History of Northwestern University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The history of Northwestern University can be traced back to a May 31, 1850 meeting of nine prominent Chicago businessmen who shared a desire to establish a university to serve the Northwest Territories. On January 28, 1851, the Illinois General Assembly granted a charter to the Trustees of the Northwestern University making it the first recognized university in Illinois.^[1][2] While the original founders were devout Methodists and affiliated the university with Methodist Episcopal Church, they were committed to non-sectarian admissions.^[3]

As a private university that had to raise funds for construction, Northwestern sold $100 "perpetual scholarships" that entitled the purchaser and his heirs to free tuition.^[4] John Evans purchased 379 acres (1.5 km²) of land along Lake Michigan in 1853 and the first building, Old College, opened on November 5, 1855. Northwestern admitted its first female students in 1869. With the establishment of the Graduate School in 1910, Northwestern followed the German university model of combining graduate and undergraduate programs, and emphasizing teaching along with research.^[5]

Contents 1 Foundation 2 Early years (1855–1905) 2.1 Symbols 2.2 Student activities 2.3 Athletics 3 Continued expansion (1905–1945) 4 Post-war transition (1945–1995) 5 Modern era (1995– ) 6 References 7 External links 8 Further reading

[edit] Foundation

On May 31, 1850 John Evans, Grant Goodrich, Henry W. Clark, Andrew Brown, Orrington Lunt, Jabez Botsford, Richard Haney, Richard H. Blanchard, and Zodoc Hall met in a law office above a hardware store at 69 West Lake Street in Chicago and resolved that "the interests of sanctified learning require the immediate establishment of a university in the Northwest under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church."^[6][7] Goodrich was adept in drafting the charter and lobbying the legislature which passed the charter on January 28, 1851, making Northwestern the first university in Illinois.^[3][2] Constituted as the "Trustees of the Northwestern University," Evans and Lunt initially each donated $5,000 to endow the university which permitted them to purchase 16 lots on the northeast corner of Jackson Boulevard and LaSalle Street for $8,000 as a potential site for the campus.^[3]

In June 1853, the trustees committed to raising $200,000 in part by selling "perpetual scholarships." These scholarships, purchased in four installments of $25, entitled the purchaser and his male heirs (after the university became coeducational, female heirs were also recognized) to free tuition in perpetuity and were sold until 1867. The University also sold less-expensive limited term "transferable" scholarships guaranteeing a certain number of years of free tuition. While Northwestern still recognizes the scholarship, only one one family member per generation is entitled to the scholarship and it must be specifically bequeathed to a descendant.^[4]

Clark T. Hinman was also elected as the first president of the university in 1853. Hinman was a fervent supporter of the nascent university and raised over $63,000 from the sale of the perpetual scholarships.^[4] Hinman insisted that a university, rather than a preparatory school, be constructed first and that it should be built outside of Chicago. Hinman's untimely death in October 1854 resulted in the ad interim appointment of Professor Henry S. Noyes as president until the 1856 election of Daniel Bonright, a Professor of Latin, and 1857 election of Randolph S. Foster, a Professor of Theology. Noyes would also succeed Foster, and again serve as president between 1860 and 1869.^[7]

Following Hinman's recommendation, in 1853, John Evans purchased 379 acres (1.5 km²) north of the city on Lake Michigan, known as Foster Farm, for $25,000 and built himself a home there.^[6][7] The trustees used their property-tax-exempt status granted in the charter and purchased more of the surrounding swampy farms. As Northwestern's land holdings grew as large as 680 acres (2.8 km²), in 1854, Philo Judson, Northwestern's business manager who was charged with surveying and plotting, nicknamed the land "Evanston" in honor of founder John Evans.^[8] In 1857, the Illinois Legislature changed the name of the village from Ridgeville to Evanston and it became an incorporated city in 1863. The university undertook a major development effort to drain the swamps, clear and grade the land, and donated or sold land to permit the construction of streets, parks, schools, waterworks, and churches. Between 1860 and 1870, Evanston's population had grown from 831 to 3,062.^[8]

[edit] Early years (1855–1905)

Northwestern's first building, Old College, opened for classes on November 5, 1855. With only two faculty members, Mathematic Professor Henry S. Noyes and Greek Professor William D. Godman, the first class enrolled 10 men in the College of Literature, Arts, and Sciences.^[9] The trustees also petitioned the Legislature to amend their charter so as to prohibit the sale of liquor within 4-mile (6.4 km) of campus under pain of a $25 fine.^[10] Four students received bachelor's degrees at the first commencement in 1859.^[7] Between 1861 and 1865, classes were curtailed by the Civil War; 77 students and staff fought in the Union armies, 2 fought for the Confederacy, and seven ultimately died in the war.^[7] Despite the hostilities, Northwestern offered its first masters program (philosophy) beginning in 1863.^[7]

