EWC in Jacksonville is now Edward Waters University

Photo from news conference June 6, 2021.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Edward Waters College in Jacksonville -- Florida’s first historically Black college -- became Edward Waters University on Wednesday.

“It’s exhilarating,” said EWU president A. Zachary Faison. “This has been a long time coming, and so, we are just excited and ecstatic to have reached this historic milestone in the prestigious history or our institution.”

Notably, EWU will begin offering its first master’s degree program starting during the fall semester. It’s an online MBA program, and applications are being accepted.

Also on Wednesday, EWU announced that its baccalaureate-level accreditation was renewed until 2025.

The school has been around since 1865, when it was known as Brown Theological Institute. It’s home to nearly 1,000 full-time students, according to its website.

It’s opening up a new stadium in the fall. An announcement about the school’s athletic program is expected in the coming weeks.