History of the Pennsylvania State University
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania State University was founded on February 22, 1855 by act P.L.46, No.50 of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania. Centre County
became the home of the new school when James Irvin of Bellefonte
donated 200 acres (809,000 m²) of land. In 1861, Penn State graduated its first class, marking the first graduates of a baccalaureate program at an American agricultural college. On May 1, 1862, the school's name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania, and with the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Act
, Pennsylvania selected the school in 1863 to be the state's sole land grant college. In the following years, enrollment fell as the school tried to balance purely agricultural studies with a more classic education, falling to 64 undergraduates in 1875, a year after the school's name changed once again to the Pennsylvania State College.
During this period, the college was financed by tuition and the sale of the land scrip which Pennsylvania received from the Federal government under the Morrill Act. The state did not appropriate funds for the maintenance of the college until 1887. However, the Legislature appropriated $50,000 to complete Old Main in 1860. in 1873, Rebecca Hannah Ewing became the college's first woman graduate.
George W. Atherton
became president of the school in 1882, and began working to broaden the school's curriculum. He commissioned Reber to expand the mechanical arts program, who in 1884 propsed the construction of a building dedicated to the teaching of mechanic arts and filled it with carpentry and metalworking equipment obtained primarily through the donations of local industry. In 1886, the board of trustees approved the creation of a department of mechanical engineering
. Shortly after, Penn State became one of the ten largest engineering schools in the nation. Atherton also expanded the liberal arts and agriculture programs, and as a result, was rewarded with regular appropriations from the state beginning in 1887. For this, Atherton is widely credited of saving Penn State from bankruptcy
, and is still honored today by the name of a major road in State College
and its suburbs, Atherton Street. Contrary to popular belief, Atherton Hall is not named after President Atherton but his wife Frances Atherton. Atherton's grave rests near Old Main
, the University Park
campus's central administration building, and is marked by an engraved marble
block resting in front of his statue.
to give an alternative to Depression
-era students who were economically unable to leave home to attend college.
, to be its President, and he served for six years. In 1953, the school's name changed to The Pennsylvania State University. Eisenhower's older brother delivered the Commencement address in June 1955. In 1955, Penn State dedicated its nuclear reactor, the second in the nation to be operated on a college campus. Under Eisenhower's successor, Dr. Eric A. Walker
, the university developed rapidly. Under his leadership, which lasted from 1956–1970, the university added hundreds of acres of surrounding land, and nearly tripled enrollment to 40,000.
In 1963, the Hershey Trust
offered Penn State $50 million gift to establish a new a Hershey Medical Center, a college of medicine and hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania
. Penn State's College of Medicine opened its doors to its first class of students in 1967, and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center accepted the first patients in 1970.
In 1965, Penn State began operating its educational television station, WPSX-TV.
institution, like the University of Pittsburgh
, Temple University
, and Lincoln University
. As such, it belongs to the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
.
In recent years, Penn State's role as a leader in education in Pennsylvania has become well-defined. In 1989, the Pennsylvania College of Technology
in Williamsport
affiliated with the University, and in 1997, as did the Dickinson School of Law
in Carlisle
. Following a controversy as to whether the School of Law would relocate to the main campus, the school is co-located in both cities, with teleconferencing facilities allowing both campuses to share classes. In 2000, Penn State's endowment reached $1 billion. Currently, the university is the largest in Pennsylvania, and in 2003, it was credited with having the largest impact on the state economy of any organization, generating over $6 billion for the state on a budget of $2.5 billion. Even so, limited growth in state appropriations to the university has left the college as ranked with the lowest direct state appropriations per student in the Big Ten
. The university has turned to philanthropy to replace state funding, with 2003 marking the end of the Grand Destiny campaign – a 7-year effort which raised over $1.3 billion for the University.
In 2004, Penn State started celebrating its 150th anniversary, since 2005 marks the University's sesquicentennial.
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
became the home of the new school when James Irvin of Bellefonte
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Bellefonte is a borough in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It lies about twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area...
donated 200 acres (809,000 m²) of land. In 1861, Penn State graduated its first class, marking the first graduates of a baccalaureate program at an American agricultural college. On May 1, 1862, the school's name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania, and with the passage of the Morrill Land-Grant Act
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...
, Pennsylvania selected the school in 1863 to be the state's sole land grant college. In the following years, enrollment fell as the school tried to balance purely agricultural studies with a more classic education, falling to 64 undergraduates in 1875, a year after the school's name changed once again to the Pennsylvania State College.
