Kentucky State University

Kentucky State University was chartered in May 1887 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons , only the second state-supported institution of higher learning in Kentucky. [ 1 ] During the euphoria of Frankfort's 1887 centennial celebration, the city donated $1,500 towards the purchase of land for a new college on a bluff overlooking Frankfort. [ 3 ] The new school formally opened on October 11, 1887, with three teachers, 55 students, and John H. Jackson as president. [ 1 ] Recitation Hall (now Jackson Hall), the college's first permanent building, was erected in that year. Campus in 1898 Main entrance in 2020 KSU became a land-grant college in 1890 following the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Acts , and the departments of home economics , agriculture , and mechanics were added to the school's curriculum. [ 1 ] [ 4 ] The school produced its first graduating class of five students in the spring of that year. A high school was organized in 1893. This expansion continued into the 20th century in both name and program. In 1902, the name was changed to Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons. The name was changed again in 1926 to Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons. In 1929, the high school was discontinued by president Rufus B. Atwood , since students were now entering college with a high school education. [ 4 ] In 1938, the school was named the Kentucky State College for Negroes . [ 1 ] The term "for Negroes" was dropped in 1952. The civil engineering program was started in 1942 after the NAACP threatened a lawsuit on behalf of a black student who wanted to attend the engineering program at the University of Kentucky . [ 5 ] Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the commencement speech at the 1957 graduation ceremonies titled, "Facing the Challenge of a New Age". [ 6 ] [ 7 ] In 1960, the first white student enrolled. [ 4 ] Kentucky State College became a university in 1972, renamed Kentucky State University.

[ 4 ] On December 9, 2025, a self-defense shooting occurred at the university , leaving one dead and one in critical condition. The shooter, a father of a student at the university, was initially charged with murder and first-degree assault, but on December 23, the grand jury accepted the shooter's self-defense claim and decided not to return an indictment. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] This is the second shooting to occur at the university, the previous incident having occurred just a few months earlier on August 17. [ 13 ]

More information Race and ethnicity, Total ... Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023 [ 14 ] Race and ethnicity Total Black 81% White 8% Two or more races 4% Unknown 3% Hispanic 2% International student 1% Economic diversity Low-income [ a ] 64% Affluent [ b ] 36% Close More information Year, Pop. ... Enrollment history Year Pop. ±% p.a. 2006 2,500 — 2007 2,696 +7.84% 2008 2,659 −1.37% 2009 2,834 +6.58% 2010 2,851 +0.60% 2011 2,746 −3.68% 2012 2,524 −8.08% 2013 2,533 +0.36% 2014 1,895 −25.19% 2015 1,586 −16.31% 2016 1,736 +9.46% 2017 1,926 +10.94% 2018 1,781 −7.53% 2019 2,171 +21.90% 2020 2,290 +5.48% 2021 2,279 −0.48% 2022 1,726 −24.27% Close Students are divided into five colleges, four associate degrees, 55 undergraduate degrees, and six postgraduate programs. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems College of Arts and Sciences College of Business and Computer Science College of Professional Studies The university also offers five liberal study degrees through the Whitney Young School (WYS) of Honors and Liberal Studies, which consists of a Honors Program, an Integrative Studies Program, and an International Studies Program. [ 17 ] The degrees include Africana Studies and Liberal Studies. [ 16 ] Demographics As of 2024 [ update ] , Kentucky State University was host to 1,932 undergraduate students. African Americans comprised 81% of the undergraduate student body. [ 2 ]

The Paul G. Blazer Library, [ 18 ] constructed in 1960, [ 19 ] houses a collection of more than 700,000 items includes extensive reference, periodical, and circulating collections of materials such as books, videos, microforms, sound recordings, and others, to aid students in their course work and research. [ 20 ] It is named after Paul G. Blazer , a strong supporter of education [ 21 ] who was the founder and CEO of Ashland Oil and Refining Company in Ashland, Kentucky .