In 1869, the trustees voted to admit women to the university "under the same terms and conditions as young men" and Evanston resident, Rebecca Hoag, became the first female student to enroll. In 1873, the Evanston College for Ladies merged with Northwestern, increasing the enrollments of female undergraduates. Sarah Rebecca Roland was the first woman to receive a Northwestern degree in 1874. The university also established an alumni association in 1881.^[7]

The Evanston campus experienced dramatic growth during this era. University Hall opened in 1869 both to replace the temporary Old College and to inaugurate President Erastus O. Haven. Memorial Hall opened at the Garrett Seminary in 1884, Dearborn Observatory opened in 1887, and Lunt Library opened in 1894.

Despite the growth of the Evanston campus, the trustees sought to establish professional and academic schools within Chicago.^[11] In 1870, the Chicago Medical College, located in the south side of Chicago, merged with a School of Medicine founded in 1859.^[11] An 1873 agreement merged the Union College of Law and the Old University of Chicago's Department of Law into a School of Law that opened in 1876.^[11] A College of Dental and Oral Surgery established was also established in 1886, but closed in 2001. A School of Pharmacy was established in 1886, but folded in 1916. The Conservatory of Music, founded in 1891, became a permanent department in 1895. A "Settlement Association" was formed in 1892 to do social work in Chicago and is a precursor to the current School of Education and Social Policy. By 1890, Northwestern became the first Midwestern university admitted to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1896, the first Ph.D.s were awarded (in chemistry and philosophy).^[7]

Henry Wade Rogers served as President between 1890 and 1900 and was an ardent supporter of student athletics. By 1900, Northwestern had the third-highest student enrollment of any university in the nation.^[7] The Class of 1902 presented a drinking fountain, but what would later become The Rock, to the university as a senior gift. In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited campus.

[edit] Symbols

Northwestern's seal, motto, and colors also emerged in this era. The first seal, adopted in June 1856, featured an open book radiating light circumscribed by "Northwestern University," much like the modern seal.^[12] In June 1890, the trustees adopted the Latin motto "Quaecumque Sunt Vera" from Philippians 4:8 which means "Whatsoever things are true." The book on the seal was also altered to include the Greek text "ό λόγος πλήρης χάριτος καί άληθείας" (“ho logos pleres charitos kai aletheias”) from John 1:14 which means “The Word…full of grace and truth.”^[12]

The University initially adopted black and gold as its official school colors in response to the growing popularity of intercollegiate athletics and the need to differentiate teams, but when it was discovered that several other schools had the same colors, these colors were quickly dropped in favor of royal purple and gold in 1879. In 1892, the official color became only purple in response to prestigious Eastern universities adopting single-color schemes as well.^[13]

[edit] Student activities

In September 1860, a Milwaukee-bound steamship, the Lady Elgin, sank off the coast of the campus in stormy weather after colliding with a schooner. Despite being the second-deadliest accident on the Great Lakes, Edward Spencer '62 and other students from the Garrett Bible Institute were credited with rescuing dozens of passengers.^[14] Following a public outcry over life-saving facilities and transportation safety, in 1871, the federal government granted the University a lifeboat and later, in 1876, constructed a life-saving station, both of which were manned and operated by students, near the Grosse Point reef and lighthouse. By the time the Coast Guard assumed control of the station in 1916, it had remained the nation's only student-manned life-saving station; Northwestern students were credited with saving more than 400 people.^[14]

Northwestern was also home to several literary societies predating fraternal societies. The Adelphic, Hinman, and Ossoi societies published periodicals of essays, poems, and news items. These early periodicals were named The Evanstonian, The Academian, Tripod (1871-1880), and Vidette. In 1881, the Northwestern was published biweekly and ultimately evolved into the modern The Daily Northwestern newspaper. The Northwestern University Press Company published the Northwestern out of the Gymnasium building until the Press moved off-campus in 1888. By 1900, the student newspapers were published out of the basement of Old College, before they were moved to the attic of Memorial Hall in the 1920s. After Word War II, the offices of the student newspaper moved frequently until the Norris Hall was completed in 1972.^[15]

[edit] Athletics

A Football Association was founded at Northwestern in October 1879, and the university played its first intercollegiate football game against Lake Forest College in 1882.^[16] The earliest games were played on the meadow in front of Deering Library.^[16] In 1891, Knowlton L. Ames was appointed Northwestern's first football coach and work began constructing a stadium at the north end of campus that would be named Sheppard Field in honor of the University's business manager and lumber donor.^[17]

