Crosby Hall is named for the first president of the university, John Oliver Crosby. It was constructed in 1970 with major renovations completed in 2005. Crosby Hall houses the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies and the television studio. The original Crosby Hall also known as the Mechanical Building was constructed in 1895.

This building is named for the second president of the university, James Benson Dudley. It was built in 1930 and occupied in February 15, 1931. The H. Clinton Taylor Art gallery and the Mattye Reed African Heritage Center are housed in Dudley.

The original Bluford Library building was built in 1955 and was the home of the library until 1991. The present library building dedicated on September 10, 1991 was named for the third president of the university, Ferdinand Douglass Bluford.

Named for the fourth president of the university, Warmoth Thomas Gibbs, this building was constructed in 1980 and houses the departments of history, political science, psychology, sociology and social work. The Graduate School founded in 1939 is also housed in Gibbs Hall.

This building was completed in 1981 and named for the sixth president and first chancellor of the university, Lewis Carnegie Dowdy. Many of the major administrative offices are housed in the Dowdy building.

This building constructed in 1953 was the home of the original Bluford Library from 1955 to 1991. Named for the eighth chancellor, Edward Bernard Fort, it is now the center for interdisciplinary research at the university.