Medgar Evers College has the distinction of being one of the youngest senior colleges in The City University of New York. In the early 1960s, the Central Brooklyn community recognized the need and expressed a desire for a local public college.

                                                                   Through various community organizations including, but not limited to, the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council, and the NAACP, and through their local elected officials, the residents of Central Brooklyn approached the Board of Higher Education of the City of New York with this request. Members of the various community-based organizations constituted the Bedford-Stuyvesant Coalition on Educational Needs and Services, which served as the primary vehicle for interfacing with the Board of Higher Education. After many discussions and much involvement by community residents and the Coalition, the Board of Higher Education, on November 17, 1967, “approved the sponsorship of Community College Number VII, with the indication of an intention to admit students in the Fall of l969.”

On January 27, 1969, the Board approved the establishment of an “experimental four-year college of professional studies offering both career and transfer associate degrees and the baccalaureate degree, to be located in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, said college to be established in place of a previously approved but not started new Community College VII, and further directed that the City University Master Plan be amended accordingly.” This action was endorsed by the action of the Regents on March 20, 1970. On September 28, 1970, the Board of Higher Education approved the recommendation from the College’s Community Council that the name of the college should be Medgar Evers College, in honor of the martyred civil rights leader, Medgar Wiley Evers (1925-1963). In recognition of this, September 28th is observed as  “Founders’ Day” at Medgar Evers College.

At the announcement ceremony in December 1970, Mrs. Myrlie Evers presented a scroll that read “…In choosing the name of Medgar Evers, it is our hope that his ideals will inspire students and faculty of the college in their pursuit of truth as the surest path to human freedom and social justice.” In keeping with the civil rights leader’s legacy, the college remains a pillar of strength to the growing educational, economic, cultural, and social foundations of the central Brooklyn community and New York City. The Community Council continues to be a major impetus in the College’s development and growth. Now located in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, Medgar Evers is noted for its commitment to academic excellence and the educational development of the community in which it resides (The History of Medgar Evers College).

Medgar Evers is the only college in The City University of New York that was established by community advocacy. The college offers Associate’s and Bachelor’s degree programs in Arts, Science, Applied Science, and Business. Now in its 30th year, Medgar Evers College enrolls more than 4,500-degree students and over 7,000 continuing education students. Medgar Evers College is leading the way into the 21st century with a vision to create innovative academic programs that meet the demands of the changing workplace, to enhance teaching and learning, to expand research avenues, to promote student success and to establish linkages to the community.

Medgar Evers College students are provided superb support services for the varied programs. The Charles E. Inniss Memorial Library, which is located in the Bedford Avenue Building, contains approximately 150,000 volumes and 750 periodicals (including nine ethnic newspapers), encompassing all academic disciplines as well as advanced research in support of pluralism and cultural diversity. Special collections hold the South African Collection and the Porter Black Bibliography of the African American experience. A collection of microfilms of 40,000 titles includes the Schomburg Collection for Research in African American studies. Media Services houses more than 20,000 items of non-profit resources. Recreational facilities include a gymnasium and an Olympic-style swimming pool. An on-campus childcare center and nearby Head Start Program provide care for the children of Medgar Evers College students.