Tuskegee University

Tuskegee University, private, coeducational institution in Tuskegee, Alabama, 66 km (41 mi) west of Columbus, Georgia. The school was founded by American educator Booker T. Washington in 1881 as a school for black students; at that time it was called the Normal School for colored teachers at Tuskegee; the name was changed to the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1892. Washington headed the school until his death in 1915. It was renamed Tuskegee Institute in 1937 and adopted its current name in 1985.

Tuskegee University confers bachelor’s, master’s, and professional degrees in a variety of fields. Programs of study are offered through the College of Arts and Sciences and the schools of business, agriculture and home economics, education, engineering and architecture, nursing and allied health, and veterinary medicine.

American scientist George Washington Carver taught and conducted important agricultural experiments at Tuskegee in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Today, the Carver Foundation and Tuskegee’s Agricultural Research and Experiment Station carry on work in the natural sciences. The university houses the George Washington Carver Museum, which contains memorabilia and historical collections. The museum is part of the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, which is located on the campus and administered by the National Park Service. Tuskegee’s Daniel “Chappie” James Memorial Hall houses the Black Wings aviation exhibit, which focuses on the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black aviators who trained near Tuskegee during World War II (1939-1945). The Tuskegee Archives, devoted to black history, was established in 1904.