CHAPTER 67
FORMERLY
SENATE BILL NO. 138
AS AMENDED BY SENATE AMENDMENT NO. 1
AN ACT TO AMEND CHAPTER 65, TITLE 14, DELAWARE CODE, RELATING TO CHANGING THE NAME
OF DELAWARE STATE COLLEGE TO DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY.
WHEREAS, Delaware State College had its inception as a result of the passage of federal legislation, namely, the Morrill Act of 1890, and in 1891 the 58th Delaware General Assembly enacted into law Chapter 119, Volume 19, Laws of Delaware establishing the
institution of higher learning, giving it the name of "Delaware College for Colored Students"; and
WHEREAS, the name change to Delaware State College occurred in 1947 as a result of the
passage of legislation by the 114th General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, the college is a land-grant institution whose history exceeds more than one-hundred years; and
WHEREAS, the mission of the
institution when it was first established on February 2, 1891 was to offer a baccalaureate degree in the following disciplines: Agriculture, the Mechanical Arts, the English Language, the
various branches of Mathematics, Physical, Natural and Economic Science, and in 1897, a three-year normal course leading to a teacher's certificate was initiated, which
in 1911 said normal course was extended for four years leading to a Bachelor of Pedagogy Degree; and
WHEREAS, in 1893, a Preparatory Department was established for students who were not qualified to pursue a major course of study upon entrance which lasted until 1916-17 when it was phased out to be replaced by a high school granting a diploma on completion of a four-year course of study; and
WHEREAS, in 1923, a Junior College Division was added and a four-year curricula in the Arts and Sciences, Elementary Education, Home Economics, Agriculture, and Industrial Arts were established; and
WHEREAS, in 1951-52 academic year, the High School Department was discontinued which was replaced by the then William Henry High School for Negro Students presently located in the Capital School District; and
WHEREAS, in April of 1957, the
college was fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the accreditation has since been reaffirmed by the Association in 1962, 1972, 1982, 1987, and 1992; and
WHEREAS, since 1957 the college has grown in stature as a center for teaching, research and public service and while recognizing its historical heritage, the
college has broadened its outlook to reflect the
changing times and today the college provides higher education for a diverse student population; and
WHEREAS, in 1981 Delaware State College offered its first graduate program, a Master of Arts Degree Program in the field of education and by 1987 eleven Master Degree programs were being offered by the
college which include biology, business administration, chemistry, education, physics, and social work; and
WHEREAS, in 1986 the office of Dean of Graduate Studies and Research was established thus creating a distinct administrative structure for graduate education; and
WHEREAS, in 1991-92 academic year, the Division of Academic Affairs was reorganized to house the undergraduate programs in "schools" with each school headed by a senior academic administrator at the
rank of Dean. The undergraduate schools are Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, and Professional Studies. The School of Education will be established in July of 1993; and Physical Education, and Recreation; History and Political Science; Mathematics and Computer Sciences; Music, Philosophy; Physics; Astronomy; Psychology and Sociology; and
WHEREAS, the School of Business and Economics contains the Departments of Economics, Business Administration and Accounting; and
WHEREAS, the
School of Professional Studies includes the Departments of Nursing, Social Work, Education, Airway Science, Agricultural and Natural Resources, and Home Economics; and
WHEREAS, more than eighty curriculum options leading to the Bachelor's Degree are offered by twenty-two academic departments; and
WHEREAS, in the
fall of 1992 head count enrollment of the college was 2,935, an all time high, with approximately 34% of the undergraduate students majoring in the
traditional arts and science disciplines while 66% majored in professional areas; and
WHEREAS, during the past 25 years there has been a steady growth in research at the college, much of which
has been in the biomedical sciences, agriculture and natural resources and federal support continues to increase yearly. For the
1992-93 academic year total extramural funding for research and special programs exceeded $4.6 million; and
WHEREAS, Delaware State College has a distinguished faculty that has received numerous national and local awards from professional associations in recognition of their scholarly pursuits; and
WHEREAS, in 1992, the college had a faculty of approximately 166, with 99 holding Doctorate degrees in the various disciplines, and with 27 holding the
rank of professor, 43 holding the rank of associate professor; 56 assistant professors; 20 instructors; 1 research professor; 2 assistant research professors; 4 research instructors and 13 visiting faculty; and
WHEREAS, the college has recently completed a major enhancement of its library resources by completing a $5.8 million addition/renovation and by enhancing the use of technology, including the installation of a new library computer and on-line catalog system; and
WHEREAS, the name "university" better reflects what Delaware State College has become over the years; and
WHEREAS, the name change is a recognition of the
diversity, depth and quality that Delaware State College has achieved through vision and dedication to its mission; and
WHEREAS, of the 17 historically black land-grant institutions, Delaware State College and Fort Valley State College (in Georgia) are the only institutions that have not been designated universities; and
WHEREAS, of the 161 colleges and universities that belong to the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, including the 17 historically black institutions, Delaware State College and Fort Valley State College are the only member institutions that have not been designated as universities; and
WHEREAS, the university designation will make it clear to the public that the institution offers a comprehensive array of programs at the bachelors and masters levels in the liberal arts, the
sciences and selected professional areas; and
WHEREAS, recruitment of outstanding students and faculty will be enhanced because the institution will not have prospects who hold the popular view that a college is limited in its offerings, thus allowing the institution to better compete with peer institutions for students and faculty; and
WHEREAS, the question of what constitutes a "university" as distinct from a "college" is central to the consideration of a request to rename a college as a university; and
WHEREAS, while there have been many widely used definitions of what constitutes a "university" as distinct from a "college", the truth is that historically there have been no concrete, commonly accepted criteria distinguishing between a university and a college other than the broad public belief that a university is somehow larger, more graduate and research oriented, and features a greater breadth and depth of degree offerings than a college; and
WHEREAS, the most recent and widely accepted classification of higher education institutions is in the 1987 report of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in which they classify the 3,400 colleges and universities into 10 general categories based upon the level of degrees awarded, the fields in which the degrees are conferred, and, in some categories, enrollments, federal research support, and selectivity of admissions criteria; and
WHEREAS, under the Carnegie classification system, Delaware State College is classified among the comprehensive university and colleges I and it is noteworthy that under the Carnegie classification scheme they make no distinction as to whether a comprehensive institution is called a university or college; and
WHEREAS, under the Carnegie Classification of Comprehensive Universities and Colleges I over seventy—five (75) percent of the public institutions are designated universities; and
WHEREAS, it is the belief of Delaware State College that they can change their name without adversely affecting their standards of quality or the quality of higher education in the State of Delaware; and
WHEREAS, the name change will not change the priorities and mission of Delaware State College; and
WHEREAS, the presence of a readily identified university in central Delaware will serve to make central and southern Delaware even more attractive to new businesses and to potential employees of new and existing businesses, thus permitting Delaware State College to become a resource in economic development; and
WHEREAS, university status is a plus when competing for extramural funding, both private (foundations and corporation funding) and federal, thus allowing Delaware State College to substantially increase its ability to raise funds from external sources.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
Section 1. Amend Chapter 65 of Title 14, Delaware Code, by striking the words "Delaware State College" wherever they appear in said Chapter and substituting in lieu thereof the words "Delaware State University" and further amending the Chapter by striking the word "College" wherever it appears throughout the Chapter and substituting in lieu thereof the word "University".
Section 2. The Delaware Code Revisors are hereby authorized and directed to strike the name "Delaware State College" wherever it appears in the Delaware Code and substituting in lieu thereof the words "Delaware State University".
Approved July 1, 1993