ISU history
From Rofflehaus
Iowa State University is nearing it's sesquicentennial in 2008 and has considerable history in its 150 years. In those years, ISU has grown from its initial enrollment of 253 students in 1869 to 26,380 in 2004 and from two buildings in 1864 to over 160 today in 2005.
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[edit] Founding of the university
Action started in 1848 to start an agricultural college. The Iowa General Assembly (IGA) requested Congress to grant the use of Fort Atkinson (Winneshiek county) buildings and land for use as an agricultural college. Unfortunately (fortunately?), nothing resulted from this request.
Then, on December 28, 1853 the Iowa State Agricultural Society (ISAS) was formed; the founders were interested in agricultural education. In 1854, the ISAS petitioned the IGA for $1,000 be given annually to disseminate agricultural information throughout the state and to fund agricultural research.
Finally, on March 29, 1858, Governor James Lowe approved a bill for a state agricultural college and farm. This act put the college under an 11 member — one per judical district — Board of Trustees (including the governor and president of the ISAS as ex officio members) and inluded an appropriation of $10,000. After their first meeting on December 10, 1859, the Board issued notice for purchase of land for the college. Proposals were recevied from six counties: Johnson, Kossuth, Marshall, Polk, Story, and (unknown county). The land was chosen on June 21, 1859 in Story county. The land was a 648 acre farm and cost $5,374 and was just west of the village of Ames.
A celebration took place on July 4, 1859 on the north-west side of campus between where the Armory and cemetery are located; a rock marks the spot and is shown to the right.
In 1860, an attempt was made to repeal the appropriation, which failed, due to tight finances and the onset of the Civil War.
[edit] Land-grant university
After Justin Morrill proposed the Morrill Act of 1862, Iowa accepted the provisions in a special session on September 11, 1862; Iowa was the first state to do so. The act granted 240,000 acres of Federal land. The seemingly odd amount of land comes from the allocation of 30,000 acres per congressional representative (7 USC 301) and after the 1860 census Iowa had 2 senators and 6 representatives for a total count of 8 congressional representatives.
The lands were put to use by leasing them at 8% at a value of $1.50 to $3.00 per acre. By 1914, the principle amounted to $686,817.97 and resulted in an income of $35,191.86.
The first college building (second to Farm House Museum) was 5 stories high, 156 feet long, and 70 feet wide and could house 200 students and the required number of professors. The legislature appropriated $20,000 in 1864; $91,000 in 1866; and $50,000 in 1870. The first $111,000 was for construction and the last $50,000 was for extending this first building. Additionally, $47,750 was appropriated for small buildings, farm expenses, etc. in 1868 and in 1870 $5,000 for a chemical and physical laboratory; $5,000 for a workshop; and $4,500 for professors' houses were also appropriated. As of 1886, the 900 acre farm now had buildings for:
- Administration
- Agriculture
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Creamery
- Domestic economic
- Engineering
- Horticulture
- Physics
- Veterinary medicine
- Workshop
- Zoology
Tuition was to be free to those 14+ years of age and whom had been in the state for the six months previous to their admission. This was later (1883) increased to 16+ years of age. Today, this is clearly not the case.
[edit] Initial open years
- purpose: ...to make proficients in the sciences which underlie the various branches of industry and by manual labor to produce experts in all its various applications to the operations of the gardner, farm, and workshop.
The State Agricultural College and Model Farm opened for the admission of students on March 17, 1869 for the 253 enrolled students. The first president was Adonijah Welch (1868 – 1883) whom was very interested in agriculture and, being a very adept speaker, was asked to speak at farmers' meetings. When he was apponted, the Civil War had just ended, and Welch was serving a separate appointment to one of Florida's newly-reinstated seats in the United States Senate. So Welch's term as president was interrupted from October 21, 1868 through March 15, 1869, during which time Adonijah Welch fulfilled his duties as Florida's Senator and George Jones served as acting president.
In the first year, 59 men & 21 women were in prepatory classes while 97 men and 76 men were in freshman classes. The academic year started in February, with a few days of vacation in July, and ended in October. The recession of classes
Initially, the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts offered only two degrees — agriculture and mechanic arts — which are coincidentally! in the name.
The agricultural faculty consisted of:
- Norton Townsend, professor of agriculture and horticulture
- Adonijah Welch, professor of landscape gardening
and in 1870:
- James Mathews, professor of pomology
- Charles Bessey, instructor in botany and horticulture
- Mathews, Welch, and Isaac Roberts filled in the duties of the vacant professorship
Roberts was granted professorship in 1871 but left in 1873 for Cornell University. By 1871, the campus faculty grew to 13 professors and assistants with 220 students:
- 147 freshman
- 40 sophomore
- 33 juniors
By 1872, there were 265 students and the class of 1872 had 26 graduates:
- 17 agriculture
- 8 mechanic arts
- 1 women's course
The first advanced degree was awarded in 1877. Also in 1877, veterinary science became its own school after being separated from agriculture. This led to separation into the following schools:
- Agriculture
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Civil engineering
- Domestic economy
- Horticulture
- Literature and language
- Mathematics and physics
- Mechanical engineering and architecture
- Philosophy
- Veterinary science
which was then modified in 1883 to be agriculture, engineering, industrial sciences, and veterinary science. Except for home economics, these are the foundings of the five colleges that made up VEISHEA.
[edit] VEISHEA
In 1922, VEISHEA got its start when professor Frank Paine, Department of General Engineering, coined the acronym from the five colleges at the time:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Engineering
- Idustrial Science
- Home Economics
- Agriculture
Prior to VEISHEA was Excursion Day and May Day.
To no surprise, the first celebration was nowhere near the level of celebration as it has become in recent years. Specifically, the first celebration had:
- Horse-drawn parade
- A horse show
- Home Economics open house
- A sham battle
- Vaudeville
- The VEISHEA queens
The second celebration, in 1923, added a carnival, fortune tellers, and raffles for a miniature Campanile and was held in the field south of State Gymnasium (now home of Eaton and Martin Halls).
In 1937, the VEISHEA queen crossed Lake LaVerne in a gondola. In the same year, a fountain was presented to president Charles Friley. This fountain was replaced in 1940 by a Christian Petersen sculpture, the Fountain of the Four Seasons, after students would place a toilet seat on the fountain and call it a "giant bidet."
In 1940, Stars Over VEISHEA premiered with students singing and dancing under the stars. Though, the singing and dancing itself started in 1923 but wasn't held under the night sky.
1941 saw a request to abolish VEISHEA, but was quickly withdrawn a week later.
President Ronald Reagan, then only an actor, was the 1958 grand marshal. In the following year, Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts became Iowa State University of Science and Technology (it's current name).
During the early hours of April 20, 1997, the front lawn of Adelante saw the stabbing of Uri Sellers by Michael Runyan. The following VEISHEA was declared alcohol-free by president Martin Jischke.
1988 and 1992 marked the first two of three riots during VEISHEA. A Taste of VEISHEA was created for 1993 in response to the second riot. The third riot, on April 18, 2004, was severe enough to cause the cancellation of VEISHEA for 2005. After "careful" consideration, VEISHEA will be returning in 2006. 2005 was the first year that VEISHEA wasn't held since before it's start in 1922.
[edit] More
Need to fill in the history from 1883 onward.
