Keepers of the dream: as Bethune-Cookman College celebrates 100 years, school officials, alumni say mission has not changed

Black Issues in Higher Education, Nov 18, 2004 by Kendra Hamilton

So Bethune simply turned her ample energy to teaching. After a variety of assignments in Georgia and South Carolina, and after marrying Albertus Bethune and bearing him a son, she was given the opportunity to found a school for African American girls in 1904. The school became coeducational in 1923 after the merger that changed the name to Bethune-Cookman College. She served as president until 1942 and for a brief interim period after the departure of the second president. And throughout the first half of the 20th century, the school formed the launching pad for Bethune's boundless energy.

Her efforts gained tremendous recognition, for her, for the school and for the causes she embraced. Bethune became a national leader capable of uniting all major Black women's organizations across the nation into one powerful group, the National Council of Negro Women. As its president for 14 years, Bethune led campaigns against segregation and discrimination.

Presidents Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt and Truman sought her advice on issues concerning Black Americans, and Franklin Roosevelt appointed her director of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration. She was the first Black woman to ever head a federal agency.

Mrs. Bethune died in 1955. But her legacy remains strong.

A Legacy of Excellence

Bethune-Cookman College has experienced a strong level of continuity in leadership over its 100-year history.

* Mary McLeod Bethune, Founding President, 1904-1942 and 1946-1947

* Dr. James Colston, President, 1942-1946

* Dr. Richard V. Moore S., President, 1947-1975

Dr. Oswald Perry Bronson Sr., President, 1975-2004

"I'm to be a part of this legacy," says Dr. Oswald P. Bronson Sr., who retired in June after almost 30 years at the helm of BCC.