Langston University (LU) is a public land-grant historically black university in Langston, Oklahoma. It is the only historically black college in the state. Though located in a rural setting east of Guthrie, Langston also serves an urban mission, with University Centers in both Tulsa (at the same campus as the OSU-Tulsa facility) and Oklahoma City, and a nursing program in Ardmore. The university is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History The school was founded in 1897 and was known as the Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University. From 1898 to 1916 its president was Inman E. Page. Langston University was created as a result of the second Morrill Act in 1890. The law required states with land-grant colleges (such as Oklahoma State University, then known as Oklahoma A&M) to either admit African Americans, or provide an alternative school for them to attend as a condition of receiving federal funds. The university was renamed as Langston University in 1941 in honor of John Mercer Langston (1829–1897), civil rights pioneer, first African-American member of Congress from Virginia, founder of the Howard University Law School, and American consul-general to Haiti. Through the years, Langston University has developed slowly but surely. Some of the most serious problems have been political influences, financial stress, and lack of adequate space and equipment. During the 1960s, the campus underwent a complete makeover. New buildings appeared, and additions were made to the library and auditorium. Poet Melvin B. Tolson taught at Langston from 1947 until 1964. Tolson was portrayed by Denzel Washington in the film The Great Debaters. In August 2021, university President Kent J. Smith Jr. announced the university would use COVID-19 relief money to forgive the debt of students enrolled between spring 2020 and summer 2021, forgiving $4.65 million in student debt. Academics Six schools house the degree programs of Langston University: Agriculture and Applied Sciences; Arts and Sciences; Business; Education and Behavioral Science; Nursing and Health Professions; and Physical Therapy. A total of 29 undergraduate and six graduate degree programs are offered at LU. The university offers the Edwin P. McCabe Honors Program for highly motivated undergraduate students with exceptional academic records. The university was accredited with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in 2005. It is the university's only doctoral program and one of two DPT programs in the state. Langston University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Several