During this period, the college was financed by tuition and the sale of the land scrip which Pennsylvania received from the Federal government under the Morrill Act. The state did not appropriate funds for the maintenance of the college until 1887. However, the Legislature appropriated $50,000 to complete Old Main in 1860. in 1873, Rebecca Hannah Ewing became the college's first woman graduate.
President Atherton
| Past Penn State Presidents | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tenure |
| Evan Pugh Evan Pugh Evan Pugh was the first president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1859 until his death from cholera in 1864. An agricultural chemist, he was responsible for securing Penn State's designation in 1863 as a land-grant institution under the Morrill Land Grant Act... |
1859–1864 |
| William Henry Allen | 1864–1866 |
| John Fraser | 1866–1868 |
| Thomas Henry Burrowes Thomas Henry Burrowes Thomas Henry Burrowes was the fourth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1868 until 1871. He also served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1835 until 1839. He also served as the ninth Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania... |
1868–1871 |
| James Calder | 1871–1880 |
| Joseph Shortlidge Joseph Shortlidge Joseph Shortlidge was the sixth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from July 1880 until April 1881. He was born in 1832.-References:*... |
1880–1881 |
| James Y. McKee James Y. McKee James Y. McKee was acting President of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from the resignation of Joseph Shortlidge in 1881 until 1882.-References:*... † |
1881–1882 |
| George W. Atherton George W. Atherton George Washington Atherton was president of the Pennsylvania State University from 1882 until his death in 1906. He earned a degree from Yale in 1863 and taught at universities such as the University of Illinois and Rutgers before accepting the position of president at Penn State... |
1882–1906 |
| James A. Beaver James A. Beaver James Addams Beaver was an American politician who served as the 20th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1887 to 1891... † |
1906–1908 |
| Edwin Erle Sparks Edwin Erle Sparks Edwin Erle Sparks was the eighth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1908 until 1920.-Biography:... |
1908–1920 |
| John Martin Thomas | 1921–1925 |
| Ralph Dorn Hetzel Ralph Dorn Hetzel Ralph Dorn Hetzel was the tenth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1927 until 1947... |
1927–1947 |
| James Milholland James Milholland James Milholland was acting President of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from the death of Ralph Dorn Hetzel in 1947 until 1950.-References:*... † |
1947–1950 |
| Milton S. Eisenhower Milton S. Eisenhower Milton Stover Eisenhower, served as president of three major American universities: Kansas State University, the Pennsylvania State University, and the Johns Hopkins University. He was the younger brother of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Edgar N. Eisenhower, and Earl D... |
1950–1956 |
| Eric A. Walker Eric A. Walker Eric Arthur Walker born April 29, 1910 in Long Eaton, England, died February 17, 1995 was president of Penn State University from 1956 to 1970 and founding member of the National Academy of Engineering.Dr... |
1956–1970 |
| John W. Oswald | 1970–1983 |
| Bryce Jordan Bryce Jordan Bryce Jordan was the fourteenth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1983 until 1990. Prior to that he served as interim president of the University of Texas at Austin from 1970 to 1971 and as first president of The University of Texas at Dallas from 1971 to 1981.During... |
1983–1990 |
| Joab Thomas Joab Thomas Joab Langston Thomas was born on February 14, 1933 in Holt, Alabama. Thomas grew up in Russellville, Alabama. His father was the town's superintendent of education, his mother was a music teacher... |
1990–1995 |
| Graham Spanier Graham Spanier Graham B. Spanier is an American academic, who served as the 16th president of the Pennsylvania State University from September 1, 1995, until he was forced to resign on November 9, 2011, in the aftermath of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal... |
1995–2011 |
| † denotes acting president | |
George W. Atherton
George W. Atherton
George Washington Atherton was president of the Pennsylvania State University from 1882 until his death in 1906. He earned a degree from Yale in 1863 and taught at universities such as the University of Illinois and Rutgers before accepting the position of president at Penn State...
became president of the school in 1882, and began working to broaden the school's curriculum. He commissioned Reber to expand the mechanical arts program, who in 1884 propsed the construction of a building dedicated to the teaching of mechanic arts and filled it with carpentry and metalworking equipment obtained primarily through the donations of local industry. In 1886, the board of trustees approved the creation of a department of mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. Shortly after, Penn State became one of the ten largest engineering schools in the nation. Atherton also expanded the liberal arts and agriculture programs, and as a result, was rewarded with regular appropriations from the state beginning in 1887. For this, Atherton is widely credited of saving Penn State from bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, and is still honored today by the name of a major road in State College
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is the largest borough in Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Centre County. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 42,034, and roughly double...
