Grambling State University developed from the desire of African-American farmers in rural north Louisiana who wanted to educate other African Americans. In 1896, the North Louisiana Colored Agriculture Relief Association led by Lafayette Richmond was formed to organize and operate a school. After opening a small school west of what is now the town of Grambling, the Association requested assistance from
Booker T. Washington of
Tuskegee Institute in
Alabama.
Charles P. Adams, sent to aid the group in organizing an industrial school, became its founder and first president. Under Adams' leadership, the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School opened on November 1, 1901. Four years later, the school moved to its present location and was renamed as the North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School. By 1928, the school was able to offer two-year professional certificates and diplomas after becoming a state junior college. The school was renamed Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute. In 1936, the program was reorganized to emphasize rural education. It became known as "The Louisiana Plan" or "A Venture in Rural Teacher Education". Professional teaching certificates were awarded when a third year was added in 1936, and the first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1944 in elementary education. The institution's name was changed to Grambling College in 1946 in honor of a white sawmill owner, P. G. Grambling, who donated a parcel of land for the school. Thereafter, the college prepared secondary teachers and added curricula in sciences, liberal arts and business. With these programs in effect, the school was transformed from a single purpose institution of teacher education into a multi-purpose college. In 1949, the college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Grambling science building is one of twenty-six public structures in Louisiana constructed by the prominent contractor
George A. Caldwell. In 1974, the addition of graduate programs in education allowed the college to be granted university status under its present name, Grambling State University. From 1977 to 2000, the university grew and prospered. Several new academic programs were incorporated. New facilities were added to the campus, including a business and computer science building, school of nursing, student services building, stadium, stadium support facility, and an intramural sports center. In May 1999,
President Clinton served as the commencement keynote speaker.
State Representative George B. Holstead of Ruston worked to increase state appropriations for Grambling State University during his legislative tenure from 1964 to 1980. On December 7, 2010, the
Grambling State University Historic District, an area comprising 16 buildings dating from 1939 to 1960, was added to the
National Register of Historic Places. In 2019, Grambling broke ground for building of the first
digital library on a HBCU campus. The $16.6 million project was completed in 2024.
Presidents • Charles P. Adams (1901–1936) – first president of the university •
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones • Joseph Benjamin Johnson • Harold W. Lundy • Raymond Hicks • Leonard Haynes III • Steve A. Favors • Neari Francois Warner – first female president. • Horace Judson • Frank Pogue • Cynthia S. Warrick • Willie Larkin • Richard J. Gallot, Jr. – first GSU alumnus to serve as president • Martin Lemelle – current president and GSU alumnus ==Academics==