By 1892, football leagues began to be formed by Midwestern colleges and Northwestern. In 1895, Northwestern President Rogers joined with university presidents at the University of Chicago, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Purdue to develop regulations for intercollegiate athletics. A year later, the universities agreed to create Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives, later the Western Conference, before ultimately becoming known as the Big Ten Conference after Indiana and Iowa joined in 1899 and Ohio State University joined in 1912. The University of Chicago would ultimately withdraw from the conference in 1946 and would be replaced by Michigan State University.^[18] Northwestern won its first Big Ten football championship in 1903, although the sport was banned for two years beginning in 1905 following fan violence.^[19]

Men's basketball was introduced in 1901.^[7]

Northwestern also had several athletics teams for women during this era including tennis, field hockey, and basketball teams.^[7]

[edit] Continued expansion (1905–1945)

• 1905 - Football banned for five years due to violence. Rescinded in 1907.
• 1908 - Illinois Supreme Court decision removes tax threat to University property. Original Patten Gym built where Tech now stands. School of Commerce opens.
• 1909 - Swift Hall of Engineering erected. College of Engineering opens.
• 1911 - Homecoming inaugurated as a regular fall event. Green caps are compulsory for freshmen.
• 1912 - Kenneth Huszagh is first Northwestern athlete to participate in the Olympics. "Go, U Northwestern," written by Northwestern University Marching Band member Theodore Van Etten, premieres in season's final football game.
• 1914 - North Quads completed with seven fraternities and four residence halls. First university student council formed.
• 1915 - Harris Hall completed. Political science department organized.
• 1916 - Northwestern Nights held by alumni clubs around the country. First candle lighting ceremony to commemorate the January 28 anniversary of the establishment of the Northwestern University charter.
• 1917 - Northwestern Medical Corps formed. Northwestern men and women serve in various capacities in World War I: 250 students sign up for active service; 800 women mobilized in National Aid and Red Cross work; a total of 3,606 went to war, and 65 died. Pharmacy school transferred to the University of Illinois. Fisk Hall given over to the College of Arts and Sciences (later Weinberg College).
• 1920 - Purchase of site for Chicago campus authorized. $25.3 million fundraising campaign launched, with $1.5 million designated for Chicago campus. Walter Dill Scott becomes first non-Methodist University president.
• 1921 - Medill School of Journalism established. General alumni association created out of groups from the individual schools. Cumnock School of Oratory becomes the School of Speech.
• 1922 - Northwestern University Press established.
• 1923 - Mrs. Montgomery Ward makes donation of more than $8 million to build the Montgomery Ward Memorial Building as the University's medical and dental center in downtown Chicago. It is the first academic building in the United States to be a skyscraper.
• 1924 - Wildcats becomes name for athletic team.
• 1925 - School of Commerce and economics department expand with the addition of the Institute for Research in Land Economics and Public Utilities.
• 1926 - Dyche Stadium completed with capacity of 47,000 seats. School of Education established. Women's Quads dedicated with 2 residential halls and 14 sororities. Navy ROTC established on campus. Theater department organized in the School of Speech. School of Commerce moves into Wieboldt Hall in Chicago.
• 1928 - Evening division for adult education opens on Chicago campus. Western Episcopal Seminary buildings erected.
• 1929 - First Waa-Mu Show. Northwestern Associates formed by 57 leading Chicagoans to foster University interests among leading citizens.
• 1931 - Locy annex to Fisk Hall built. National High School Institute founded.
• 1932 - Deering Library opens. Merger of Northwestern and the University of Chicago proposed - and dismissed.
• 1933 - Western Episcopal Seminary merges with Seabury Seminary. Creation of University College. Development office established. Professor Vladimir Ipatieff develops the modern theory of chemical catalysis, the basis of the modern U.S. petrochemical industry.
• 1939 - Franklyn Snyder becomes University president. The first-ever NCAA Men's Basketball Championship held at Northwestern in Patten Gymnasium.
• 1940 - First Selective Service registration undertaken; 1,500 students register. Student Interracial Commission formed as a reaction to housing problems on campus because of the administration's belief that it was unfeasible to house black and white students together. Scott Hall in Evanston and Abbott Hall in Chicago open.
• 1941 - Lutkin Hall opens. Benny Goodman plays at the Junior Prom. Wildcats win the first NCAA Men's Fencing Championship.

• 1942 - Technological Institute completed.
• 1943 - John Evans Alumni Center opens. Army Civil Affairs Training School inaugurated at Northwestern. The Chicago School of Domestic Arts and Sciences turns over its assets to Northwestern to endow a curriculum in the field of home administration.
• 1944 - Future Pro Football Hall of Famer Otto Graham graduates.
• 1945 - Northwestern loses more than 300 in World War II.

