This is the history of Wiley College as printed on the college's Web site at www.wileyc.edu.

Wiley College has been a center of learning for African Americans and other minorities for one hundred and thirty years. The College was founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church and chartered by the Freedman's Aid Society in 1882, for the purpose of providing education to the "newly freed men" and preparing them for a new life. The College is currently affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Increasingly, students of other races, as well as international students, are finding Wiley College to be an attractive place to acquire a college education.

Since the selection of the site and initial planning of the buildings on which the College is located, the campus of Wiley College is now comprised of 17 permanent structures for teaching, learning, and research as well as residential housing for students. Wiley College is one of three institutions of higher learning situated in Marshall, which has an estimated population of 25,000 people and growing.

The school is located in Harrison County on 63 acres of land west of Marshall, Texas and between Dallas to the west and Shreveport to the east. This location offers access to the amenities of both cities and, at the same time, provides a perfect environment for students' learning and intellectual growth away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. A major airport is located in Shreveport, just thirty minutes away from the College. These phenomena contribute to the ability of students to learn and succeed.

Initially, the purpose of Wiley College was to focus mainly on training teachers for careers at black elementary and secondary schools. It has since grown from a vocational college to an institution that awards an Associate's degree and Bachelor's degrees in 17 disciplines including, English, biology, business, computer science, and social sciences, etc. Additionally, the College is recognized for providing higher education opportunities to non-traditional students through its Wiley Management Institute program. Wiley College is the first school in East Texas to issue laptop computers to its students and faculty; thus, the school adequately prepares its students for the marketplace. Wiley College students receive a quality education, are competitive, and certainly get their money's worth in dollar value. The school has one of the best student-faculty ratios in the nation. This enables the college to provide an individualized learning environment, where students are more than a number.

The success experienced at Wiley College as shown by its continued vitality is due largely to its able, visionary leaders, who value education and who are dedicated to raising the standard of living as well as elevating the spirit of humankind, particularly the disadvantaged of society, through education as an expression of their Christian faith.