Fast Facts
Bethune-Cookman College, now known as Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU), was founded in 1904 by Mary McLeod Bethune. While continuing to sustain her legacy of faith, scholarship and service through its relationship with the United Methodist Church, the University has made a commitment to academic excellence and civic engagement. Under the direction of President Trudie Kibbe Reed, the school achieved University status in 2007 with the launch of a master’s degree program in transformative leadership. B-CU offers baccalaureate and master degrees in 37 majors/disciplines through seven academic schools – Arts & Humanities; Business; Education; Nursing; Science, Engineering and Mathematics; Social Sciences and Graduate and Professional Studies – and maintains intercollegiate athletic programs and instrumental and choral groups that have achieved national recognition. Located in Daytona Beach, B-CU is one of three private historically black colleges in the state of Florida. The institution boasts a diverse and international faculty and student body of more than 3,500 and the largest graduating class in Bethune-Cookman University history, granting over 570 degrees in Spring of 2011
National Recognition
- Awarded reaffirmation accreditation by: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC); National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education; National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission; Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.
- The University received approval by the Commission on Colleges - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for a new Masters of Science degree in Integrated Environmental Science (MSIES).
- May 2011, B-CU won $50,000.00 from Home Depot in the Retool Your School Campus Improvement Project. The Parlin Student Center will have barrier-free access doors and a wheelchair ramp installed to comply with ADA guidelines.
- B-CU’s Library/Learning Resource Center was selected as a recipient of a $45,000 grant provided by Lyrasis for the HBCU Photographic Preservation Project, which helps to improve preservation of significant photographic collections held in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Research Achievement and Academic Honors
- B-CU's School of Business and the School Science, Engineering and Math joined with Raytheon Company to submit a proposal for "The Small Business Teaming Pilot Program," through which grants are awarded to organizations for training, counseling,and mentoring to help small businesses enter into teaming relationships and compete for larger federal contracts. The amount funded was $499,000.00 by the Small Business Jobs Act.
- B-CU has been chosen through a national competition sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to participate in Preparing Critical Faculty for the Future (PCFF), a project that supports women of color faculty in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines in becoming strong academic and administrative leaders, both on campus and within their respective disciplines.
Financial Stability
- The University received its first stand-alone A-/A+ bond rating and refinanced its variable rate demand bonds to fixed rate bonds.
- Endowment returns for the year were 24.8%, exceeding the benchmark by over 2%.
Campus Improvements
- In late 2010, the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund awarded the University $250,000 to support its identification and acquisition of IES library resources. The University will house the program in its recently acquired and renovated B. J. Moore Center on the northeast side of campus.
- Instead of contracting with a private security company, the University has re-established a new Security force, including the addition of 25 new officers, crime prevention specialist, campus cameras, and a dispatch center.
- The construction of two new state-of-the art campus facilities: the Lee Rhyant Residential Life Center, which opened fall 2010 and the Larry R. Handfield Athletic Training Center.
