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The year was 1904 when a very determined young black woman, Mary McLeod Bethune, opened the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. It has undergone several stages of growth and development through the years. In 1923, it became a co-ed high school as a result of a merger with Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida. A year later, the school became affiliated with the United Methodist Church, evolved into a junior college by 1931 and became known as Bethune-Cookman College.
In 1941, the Florida State Department of Education approved a four-year baccalaureate program offering liberal arts and teacher education. Mrs. Bethune retired in 1942 at which time James E. Colston became president until 1946 when Mrs. Bethune resumed the presidency for a year.
Richard V Moore, Sr. became president in 1947. Under his tenure the College was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1960, joined the United Negro College Fund and other academic and professional organizations. By 1974, the curriculum expanded to 12 degree-granting fields, student enrollment increased and new buildings were constructed for residential housing and classrooms.
Appointed to the presidency in 1975 by the Board of Trustees, an alumnus, Oswald P. Bronson, Sr., Ph.D., continues the development and expansion of the College. During his tenure, a steadily increasing student body has resulted in the renovation and expansion of the physical plant including new residence halls, classroom buildings, and acquisition of land for future construction. Presently, there are 37 academic degree-granting fields. In addition, continuing education sites throughout the state provide opportunities for students not attending the main campus location. Traditionally, the College has maintained intercollegiate athletics programs, instrumental and choral groups, which have all achieved national recognition.
Since 1943, when the College began offering bachelor degrees, more than 12,000 graduates have provided support to the College. Many alumni have distinguished themselves in fields of education, medicine, business, politics, technology, science, religion and athletics.
The College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Florida State Department of Education, The University Senate of the United Methodist Church, Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, and approved by the Florida State Board of Nursing.
Founded by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune in 1904, Bethune-Cookman College is an historically Black, United Methodist Church-related college offering baccalaureate degrees. The mission is to serve in the Christian tradition the educational, social, and cultural needs of its students—traditional and nontraditional—and to develop in them the desire and capacity for continuous intellectual and professional growth, leadership, and service to others. Institutional priorities in the mission of the College are teaching, research, community service and commitment to moral and personal values.
The College enrolls promising secondary school graduates and adult learners from diverse social, economic and educational backgrounds. Most of the students come from Florida; however, the College actively recruits students from the national and international communities. To enhance student life, the College provides well-rounded activities for all students in areas, such as, service and social organizations, religious programs, honor societies, major area clubs, intercollegiate athletics, and an intramural athletics program.
Bethune-Cookman College accomplishes its mission by providing excellent facilities, instruction, current technology, and support services for liberal arts, career oriented and continuing education programs. The College emphasizes teaching by continually adapting techniques to meet student needs and by providing support programs for faculty development.
Research is conducted and encouraged in order to enhance knowledge and to meet the challenges of a changing world. The College has deep roots in the social history of America and continues to provide services to the broader community through its on-and-off campus outreach programs.
(Approved by the full Board of Trustees, 9/06/2001)
Sociology focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. It includes instruction in social theory, research methods, social organization, dynamics of social change, family structures, and social problems among other areas.
Sociology majors are valued for their keen understanding of diverse groups; of facilitating social change in communities, organizations, and individuals, and; of knowing how to empower others to become change agents by applying the sociological perspective to a wide variety of jobs in such sectors as business, the health professions, the criminal justice system, social services, and government.
The Sociology Program prepares students with a B.A. degree for entry-level positions in the employment sectors as indicated below by the American Sociological Association:
Additionally, many sociology majors pursue graduate studies in sociology and other areas, including public health, administration and program management, counseling, law, medicine, and divinity school. Higher degrees (i.e. a master's degree or doctorate degree) are essential for teaching as a college professor, becoming a research analyst or a clinical practitioner (such as a counselor).
Gerontology is the study of aging. It focuses on the human aging process, and human populations that are aging and aged. Gerontology uses the knowledge and methodologies of the social sciences, psychology, and biological and health sciences". Also, business management strategies are included to promote the students' interests and development in entrepreneurial skills.
The strength of the Gerontology Program is its multidisciplinary approach, based on standards and guidelines by the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education. Hence, at Bethune-Cookman College courses from sociology, psychology, political science, criminal justice, medical technology, nursing, business management and hospitality management are included in the course offerings. The program prepares students to develop a knowledge base on aging related issues, in addition to developing critical, analytical, and integrative thinking skills on these issues. Furthermore, the practicum supplements the students' classroom knowledge with professional practice skills on aging problems.
Scholarship awards and internship opportunities are two of the benefits that come with choosing gerontology as a major, minor, or certificate program.
Make no mistake, being a gerontology major does not mean that you will work in a nursing home. There are a variety of positions that you may seek in the rapidly growing sector of the aging services network, including positions in
Some graduates of gerontology programs provide direct care to older persons, however many others
The Gerontology Program prepares students for graduate study. With a master's or doctorate degree, some professionals work on behalf of the American population that is aging. Their activities include
