson Intercollegiate Athletics Building; O.W. Reily Health Center; Hugh Ellis Walker Alumni/Foundation House; Scholl of Nursing Building; the Bologna Performing Arts Center; Holcombe-Norwood Hall; Keener Hall; Brumby-Castle Residence Hall; Gibson-Gunn Commercial Aviation Building; Flight Instruction Hangar; and the Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archives and Museum. Helping to fuel this phenomenal growth and development was the University Foundation. Under Dr. Wyatt's leadership the Foundation's assets increased from $196,477 in 1974 to $7.3 million by 1998.
During the Wyatt years, the academic program also took quantum leaps and included the development of several new schools of study. In 1976 the department of speech and drama (later called speech communications) were separated from the department of languages and literature, strengthening the areas of audiology and speech therapy and in 1977 and 1978 the groundwork was laid for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. The latter program, which trains degree nurses, officially opened in the fall of 1978, and less than ten years later its graduates achieved a 100% pass rate on state boards.
As had been the Delta State tradition since the school's inception, under Dr. Wyatt's leadership high academic standards and accreditation at all levels continued to be one of the institution's primary commitments. By 1995 all academic programs a Delta State University were nationally accredited.
In 1999, twenty-four years after his installment as Delta State University's sixth president, Dr. Kent Wyatt announced his retirement. On March 31, 2000, after a weeklong celebration, the institution's sixth president, Dr. David L. Potter, was officially inaugurated. Dr. Potter has begun his own legacy to Delta State stressing a continued emphasis on preparing students to meet the challenges of technology in today's "internationalized" world. Dr. Potter has also embraces a commitment for Delta State to help serve as a catalyst for positive economic development throughout the Delta.
The seventy-fifth anniversary celebration will begin on September 27, 2000, with an opening convocation. Among the many dignitaries that will participate in the program is Governor Ronnie Musgrove. Homecoming 2000 activities will also focus attention on the anniversary and the history of the university, as will special exhibits, concerts, lectures, and plays held throughout the year. In the spring, one celebration will center around multi-cultural activities and in April the campus will celebrate academic achievement throughout the years as a part of Honors Day.
"We have a year of special events planned to bring recognition to and celebrate this great milestone for Delta State University," says Dr. Wayne Blansett. "Beside the involvement of students and faculty in these activities, we invite the public to join in the festivities."