Wiley College

Summary

Wiley College is a four-year, private, historically black, liberal arts college located on the west side of Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is notable as one of the oldest predominantly black colleges west of the Mississippi River.[1][2]

In 2005–2006, on-campus enrollment approached 450, while an off-campus program in Shreveport, Louisiana, for students with some prior college credits who seek to finish a degree, was about 250. As of the fall of 2006, total enrollment was about 750. And for the fall of 2009, total enrollment approximated 1200. Wiley is an open admissions college and about 96 percent of students receive some amount of financial aid.[3]

The Wiley staff learned that over a 15-year period, Tolson’s teams lost only one of 75 debates. The Wiley Forensic Society competed against historically black colleges, but earned national attention with its debates against the University of Southern California and Harvard University.[1]

U.S. Civil Rights movement

Wiley, along with Bishop College, was instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement in Texas. Wiley and Bishop students launched the first sit-ins in Texas in the rotunda of the Old Harrison County Courthouse.

James L. Farmer, Jr., son of James L. Farmer, Sr., graduated from Wiley and became one of the "Big Four" of the Civil Rights Movement. Together with Roy Wilkins, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Whitney M. Young Jr., James L. Farmer, Jr. helped organize the first sit-ins and Freedom Rides in the United States.[4][5]

Debate Team

An article written about the Wiley College debate team by Tony Scherman for the 1997 Spring issue of American Legacy sparked a renewed interest in the History of the Wiley College debate team.[6] The success of the 1935 Wiley College debate team, coached by professor and poet Melvin Tolson, was the subject of a 2005 AMS Pictures documentary The Great Debaters, The Real Great Debaters of Wiley College which received heavy play around Texas followed by 2007 movie The Great Debaters, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. In 1935, the Wiley College debate team defeated the reigning national debate champion, the University of Southern California (depicted as Harvard University in the movie The Great Debaters). In 2007, Denzel Washington announced a donation of $1 million USD to Wiley so the team could be re-established.[7][8]

The Wiley College Debate Team, now also known as the Melvin B. Tolson/Denzel Washington Forensics Society of Wiley College, is currently under the direction of Dr. Shannon LaBove. The purpose of The Wiley College Debate Team is not only to compete at a national and regional level, but also to instill a strong work ethic, a drive for academic excellence and a spirit of ethical competition in our student leaders.[9]

In the 2009–2010 season the Wiley Debate Team continued to win a plethora of awards and achievements at many of the tournaments covering the Texas and Louisana regions. One of the most historical tournament for the team was the Western Round-Up Swing at McNeese State University on November 20–22, 2009. This was a history making tournament as then two-year old Wiley College Forensic Team won their first overall tournament trophy.[10]

The team was nationally ranked fourth in Debate at the 2010 Pi Kappa Delta National Tournament—the same national tournament the team was denied participation at over seventy-five years ago. Captain Sean Allen and Member Terrance Muse received first place in Duo Interpretation. Captain Caress Russell received first place in Poetry Interpretation. Novice Members Tanreka Smith & Jendayi Douglas received third place in Novice Parliamentary Debate. Many other rewards of Excellence were rewarded to the team for Student Congress, Extemporous Speaking, and other various categories.[11]

The team provides the public with honors and reward updates as well as current schedule on their website(http://www.wileyc.edu/wileydebaters/default.asp).