Bethune Cookman University was founded by Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune. It is located in the heart of daytona Beach, nestled amid park like acres. There are two roots that merged together to form this historical masterpiece of higher learning. The union between the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls, founded by Dr. Mary Mcleod Bethune, and the Cookman Collegiant Institut
e which was established in 1872 by Rev. Dr. Bethune's earlier years trained 5 Negro girls and paid each fifty-cents a week to attend school. In 1931, Bethune Cookman became a junior college and became affiliated with the United Methodist Church. In 1941, the Florida State Legilature approved Bethune Cookman College to become a four-rear liberal arts institution of higher learning. Relationships with private businesses and corporations give Bethune-Cookman University students access to careers that put them in the forefront of today's high technology industries. Alliances with Florida A&M Universiry and Georgia State University bring the college into a partnership which created FGAMP, a science, mathematics and engineering training program for pre-college students. Valuable data contributed by Bethune-Cookman researchers to community-based programs in entrepreneurial development, transportation, Florida tourism and African American history in Volusia county has enhanced research efforts and resources. The Home of Dr. Bethune, located on this campus, was declared a national historic landmark by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1975.
