10/3 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1904 – The Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute, now Bethune-Cookman University, opened in Daytona Beach on this date. The school was established by Mary McLeod Bethune, with five girls and $1.50 cash, in a rented cabin. In 1923 the school officially merged with the Cookman Institute for Boys, of Jacksonville. It became a junior college in 1931, attained full college status in 1941, and achieved university status in 2007 with the launch of a master’s degree program in transformative leadership. Bethune-Cookman University currently offers baccalaureate and master’s degrees in thirty-seven majors and disciplines.