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East Carolina University can trace its roots to 1901 when City of Wilson citizens went to Raleigh to petition the N.C. General Assembly for an Eastern North Carolina Normal College. [1] The delegation wanted the Normal College in Wilson. The request was denied because the politicians did not want to take money away from the State Normal College. [2]
In February 1905, Elizabeth City sent 11 citizens to persuade the General Assembly to charter a State Normal School for Eastern North Carolina. That delegation failed as well. [3] Finally on March 8, 1907, at the urging of State Senator James Leonidas Fleming, [4] the General Assembly passed an act titled: "AN ACT TO STIMULATE HIGH SCHOOL INSTRUCTION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF THE STATE AND TEACHER TRAINING". In this act it said, "That there shall be established and maintained at some suitable point in eastern North Carolina a teachers' training school for the training of young white men and women under the corporate name of the East Carolina Teachers' Training School." $15,000 was appropriated to the fund to build the school, and $5,000 annually to fund the school. [5] The Board of Trustees was selected on March 15, 1907 and Thomas Jordan Jarvis was chosen as the Chairman.
Eight eastern North Carolina towns and cities placed bids on the location of the school. The towns and cities and what they offered is as follows:
When Greenville put a bond to the city and County of Pitt, Haywood Dail promised Thomas Jarvis that Greenville would pass the bond. Dail wanted the ballots to be small and have only "For Bond Issue" and "Against Bond Issue" written on them. Dail then went on to chew the "Against Bond Issue" to ensure that the bond will pass. [6] The vote passed by 352. [7] The State Board of Education toured all eight cities in the month of June. On June 10, 1907 the SBE voted on the location of the school. On the first vote, Kinston received three votes, Rocky Mount received two votes and Greenville received one vote. On the second vote, all three locations received two votes. On the last and final vote, Greenville received four votes to Kinston two votes. [8] One of the jobs the Board of Trustees did was to choose the President of the School. Robert Herring Wright was selected on June 11, 1907. He immediately set out to recruit faculty. ECTTS had 10 faculty members when the school opened its doors. On October 5, 1909, Pattie Simmons Dowell was the first student to enroll to the Training School. [8]
When classes started in 1909, ECTTS has six buildings. [9] These buildings included two dormitories: Jarvis and Wilson, Administration Building, Power Plant, Infirmary, and Refectory (Dining Hall). [7] Tuition was free for all students who pledged to teach for two years, and $45.00 for all other students. In total, 104 women and 19 men accompanied the 11
faculty on the first day of classes. The School became a two-year Teacher Training School. The first vote by the students was to choose the school colors; Old Gold and Royal Purple won. [10] June 11, 1911, 16 students became the first graduating class as East Carolina. [11] In 1912, the Athletic League was formed. [12] The three sports played were basketball, tennis and cross-country walking. This was the beginning of the Athletic Department. A Constitution was written for the first Student Self-Government Association. [13] After growing expediently the School decided to change its name and mission. Mattie Virginia Cox Thornton was the very first student in line at East Carolina University in 1908. She rode a wagon pulled by a mule down dirt roads from Kinston to Greenville to be the first to enroll. Mrs. Thornton went on to become a teacher for many years.
In December 1921, East Carolina Teachers Training School changed their name to "East Carolina Teachers College." This name change was to reflect how East Carolina had become a four-year degree-granting college, devoted to teacher education. [14]
East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina and the only one in the state with schools of medicine, dentistry and engineering.
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 19,900 as of the 2020 census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the coastal plains region of eastern North Carolina.
Greenville is the county seat and most populous city of Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. It is the principal city of the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the 12th-most populous city in North Carolina. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain. As of the 2020 census, there were 87,521 people in the city. The city has continued to see a population and economic boom with most of the growth being seen in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Thomas Jordan Jarvis was the 44th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1879 to 1885. Jarvis later served as a U.S. Senator from 1894 to 1895, and helped establish East Carolina Teachers Training School, now known as East Carolina University, in 1907.
