Delta State University
Encyclopedia
Delta State University, also known as DSU, is a regional public university
located in Cleveland, Mississippi
, United States
, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta
. DSU is one of eight publicly funded universities in the state.
World War II greatly affected the college. Anticipating the war in 1941, the college created a civilian pilot training program, which evolved into the current Commercial Aviation Department. When the war began, 254 Delta State students joined the armed forces. When the war ended, student enrollment at Delta State increased from 185 to 483.
During the 1947 session of the Delta Council, Dean Acheson
(Under-Secretary of State in Truman's administration) delivered a speech on campus that unveiled the Marshall Plan
, detailing postwar relief for Europe.
In 1955, the name Delta State Teachers College was changed to Delta State College. Delta State earned full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
in 1963, which eventually led to the opening of the graduate program in 1965. In 1974 the college changed its name to the current Delta State University.
In 1965 Delta State initiated a graduate program (Master of Education in Elementary Education, Elementary Supervision, Guidance, English, History, Math, Music, Social Studies, Business Education, Physical Education, and Science).
From 1925 to 1967 the university had a White-only race admission policy. In 1967 racial segregation
of DSU ended. The first African-American student, Shirley Antoinette Washington, enrolled at DSU.
In 2005 Delta State assisted refugees from Hurricane Katrina
by opening Hugh White Hall as temporary housing.
Delta State University is located on 332 acres (1.3 km²) at 1003 W Sunflower Rd (Highway 8 West), in the northwest area of Cleveland, MS, 38733.
Approximately 2,000 students enroll annually in Delta State's undergraduate degree programs, with an additional 600 enrolled in post-graduate or professional-level courses. About 30 percent of students reside in on-campus housing. Delta State provides both men's dormitories and women's dormitories, as well as apartments for married students.
Most of the 64 buildings on campus use a particular brick pattern of yellow, orange, and white bricks. Particularly famous facilities at Delta State University are the large natatorium for holding swimming competitions, the Bologna Performing Arts Center (pictured left) with two theaters (one that seats 1,178, and another that seats 135), and the sound recording studios of the Delta Music Institute.
However, since the late 1980s, the student body has embraced a mascot that depicts a piece of okra
(a vegetable) wearing boxing gloves and brandishing a fierce expression. The "Fighting Okra" grew out of humor among students about the improbability that anyone would find a "Statesman" particularly frightening. In the mid-1990s, a student vote was taken, resulting in the university taking on "The Fighting Okra" as an unofficial mascot. The "Fighting Okra" was featured in the "Okraphobia" episode of the Food Network
show Good Eats
.
The popularity of "The Fighting Okra" grew so much that there were many myths started on how the mascot came to be, the most popular of these stating there was a stubborn okra plant on the first base of the baseball field that grew back every time it was cut. The true origin of the fighting okra mascot was born from a discussion between basketball and baseball players in the "Court of Governors" dormitory. A basketball player (Houston Williamson) was lamenting the fact that a "Fighting Statesmen" was not particularly frightening to their opponents. All present agreed that an alternate mascot would have to be mean and green. After a lively discussion and many suggestions, a baseball pitcher (Bob Black) suggested that okra was green, fuzzy and tough. The DSU baseball team began using the chant "Okra! Okra! Okra! Okra!" at DSU basketball games.
The unofficial "Fighting Okra" mascot has provided an illustration of a generational divide in comic sensibilities. Many older alumni find the Okra embarrassing and inappropriate, while younger alums find that it appeals to their sense of irony and their taste for absurd humor.
degree.
Division II level. DSU is affiliated with the Gulf South Conference
and New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference. The institution competes intercollegiately in men's American football
, basketball
, baseball
, swimming
, diving
, tennis
, soccer, and golf
. The women's intercollegiate program consists of basketball
, tennis
, fast-pitch softball
, cross-country
, swimming
, soccer, cheerleading
, and diving
.
One of Delta State's most notable sports coaches was (Lily) Margaret Wade
(1912-1995). She coached the women's basketball team to three consecutive AIWA national championships and a 93-4 record, including a 51-game winning streak. Wade was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. Today, the Division I women's basketball player of the year receives the Margaret Wade Trophy
.
