; Whereas, in 1893, the University established the second branch of the University, named Virginia Collegiate and Industrial Institute, in Lynchburg, Virginia; Whereas, becoming fully accredited in 1925, the University established a strong record in academics, sports, and the promotion of an appreciation for African-American history and culture; Whereas the University moved to the present location of the University in northeast Baltimore, and, on the recommendation of the Commission on Higher Education of Negroes in Maryland, which was appointed by the State Legislature, was purchased by the State of Maryland and renamed Morgan State College, thereby becoming the second of only 2 public State-supported liberal arts colleges in Maryland; Whereas the University featured a distinguished faculty, expanded the facilities, and developed an outstanding undergraduate curriculum that led the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, an accrediting agency, to declare the undergraduate curriculum of the University a model liberal arts program; Whereas the graduate program of the University was established in 1965 and the first master’s degree from the University was awarded in 1967; Whereas, in 1975, the University was granted university status by the Maryland General Assembly and was authorized to offer a doctoral degree; Whereas, in 1983, the first doctoral degree from the University was awarded; Whereas, in 2004, the choir of the University was declared “The Best College Choir in the United States” by Reader’s Digest; Whereas, in 2007, after a period of phenomenal growth and achievement in academic programs, research, external grants, and public service—an era that many call the Morgan Renaissance—the University was reclassified by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education as a doctoral research university