Few institutions have embodied African-American history as completely as Wilberforce University. Established before the Civil War, the nation's oldest private Black college was a powerful focal point in the struggle for equality and served as a destination point on the Ohio Underground Railroad. Closed briefly during the Civil War, officials with the African Methodist Episcopal church brought Wilberforce back to life in 1863, purchasing it from the predominantly White Methodist Episcopal Church. That purchase made Wilberforce the first Black college to be owned and operated by African-Americans. Some years after its revival, Wilberforce would spin off two additional Black academic institutions, Central State University and Payne Theological Seminary. Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Wilberforce continues to showcase the viability and promise of the small private, historically Black college. The sesquicentennial anniversary comes at a time of uncertainty and financial hardship for many small Black institutions. Wilberforce itself only recently overcame arguably its largest financial crisis since the Civil War. This article describes how Wilberforce University has transformed from a financially troubled institution into a stable one.