Lloyd Clark, a native of Drew, took over the women's basketball program in 1983. Over the next 19 years he compiled a staggering 494-98 record. In addition, Clark's teams won three NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
s. During those years, DSU played in the NCAA tournament 16 times, with 11 appearances in the Elite Eight
. Clark's 1988-89 team became the first NCAA team to win a National Championship on its home floor. During his career, Clark compiled a record of 206-38 (.845) in Gulf South Conference
Games. Lloyd Clark is a member of the Mississippi sports Hall of Fame along with other DSU heroes Margaret Wade, Lusia Harris-Stewart
, and Dave "Boo" Ferriss among others.
Another very important figure was former Boston Red Sox
pitcher
Dave "Boo" Ferriss
who coached the baseball program for nearly thirty years and led them to three appearances in the NCAA Division II College World Series before retiring in 1988. Boo was born in Shaw, Mississippi
.
San Francisco Giants
catcher
Eli Whiteside
played baseball for the University, as did Los Angeles Dodgers
pitcher Brent Leach
. Matt Miller
of the Cleveland Indians
also played for the Statesmen.
One notable would-be baseball player and student who was cut during tryouts was writer John Grisham
. In 2008, Grisham returned to the campus to join Ferris in an evening of baseball tales, raising more than $100,000 for the athletic program.
Delta State alumnus Jeremy Richardson
is an NBA
player for the Orlando Magic
.
Delta State won the 2004 NCAA Division II national baseball championship.
Delta State won the 2000 NCAA Division II national football championship
. Delta State's football team won the Gulf South Conference
Championship in 2007 and 2008.
DSU Flight Operations has two large hangars located at Cleveland Municipal Airport and the Gibson-Gunn Commercial Aviation building on the Delta State Campus.
and Pi Kappa Alpha
respectively. However, the first national social fraternity to charter at Delta State was Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
, in 1960, a chapter that still exists today. Within the decade, several other chapters of national Greek-letter organizations chartered at Delta State. They are governed by three independent councils—the Interfraternity Council, the Pan-Hellenic Council, and the Panhellenic Council.
. The fraternities within the council are as follows:
.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Cleveland, Mississippi
Cleveland, Mississippi
Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,334 as of the 2010 census.Cleveland has a fairly large commercial economy, with numerous restaurants, stores, and services along U.S. Highway 61...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. DSU is one of eight publicly funded universities in the state.
History
The school was established in 1924 as a public institution by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricultural High School, which consisted of three buildings in Cleveland. On February 19, 1924, Senators William B. Roberts and Arthur Marshall cosponsored Senate Bill No. 236, which established Delta State Teachers College, which Mississippi Governor Henry Whitfield signed on April 9, 1924. The three buildings were Hill Hall, an administration and classroom building, Hardee Hall, a men's dormitory, and Taylor Hall, a women's dormitory. On February 14, 1924, James Wesley Broom was appointed president of the college and the college opened its doors on September 15, 1925. In May 1926, Broom died following complications from an ear infection, and William Zeigel was named his successor. The seal of the college was designed in 1928 as a project of an art class.World War II greatly affected the college. Anticipating the war in 1941, the college created a civilian pilot training program, which evolved into the current Commercial Aviation Department. When the war began, 254 Delta State students joined the armed forces. When the war ended, student enrollment at Delta State increased from 185 to 483.
During the 1947 session of the Delta Council, Dean Acheson
Dean Acheson
Dean Gooderham Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War...
(Under-Secretary of State in Truman's administration) delivered a speech on campus that unveiled the Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
, detailing postwar relief for Europe.
In 1955, the name Delta State Teachers College was changed to Delta State College. Delta State earned full accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
in 1963, which eventually led to the opening of the graduate program in 1965. In 1974 the college changed its name to the current Delta State University.
In 1965 Delta State initiated a graduate program (Master of Education in Elementary Education, Elementary Supervision, Guidance, English, History, Math, Music, Social Studies, Business Education, Physical Education, and Science).
From 1925 to 1967 the university had a White-only race admission policy. In 1967 racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
of DSU ended. The first African-American student, Shirley Antoinette Washington, enrolled at DSU.
In 2005 Delta State assisted refugees from Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
by opening Hugh White Hall as temporary housing.
Campus
Approximately 2,000 students enroll annually in Delta State's undergraduate degree programs, with an additional 600 enrolled in post-graduate or professional-level courses. About 30 percent of students reside in on-campus housing. Delta State provides both men's dormitories and women's dormitories, as well as apartments for married students.
