Edward Waters College is now Edward Waters University

President A. Zachary Faison announces the name change on June 30, 2021. Courtesy of WJCT News.

Edward Waters College is being renamed Edward Waters University following its new accreditation that will allow it to have master’s programs.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) has upgraded EWU’s accreditation to allow them to have master’s degree programs, said EWU President A. Zachary Faison. The school also had its batechloreate accreditation fully reaffirmed, a process all schools under SACS-COC must undergo every five years.

“So now, EWU is my HBCU,” Faison said.

Edward Waters University’s new logo. Courtesy of Edward Waters University.

Edward Waters University was first opened in 1865 under the name Brown Theological Institute. It was Florida’s first historically black college as the first institution established for the education of African Americans. It is also the state’s oldest independent institution of higher learning.

EWU will begin offering its first master’s degree program, an online MBA program, starting this Fall. Applications for the program are currently open.

Article originally published at wjct.org by Tristan Wood. Tristan can be reached at newsteam@wjct.org or on Twitter at TristanDWood.