Lincoln University (Lincoln U) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Jefferson City, Missouri. Founded in 1866 by African-American veterans of the American Civil War, it is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. This was the first black university in the state. In the fall 2021, the university enrolled 1,794 students. History During the Civil War, the 62nd Colored Infantry regiment of the U.S. Army, largely recruited in Missouri, set up educational programs for its soldiers. At the end of the war it raised $6,300 to set up a black school, headed by a white abolitionist officer, Richard Foster and founded by James Milton Turner, a student and protege of John Berry Meachum. Foster opened the Lincoln Institute in Jefferson City in 1866. Lincoln had a black student body, both black and white teachers, and outside support from religious groups. The state government provided $5,000 a year to train teachers for the state's new black school system. Under the Morrill Act of 1890, Missouri designated the school a land-grant university, emphasizing agriculture, mechanics and teaching. By 1921, the college had expanded to offer graduate programs and was officially designated a university by the state of Missouri. It changed its name to Lincoln University of Missouri. In 1954, it opened its doors to applicants of all ethnicities. It provides both undergraduate and graduate courses. On May 22, 2019, Jefferson City was hit by an EF-3 Tornado, causing significant damage to the historic President's Residence near the campus. In May 2021, Lincoln University President Jerald Woolfolk announced her plans to step down at the end of the current school year. Athletics Lincoln University athletic teams are the Blue Tigers. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 2010–11 academic year (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1970–71 to 1998–99, but later left because it had not had a football team since after the 1989 fall season). The Blue Tigers previously competed in the Heartland Conference, of which it was a founding conference member, from 1999–2000 to 2009–10. Lincoln competes in nine intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, football, golf and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, softball and track & field. The school revitalized its football program and re-entered