Most of the 64 buildings on campus use a particular brick pattern of yellow, orange, and white bricks. Particularly famous facilities at Delta State University are the large natatorium for holding swimming competitions, the Bologna Performing Arts Center (pictured left) with two theaters (one that seats 1,178, and another that seats 135), and the sound recording studios of the Delta Music Institute.
Mascots
Delta State has two mascots (one official, one unofficial). Since its inception, Delta State's mascot had been officially known as the "Statesmen" because of the role State Rep. Walter Sillers, Jr. played in the location of the school in Cleveland. Sillers was speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives for 20 years. The female version of the mascot is the "Lady Statesmen".However, since the late 1980s, the student body has embraced a mascot that depicts a piece of okra
Okra
Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
(a vegetable) wearing boxing gloves and brandishing a fierce expression. The "Fighting Okra" grew out of humor among students about the improbability that anyone would find a "Statesman" particularly frightening. In the mid-1990s, a student vote was taken, resulting in the university taking on "The Fighting Okra" as an unofficial mascot. The "Fighting Okra" was featured in the "Okraphobia" episode of the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
show Good Eats
Good Eats
Good Eats is a television cooking show created and hosted by Alton Brown which airs in North America on Food Network. Likened to television science educators Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye, Brown explores the science and technique behind the cooking, the history of different foods, and the advantages of...
.
The popularity of "The Fighting Okra" grew so much that there were many myths started on how the mascot came to be, the most popular of these stating there was a stubborn okra plant on the first base of the baseball field that grew back every time it was cut. The true origin of the fighting okra mascot was born from a discussion between basketball and baseball players in the "Court of Governors" dormitory. A basketball player (Houston Williamson) was lamenting the fact that a "Fighting Statesmen" was not particularly frightening to their opponents. All present agreed that an alternate mascot would have to be mean and green. After a lively discussion and many suggestions, a baseball pitcher (Bob Black) suggested that okra was green, fuzzy and tough. The DSU baseball team began using the chant "Okra! Okra! Okra! Okra!" at DSU basketball games.
The unofficial "Fighting Okra" mascot has provided an illustration of a generational divide in comic sensibilities. Many older alumni find the Okra embarrassing and inappropriate, while younger alums find that it appeals to their sense of irony and their taste for absurd humor.
Academics
Delta State provides an undergraduate curriculum, offering 12 baccalaureate degrees in 42 majors. The university also advances student training through certain fields by providing graduate programs of study for eight master's degrees, the Education Specialist degree, and the Doctor of EducationDoctor of Education
The Doctor of Education or Doctor in Education degree , in Latin, Doctor Educationis, is a research-oriented professional doctorate that prepares the student for academic, administrative, clinical, or research positions in educational, civil, and private organizations.-Differences between an Ed.D...
degree.
Athletics
The Delta State University Department of Athletics sponsors thirteen intercollegiate sports, competing at the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II level. DSU is affiliated with the Gulf South Conference
Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...
and New South Intercollegiate Swim Conference. The institution competes intercollegiately in men's American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, soccer, and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. The women's intercollegiate program consists of basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, fast-pitch softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, soccer, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, and diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
.
One of Delta State's most notable sports coaches was (Lily) Margaret Wade
Margaret Wade (basketball coach)
Lily Margaret Wade was an American basketball player and coach. She played high school basketball for Cleveland High School and college basketball for Delta State University in 1930-1932. The women's basketball program was discontinued at that college after she graduated...
(1912-1995). She coached the women's basketball team to three consecutive AIWA national championships and a 93-4 record, including a 51-game winning streak. Wade was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985. Today, the Division I women's basketball player of the year receives the Margaret Wade Trophy
Wade Trophy
The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coach Lily Margaret Wade. The award debuted in 1978 as the first–ever...
.
Lloyd Clark, a native of Drew, took over the women's basketball program in 1983. Over the next 19 years he compiled a staggering 494-98 record. In addition, Clark's teams won three NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
Division II women's basketball champions for the NCAA The finals are played at St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.-Championships:- Schools ranked by titles :-See also:*NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship...
s. During those years, DSU played in the NCAA tournament 16 times, with 11 appearances in the Elite Eight
Elite Eight
The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...
. Clark's 1988-89 team became the first NCAA team to win a National Championship on its home floor. During his career, Clark compiled a record of 206-38 (.845) in Gulf South Conference
Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...
Games. Lloyd Clark is a member of the Mississippi sports Hall of Fame along with other DSU heroes Margaret Wade, Lusia Harris-Stewart
Lusia Harris
Lusia "Lucy" Harris-Stewart is a former American basketball player. Harris is considered to be one of the pioneers of women's basketball...
