Our History

Southgate University was founded in 1894 as Southgate Normal College, established by a coalition of Averton civic and religious leaders to train teachers for Ohio's growing rural school system. From its first class of 47 students, the college was coeducational, admitting men and women on equal terms from its founding, an unusual commitment for the era.

The college expanded steadily in the early twentieth century, adding programs in the liberal arts and sciences beyond its original teacher-training mission. In 1927, reflecting its broader academic ambitions, the institution was renamed Southgate University, and it granted its first bachelor's degrees outside of education the following year.

The decades after World War II brought rapid growth, as returning veterans and a rising regional population drove enrollment past 2,000 for the first time. The university added its College of Engineering in 1958 and its business school, later named for benefactor Walter Templin, in 1966. The School of Nursing followed in 1974, responding to regional healthcare workforce needs.

Today, Southgate enrolls approximately 9,400 students across five colleges and has developed a reputation for combining a strong liberal arts core with practical, career-connected programs. Under the leadership of President Marianne Okafor, the university has expanded its research profile, its sustainability commitments, and its ties to the city of Averton, while remaining true to the founding mission of preparing capable, ethical graduates.