[2] Soon, the proposed mission was expanded to offer courses and programs at college, high school and even preparatory levels, to both men and women.
The school was named in commemoration of Francis Wayland, former president of Brown University and a leader in the anti-slavery struggle.
The first president was George Mellen Prentiss King,[citation needed] an abolitionist, who administered Wayland for 30 years (1867–1897).
[6] During the 1890s plans were pushed forward to merge several ABHMS institutions into one university, and by 1899 it was agreed that Wayland Seminary and Richmond Theological Seminary would come together to form Virginia Union University (VUU) in Richmond and land for a new campus was purchased.
Students at Wayland between 1867 and 1897 included a number of individuals who became famous African American citizens of the United States.