130 Timeline

Fort Valley State University 130-Year Timeline

November 6, 1895
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November 6, 1895

18 men petition the Superior Court of Houston County for a charter to legalize Fort Valley High and Industrial School. Led by John Wesley Davison, a former child slave.

January 6, 1896
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January 6, 1896

FVHIS is incorporated by the Superior Court of Houston County. Davison becomes the 1st principal.

1902
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1902

Austin Thomas Walden graduates and becomes Georgia’s first Black judge.

1902
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1902

William M. Hubbard founded Forsyth Normal and Industrial School.

1903-1904
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1903-1904

Gabriel B. Miller served as acting principal.

1904
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1904

Henry Hunt, Jr. becomes FVHIS’s 2nd principal.

June 1913
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June 1913

FVHI operates its first summer school for teachers, becoming the first institution in Georgia to institute a session for Negro teachers.

1916
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1916

Otis Samuel O’Neal founded the 'Ham and Egg Show.'

1916
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1916

Jeanes Hall was remodeled and Royal C. Peabody provided funds.

1918
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1918

FVHIS agrees to control by the American Church Institute for Negroes of the Protestant Episcopal Church, which raised funding for the institution.

1931
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1931

Hubbard’s School changed to State Teachers and Agriculture College.

1932
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1932

The name changed to The Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School with an increase in students.

May 1934
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May 1934

Florence Johnson Hunt Infirmary was finished and dedicated.

October 5, 1938
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October 5, 1938

Principal Hunt’s funeral services were held in the Fort Valley school auditorium and entombed on campus.

June 1939
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June 1939

FVHI becomes Fort Valley State College with the merger of the Teachers and Agricultural College at Forsyth.

1939
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1939

Horace Mann Bond becomes the 1st president of Fort Valley State College.

1941
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1941

Harriet Black was the first Black person to earn a degree from the newly formed college.

1945
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1945

Cornelius V. Troup becomes the 2nd president of Fort Valley State College.

1949
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1949

Georgia legislature designated FVSC as the state land-grant institution for Blacks.

1952
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1952

Catherine Hardy wins Olympic Gold in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.

1967
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1967

Lottie M. Lyons Student Center and Cozy L. Ellison Building is complete.

1969
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1969

Wilson-Robert Building and Josephine Lewis Hall Dormitory is complete.

1972
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1972

FVSC's 1st regionally televised football game appeared on ABC television.

1973
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1973

Cleveland W. Pettigrew, a graduate of FVSC, becomes president.

1976
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1976

The Memorial Towers were dedicated.

1982
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1982

Walter W. Sullivan served as acting president upon the death of Pettigrew.

2001
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2001

Kofi Lomotey becomes president.

2002
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2002

The first annual African World Film Festival was held.

2002
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2002

The Lady Wildcats captured the SIAC title for the third year.

2003
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2003

Warner Robins, GA campus is opened.

2004
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2004

FVSU wins Trumpet Award for 'Higher Education Institution of the Year.'

2006
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2006

Larry Rivers becomes president.

2007
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2007

The $44 million Wildcat Commons student apartments and residential complex opened.

2009
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2009

Dedication of Henry Alexander Hunt and Florence Johnson Hunt Memorial Statues at Wildcat Commons.

2010
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2010

FVSU had its highest level of spring enrollment at 3,783.

2011
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2011

A donation of $1.5 million was presented on behalf of President Obama.

2013
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2013

Dr. Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith was appointed as the 9th President.

2014
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2014

Fort Valley State University signed an articulation agreement with Georgia Military College.

2014-2016
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2014-2016

FVSU is listed as the nation’s top producer of African American students in math-related majors.

2018
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2018

FVSU named the top public HBCU in Georgia.

2020
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2020

FVSU celebrates its 125th anniversary.

2022
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2022

Georgia Board of Nursing approval to start the program.

August 2023
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August 2023

FVSU began accepting applications for its BSN program, making FVSU the second HBCU in Georgia to have a nursing program.

April 2024
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April 2024

Men’s Volleyball was the first HBCU to compete in the NCAA Division 1 Championship for men’s volleyball.

2024
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2024

FVSU was ranked as the highest-ranked regional university in Georgia for social mobility by U.S. News and World Report.

2025
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2025

CFA Scholars ranked in the top six to pitch to Experian, the national consumer credit company.

2025
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2025

FVSU celebrates its 130 years of 'Unapologetic Excellence.'