, and Dave "Boo" Ferriss among others.
Another very important figure was former Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Dave "Boo" Ferriss
Dave Ferriss
Dave Meadow Ferriss is a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. He was born in Shaw, Mississippi, a small town in the Mississippi Delta...
who coached the baseball program for nearly thirty years and led them to three appearances in the NCAA Division II College World Series before retiring in 1988. Boo was born in Shaw, Mississippi
Shaw, Mississippi
Shaw is a city in Bolivar and Sunflower Counties in the U.S. state of Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta region. The named derived from an old Indian tribe northeast of this region. The population was 2,312 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
.
San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
Eli Whiteside
Eli Whiteside
Dustin Eli Whiteside is a Major League Baseball catcher for the San Francisco Giants.-Baltimore Orioles :...
played baseball for the University, as did Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
pitcher Brent Leach
Brent Leach
Brent Leach is an American pitcher for the Yokohama BayStars. He previously pitched in 2009 in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers....
. Matt Miller
Matt Miller (baseball RHP)
Matthew Jacob Miller is a former right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Indians...
of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
also played for the Statesmen.
One notable would-be baseball player and student who was cut during tryouts was writer John Grisham
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
. In 2008, Grisham returned to the campus to join Ferris in an evening of baseball tales, raising more than $100,000 for the athletic program.
Delta State alumnus Jeremy Richardson
Jeremy Richardson
Jeremy Terrell Richardson is an American professional basketball player for BC Armia. He is a 6'7", 210 lb. swingman and he has played in the National Basketball Association with the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic.- Collegiate...
is an NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player for the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
.
Delta State won the 2004 NCAA Division II national baseball championship.
Delta State won the 2000 NCAA Division II national football championship
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
. Delta State's football team won the Gulf South Conference
Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...
Championship in 2007 and 2008.
Flight school
Delta State has a fairly large flight school and is also the only university in Mississippi to offer a degree in Commercial Aviation.Fleet
As of November 2009 the DSU fleet of 21 aircraft consists of the following:- 5 Cessna 152Cessna 152The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use.-Development:...
- 10 Cessna 172Cessna 172The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
- 3 Cessna 172RGCessna 172The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...
- 1 Cessna 206
- 2 Beechcraft 76 Duchess
- 1 Beechcraft King AirBeechcraft King AirThe Beechcraft King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation...
C-90
DSU Flight Operations has two large hangars located at Cleveland Municipal Airport and the Gibson-Gunn Commercial Aviation building on the Delta State Campus.
Greek life
Even though Delta State University has very few fraternities and sororities on campus, many students are members of them. Originally, Delta State had only local organizations, such as organizations called Delta Alpha Omega or the Cavaliers, which existed until the mid-sixties, when their members joined Kappa Alpha ORderKappa Alpha Order
Kappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
and Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
respectively. However, the first national social fraternity to charter at Delta State was Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
, in 1960, a chapter that still exists today. Within the decade, several other chapters of national Greek-letter organizations chartered at Delta State. They are governed by three independent councils—the Interfraternity Council, the Pan-Hellenic Council, and the Panhellenic Council.
Interfraternity Council
The Interfraternity Council is a university-specific governing body that governs five active fraternity chapters, three of which are nationally members of the North-American Interfraternity ConferenceNorth-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate...
. The fraternities within the council are as follows:
- Kappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha OrderKappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions...
, Delta Beta Chapter, 1964 - Kappa SigmaKappa SigmaKappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Lambda Pi Chapter, 1975 - Phi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha SinfoniaPhi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...
, Theta Upsilon Chapter, 1960 - Pi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa AlphaPi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
, Zeta Beta Chapter, 1963 - Sigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
, Delta Sigma Colony, 2011
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The Delta State National Pan-Hellenic Council governs the chapters represented in the National Pan-Hellenic CouncilNational Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...
.
- Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
, Mu Gamma Chapter, 1978 - Alpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi AlphaAlpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
, Omicron Psi Chapter (Suave House), 1983 - Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
, Kappa Pi Chapter - Kappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha PsiKappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
, Nu Eta Chapter, P.O.D.C - Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
, Upsilon Delta Delta - Phi Beta SigmaPhi Beta SigmaPhi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
, The "Untouchable" Xi Beta Chapter, 1981 - Zeta Phi BetaZeta Phi BetaZeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...