East Central University is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada, the university has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, and Durant, as well as online courses. Founded as East Central State Normal School in 1909, its present name was adopted in 1985. Some of its more prominent alumni include former Microsoft COO B. Kevin Turner, Modernist painter Leon Polk Smith, former NFL player Mark Gastineau, past governors Robert S. Kerr and George Nigh, former U.S. Representative Lyle Boren, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert, and U.S. Army General James D. Thurman.
Grainger Stadium is a sports venue located in Kinston, North Carolina. It is the home ballpark for the Down East Wood Ducks, which joined the Carolina League starting in the 2017 season, and was placed in the Low-A East for only the 2021 season. Grainger was previously home to the Kinston Indians and all the professional Kinston baseball teams since 1949.
Kinston Regional Jetport, also known as Stallings Field, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Kinston, a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina. The airport has a single runway that is one of the longest in the southeastern United States. It is mostly used for general aviation.
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM) is a public medical school located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It offers a Doctor of Medicine program, combined Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health and Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration programs, and standalone Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Public Health programs. Brody is a national leader in family medicine, ranking No. 1 in North Carolina and No. 2 nationally in the percentage of graduates who choose careers in family medicine, based on the 2017 American Academy of Family Physicians report on MD-granting medical schools. Brody ranks in the top 10 percent of U.S. medical schools for graduating physicians who practice in the state, practice primary care and practice in rural and underserved areas. Brody graduates currently practice in 83 of North Carolina's 100 counties.
ECU Health Medical Center is a hospital located in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the primary teaching hospital for East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine and is the flagship medical center for ECU Health. ECU Health is a Level 1 Trauma Center, one of 6 in the state of North Carolina. It is the only level I trauma center east of Raleigh, and thus is the hub of medical care for a broad and complicated rural region of over 2 million people. ECU Health Medical Center is the largest employer in Eastern North Carolina and 20th overall in the state.
The East Carolina UniversityCollege of Education is the oldest college at East Carolina University. The original mission of ECU was as a teacher training school.
East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine is the dental school at East Carolina University. It is North Carolina's second dental school, which enrolled its inaugural class in the fall of 2011. ECU SoDM was established to address the shortage of dentists in the rural regions across North Carolina. It serves North Carolina statewide by educating more dentists, with the primary focus of student recruitment being students who desire to return to rural and underserved areas to provide oral health care. The SoDM built 8 community service learning centers located in rural and underserved areas throughout the state. The students will complete nine-week rotations at the service learning centers during their final year of study.
Eastern North Carolina is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina, United States. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina include the Sandhills, the Lower Cape Fear, the Crystal Coast, the Inner Banks and the Outer Banks. It is composed of the 41 most eastern counties in the state. Cities include Greenville, Jacksonville, Wilmington, Rocky Mount and North Carolina's first capital New Bern.
The East Carolina Pirates are a college football team that represents East Carolina University. The team is a member of the American Athletic Conference, which is in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Mike Houston is the head coach.
Robert Herring Wright was the first president of East Carolina Teachers Training School.
The East Carolina Pirates baseball team is an intercollegiate baseball team representing East Carolina University in NCAA Division I college baseball and participates as a full member of the American Athletic Conference. The Pirates have made regular appearances in the NCAA tournament. As of 2024, they have the most NCAA tournament appearances without a College World Series appearance.
The East Carolina–NC State rivalry is a rivalry between East Carolina University and North Carolina State University. Both teams are located in North Carolina. The intensity of the rivalry is driven by the proximity and the size of the two schools.
The East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team represents East Carolina University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the American Athletic Conference. The Pirates are coached by Mike Schwartz.
Wahl-Coates Elementary School is an elementary school located in Greenville, North Carolina. It is one of 16 elementary schools located within Pitt County. It is in a unique partnership with Pitt County Schools (PCS) and East Carolina University. The university used its funds to build the facility, while PCS furnished the school. Wahl-Coates sits on 17.3 acres (7.0 ha). It used to be located in two different areas on the East Carolina campus.
Allen Morris Thomas is an American politician. He was appointed on December 6, 2021 by President Biden and the White House as Regional Administrator for the Southeast Region of the United States Small Business Administration.