Tennessee State University is a public, state-supported institution of higher learning in Nashville. In 1909, the state of Tennessee founded the university as the Agriculture and Industrial State Normal School under the Second Morrill Act of 1890. This act granted public lands and money to support agricultural or mechanical education. The school opened in 1912 as an institution of higher learning for African Americans. It earned university status in 1951. The University of Tennessee at Nashville merged with Tennessee State University in 1979 because of a court order to increase accessibility to the higher education system in Tennessee for all races.
The university’s athletic teams are called the Tigers. Well-known graduates of Tennessee State University include Olympic athletes Wilma Rudolph and Wyomia Tyus and television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey.
The university’s website at https://www.tnstate.edu/ offers additional information.