, Psi Kappa Chapter
Panhellenic Council
The Delta State Panhellenic Council is a governing body that governs three sorority chapters.- Delta Delta DeltaDelta Delta DeltaDelta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...
, Phi Phi Chapter, 1962 - Kappa DeltaKappa DeltaKappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university...
, Gamma Psi Chapter, 1962 - Phi MuPhi MuPhi Mu is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. It was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The organization was founded as the Philomathean Society on January 4, 1852, and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same year...
, Kappa Epsilon Chapter, 1966 - Zeta Tau AlphaZeta Tau AlphaZeta Tau Alpha is a women's fraternity, founded October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia. The Executive office is located in Indianapolis, Indiana...
(inactive)
Professional fraternities & honor societies
- Alpha Psi OmegaAlpha Psi OmegaAlpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society is an American recognition honor society recognizing participants in collegiate theatre. The Alpha Cast was founded at Fairmont State College on August 12, 1925 by professor Paul F...
(theatre honor society), Zeta Epsilon Cast, 1935 (inactive) - distinguished as the first Greek Letter Organization founded on campus - Kappa PiKappa PiKappa Pi International Art FraternityNationally the requirements for membership are the completion of 12 semester hours of art courses, a 3.0 GPA in art courses and a 2.0 overall GPA. These are the minimum requirements. Each chapter has the option of upgrading these requirements...
(art honor society) - DSU is home to Kappa Pi National President Ron Koehler. - Lambda Iota TauLambda Iota TauLambda Iota Tau is an American international honor society for literature, whose purpose is to recognize and promote excellence in the study of literature in all languages...
(literature honor society), Delta Iota Chapter - distinguished as the most active chapter of ΛΙΤ in the nation. - Mu Phi EpsilonMu Phi EpsilonMu Phi Epsilon is a co-ed international professional music fraternity and honor society. It boasts over 75,000 members in 128 collegiate chapters and 74 alumni chapters in the US and abroad.-History:...
(professional music fraternity), Gamma Zeta Chapter - Pi Kappa LambdaPi Kappa LambdaPi Kappa Lambda is an American honor society for undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors of music. There are currently 205 active chapters and approximately 64,500 individual members....
(music honor society) - Phi Alpha (Social Work honor society}
- Alpha Eta RhoAlpha Eta RhoAlpha Eta Rho is a coed international professional college aviation fraternity that serves as a contact between the aviation industry and educational institutions. The fraternity strives to foster, promote, and mentor today's college students towards successful careers in aviation, aeronautical...
(Professional Aviation Fraternity)
List of Presidents of Delta State
- James Wesley Broom - 1925-1926
- Dr. William Marion Kethley - 1926-1956
- Dr. James Milton Ewing - 1956-1971
- Dr. Aubrey LucasAubrey K. LucasDr. Aubrey K. Lucas is an American academic, and the former President and current President Emeritus of the University of Southern Mississippi. Lucas received his Bachelors of Science and Master of Arts degree from the University of Southern Mississippiwhile attaining his Ph.D from Florida State...
- 1971-1975 - Dr. Kent Wyatt - 1975-1999
- Dr. David Potter - 1999-2002
- Dr. John Thornell - 2002 - 2003 (interim)
- Dr. John Hilpert - 2003-present
Notable graduates
- Rowan Nathaniel HouseRowan Nathaniel HouseRowan Nathaniel House, known as Nathan, was a mid-20th century artist of some renown. He used a variety of media including oil on canvas, watercolor, and pen and ink.- Early life :...
, (Dec. 13, 1908 - Jan. 26, 1947) was a mid-20th century artist of some renown. He graduated from Delta State in 1930. The school has had art scholarships in his honor. He was married to Maxine Boggan Holcomb, a longtime professor of Art at Delta State. - Brent LeachBrent LeachBrent Leach is an American pitcher for the Yokohama BayStars. He previously pitched in 2009 in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers....
, pitcher for the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming... - Jeanette W. HydeJeanette W. HydeJeanette W. Hyde is an American diplomat. She was Ambassador of the United States to Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia from 1994 to 1998, and to Antigua, Grenada, St. Vincent, and St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla from 1995 to 1998, under Bill Clinton.-Biography:...
, ambassador. - Patrick House, winner of NBC's The Biggest Loser
External links
- Delta State University – Official site
- DSU Department of Athletics
- DSU Department of Music