and its suburbs, Atherton Street. Contrary to popular belief, Atherton Hall is not named after President Atherton but his wife Frances Atherton. Atherton's grave rests near Old Main
Old Main (Pennsylvania State University)
Old Main, originally called "Main Building" is The Pennsylvania State University’s first building of major significance. It was completed in 1863 after a six-year period of construction. Hugh McAllister designed the structure to contain classrooms, laboratories, offices, a chapel, and residential...
, the University Park
University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....
campus's central administration building, and is marked by an engraved marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
block resting in front of his statue.
Early 20th Century
In the years that followed, Penn State grew significantly, becoming the state's largest source of baccalaureate degrees and reaching an enrollment of 5,000 in 1936. Around this time, Commonwealth campuses were started by President Ralph HetzelRalph Dorn Hetzel
Ralph Dorn Hetzel was the tenth president of the Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1927 until 1947...
to give an alternative to Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
-era students who were economically unable to leave home to attend college.
Mid 20th Century
In 1950 Penn State hired Milton Eisenhower, who was the President of Kansas State UniversityKansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, to be its President, and he served for six years. In 1953, the school's name changed to The Pennsylvania State University. Eisenhower's older brother delivered the Commencement address in June 1955. In 1955, Penn State dedicated its nuclear reactor, the second in the nation to be operated on a college campus. Under Eisenhower's successor, Dr. Eric A. Walker
Eric A. Walker
Eric Arthur Walker born April 29, 1910 in Long Eaton, England, died February 17, 1995 was president of Penn State University from 1956 to 1970 and founding member of the National Academy of Engineering.Dr...
, the university developed rapidly. Under his leadership, which lasted from 1956–1970, the university added hundreds of acres of surrounding land, and nearly tripled enrollment to 40,000.
In 1963, the Hershey Trust
Hershey Trust Company
Hershey Trust Company was created in 1905, as Milton S. Hershey was organized to create the Milton Hershey School. In 1909, when he founded the school, Hershey appointed the Trust as administrator of the school trust...
offered Penn State $50 million gift to establish a new a Hershey Medical Center, a college of medicine and hospital in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
. Penn State's College of Medicine opened its doors to its first class of students in 1967, and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center accepted the first patients in 1970.
In 1965, Penn State began operating its educational television station, WPSX-TV.
Modern Years
In the 1970s, The Pennsylvania State University became a state-relatedCommonwealth System of Higher Education
The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is the organizing body of Pennsylvania's "state-related" schools, which allows the independent control of the universities while supplying them with the public funds needed for operations at each institution. Universities in the System are considered...
institution, like the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
, and Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...
. As such, it belongs to the Commonwealth System of Higher Education
Commonwealth System of Higher Education
The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is the organizing body of Pennsylvania's "state-related" schools, which allows the independent control of the universities while supplying them with the public funds needed for operations at each institution. Universities in the System are considered...
.
In recent years, Penn State's role as a leader in education in Pennsylvania has become well-defined. In 1989, the Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology
Pennsylvania College of Technology, or Penn College, is a public college located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, affiliated with The Pennsylvania State University. As an applied technology college, the school offers certificate, associate and baccalaureate degree programs in more than 100 fields of...
in Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
affiliated with the University, and in 1997, as did the Dickinson School of Law
Dickinson School of Law
Penn State University Dickinson School of Law is the law school of The Pennsylvania State University...
in Carlisle
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
. Following a controversy as to whether the School of Law would relocate to the main campus, the school is co-located in both cities, with teleconferencing facilities allowing both campuses to share classes. In 2000, Penn State's endowment reached $1 billion. Currently, the university is the largest in Pennsylvania, and in 2003, it was credited with having the largest impact on the state economy of any organization, generating over $6 billion for the state on a budget of $2.5 billion. Even so, limited growth in state appropriations to the university has left the college as ranked with the lowest direct state appropriations per student in the Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. The university has turned to philanthropy to replace state funding, with 2003 marking the end of the Grand Destiny campaign – a 7-year effort which raised over $1.3 billion for the University.
In 2004, Penn State started celebrating its 150th anniversary, since 2005 marks the University's sesquicentennial.