Wiley University (formerly Wiley College) is a private historically black college in 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 one of the oldest predominantly black colleges west of the Mississippi River.^[2][3]

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, enrolled about 250. By fall of 2006, total enrollment was about 750. By fall of 2013, total enrollment reached over 1,000. Wiley is an open admissions college and about 96% of students receive some financial aid.^[4]

The college is known for its debate team. Over a 15-year period, Melvin B. Tolson's debate teams lost only one of 75 debates. Wiley's debate team competed against historically black colleges and earned national attention with its 1935 debate against University of Southern California's highly ranked debate team.^[5]

On November 3, 2023, Wiley College announced a name change back to Wiley University for the first time since 1929 with the establishment of a new graduate school program to be offered to students beginning in 2024.^[6]

Wiley University offers bachelor's degrees through four academic divisions.^[7]

• School of Business and Social Sciences
• School of Education and Sciences

As of January 2024, Wiley will offer master's degrees in three fields of study.^[8]

• Business Administration
• Criminal Justice
• Higher Education Administration

Wiley University, established in 1873 in Marshall, Texas, by the Freedmen’s Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.^[9][10] It is the oldest historically black college (or institute of higher education) west of the Mississippi River.^[9] It was started as both a college and high school.^[9]

In 1880, the campus was moved to a seventy-acre plot in downtown Marshall.^[9] The former campus location was in south Marshall, near the remaining Wiley College Cemetery.^[9] In 1888, Henry B. Pemberton was the first college graduate, he was awarded a B.A. degree.^[9]

F.C. Moore was the first president, and for the first twenty years the president and all the faculty and staff, were church missionaries and were White.^[9] The first African American president of Wiley University was Isaiah B. Scott, who served from 1893 until 1896; with his election he changed the institutions policy regarding the race of faculty and staff.^[9] In 1896, Scott became editor of the Southwest Christian Advocate, and Matthew Winfred Dogan replaced him as the president, a role he maintained until 1942.^[9]

In 1906 a fire destroyed five of the eleven buildings on campus, but they were rebuilt.^[9] In 1907, the president’s home and a library on campus were built by students, after president Dogan was able to secure a Carnegie Foundation grant.^[9] The library was open to the entire community of Marshall, and it was the only library until 1974.^[9] By 1929, the institution no longer supported a high school.^[9] During that same year, the university renamed itself as Wiley College.

Tony Scherman's article about the Wiley College debate team for the 1997 Spring issue of American Legacy sparked a renewed interest in its history.^[17] 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 the 2007 dramatic 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 Great Debaters).

In 2007, Denzel Washington announced a donation of $1 million to Wiley so the team could be re-established.^[18][19] The following year, The Great Debaters movie debuted, starring Washington; the college's debate team has taken this name, too.

In 2014, the 23-person team won 1st place at the Pi Kappa Delta Comprehensive National Tournament. This was the largest Pi Kappa Delta Tournament in their 101-year history. This was the first national speech and debate title won by an HBCU. Three years later, the college led the establishment of the first HBCU National Speech and Debate League.^[20] In 2018, Wiley hosted the first HBCU National Speech and Debate League Tournament.^[21]

The Wiley athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) since the 2022–23 academic year.^[22] The Wildcats previously competed in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) from 1998–99 to 2021–22. They were also a founding member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) from 1920–21 to 1967–68, which is currently an NCAA Division I FCS athletic conference.

Wiley competes in ten intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, track & field and volleyball. Wiley the Wildcat is the mascot. Former sports included cheerleading.

On January 20, 2022, Wiley received an invitation to join the GCAC, along with Oakwood University (from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)) and the return of Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), effective beginning in July 2022.^[22] The GCAC is an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA.

• Haywood L. Strickland Hall at Wiley College
• Julius S. Scott, Sr. Chapel at Wiley College
• Dogan Hall at Wiley College
• Thirkield Hall at Wiley College
• The Fred Thomas Long Student Union building at Wiley College