Founded in 1891 as the State Colored Normal School, Elizabeth City State University was established to train African American teachers and quickly became one of North Carolina’s leading teacher education institutions. As the needs of students and the workforce evolved, ECSU expanded beyond education, becoming a four-year teachers college, then a state college, and finally a university in 1969.

Today, ECSU offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in education, aviation, business, STEM, health sciences, social sciences, and the arts. While its academic offerings have grown significantly, the university continues to honor its proud legacy of preparing generations of educators and leaders.

Click for more information and see what other historic offerings are here in Elizabeth City: Elizabeth City State Teachers College Historic District – African American Experience of Northeast North Carolina

Photo: Cheerleaders, Elizabeth City State Teachers College, 1949. From the 1949 edition of The Viking, Elizabeth City State University’s yearbook (p. 87). Image courtesy of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center.