DOGAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
DOGAN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Our namesake: Dr. Matthew Dogan
Dr. Dogan was elected as the second black President of Wiley College, and served in this capacity for more than 46 years. Under his administration, the school chalked up many enviable “firsts.” Among them were these:
One of the first persons to be elected to the Wiley College National Hall of Fame, Dr. Matthew Winfred Dogan, Sr. was born on December 21, 1863, in Pentetoe, Mississippi. He was the third child in a family of six children. His father was a barber who had purchased his own freedom in 1861 for $1400. In 1869, the family moved from Pentetoe to Holly Springs, Mississippi, in order to give the children advantage of the educational facilities at Rust University, then known as Shaw University
The College was one of the first, if not the first, to secure an endowment of any significant size; it had on its campus the finest library facilities in this section for a long time, serving both the College and the community. It had the only Carnegie Library in this section; The College introduced the practice of interracial student conferences in the state; it led out in educational reorganization program, divorcing college from the high school; it was the first Negro College in the Southwest to adopt the Honor Roll System.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Dogan Alumni Association is to perpetuate the legacy of excellence in educational and career achievements characteristic of the graduates of Matthew Dogan High School, so that the descendants will be motivated to pursue careers that will empower them socially, educationally and economically to make a positive impact in the communities in which they live.
Pledge
In order to cultivate uniqueness, we, the membership, of the Dogan Alumni Association, pledge to preserve an atmosphere of esteem, grandeur and reliance among one another at all times.