[edit] Post-war transition (1945–1995)

• 1946 - Quonset huts constructed to house Northwestern students returning from World War II.
• 1947 - Charlotte Rae appears in Waa-Mu Show.
• 1948 - Northwestern defeats California 20-14 in the Rose Bowl. WNUR begins broadcasting. Program of African Studies established by Professor Melville Herskovits.
• 1949 - J. Roscoe Miller named University president. First computer installed on campus in an unused room of the Dearborn Observatory.
• 1950 - Sargent Hall completed. Computer Center opens and features a newly purchased 650 IBM mainframe computer.
• 1951 - Northwestern's football team appears on television for the first time.
• 1952 - Shepard Hall completed.
• 1955 - Kresge Centennial hall and Bobb and McCulloch Halls built.
• 1956 - Warren Beatty appears in Waa-Mu Show. Garry Marshall graduates from Medill and becomes a TV and movie producer.
• 1957 - The Rock first painted by Daily Northwestern staffers.
• 1958 - The forerunner of Northwestern's TriQuarterly literary journal is started by English professor Edward Hungerford.
• 1959 - Elder Hall completed.
• 1960 - Allison Hall built. Ann Margret performs in Waa-Mu Show. Jerry Reinsdorf graduates from the School of Law.
• 1961 - Searle Student Health Center opens.
• 1962 - Richard Gephardt graduates from the School of Speech and later becomes a Congressman.
• 1963 - Jacquelyn Mayer becomes Northwestern's first Miss America.
• 1964 - Alice Millar Chapel completed.
• 1965 - Vogelback Computing Center opens. Chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) founded at Northwestern.
• 1966 - Northwestern University Medical Center organized from seven hospitals affiliated with the University. Professor Myron L. Bender supervises the first known synthesis of a fully-functioning enzyme.
• 1968 - Rebecca Crown Center built. Black students occupy University business offices to protest for improvement in the racial climate on campus.
• 1969 - Graduate School of Management formed and undergraduate School of Business discontinued. Associated Student Government formed out of the Student Senate. Shelley Long appears in Waa-Mu Show.
• 1970 - University Library and Engelhart Hall built. From May 6 to 13, campus is shut down in protest of the Kent State shootings - the longest it has ever been closed.
• 1971 - University's affirmative action program established.
• 1972 - Norris University Center, Francis Searle Building, Foster-Walker Complex completed. Wesley Memorial Hospital and Passavant Hospital merge to form Northwestern Memorial Hospital. First five residential colleges established.
• 1974 - Blomquist Recreation Center built. Football stadium gets artificial turf. Patrick Quinn named first University archivist.
• 1975 - Pick-Staiger Concert Hall completed. First Dance Marathon.
• 1979 - Women's Basketball team wins its first Big Ten title.
• 1980 - Mary and Leigh Block Gallery opens. Women's Basketball team wins their second Big Ten title.
• 1982 - Football team's 32-game losing streak ends.
• 1985 - Arnold Weber becomes University president.
• 1987 - Jennifer D. Averill named the nation's outstanding hockey player. Northwestern University/Evanston Research Park begins operation. Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and Dellora A. and Lester J. Norris Aquatics Center open.
• 1989 - The Rock is moved 30 feet (9 m) to the east as part of a beautification project in the plaza between Harris Hall and University Hall. Penn State joins the Big Ten.
• 1990 - Sorority and fraternity run moved from new student week to the Winter quarter.
• 1991 - Wrestler Mike Funk becomes Northwestern's first 4-time All-American.
• 1992 - Leon Forrest, professor of African American studies and English published Divine Days. Charles Deering McCormick donates $10 million to establish endowed professorships that recognize outstanding teachers.
• 1993 - Garry Wills wins the Pulitzer Prize for his book Lincoln at Gettysburg. NUNet computer network installed.

[edit] Modern era (1995– )

• 1995 - Henry Bienen becomes University President. Northwestern ranks third in the nation in football, wins Big Ten, and loses to the University of Southern California in Rose Bowl.
• 1996 - Princess Diana visits Northwestern.
• 1997 - Football stadium restored to natural grass surface.
• 1998 - Professor John Pople is awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
• 2000 - May 31st, Northwestern commemorates the founder's first meeting by dedicating a historical marker at the corner of Clark and Lake streets in Chicago's loop.
• 2004 - Oct. 2nd, Northwestern's football team defeats Ohio St. 33-27 at home for the first time since 1958. The overtime win snapped Ohio St.'s dominance of 24 straight victories in the series (a streak which dated back to 1971).

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• About Northwestern - History
• Northwestern University Archives - History
• Northwestern Historical Timeline

[edit] Further reading

• Arey, Leslie B. (1979). Northwestern University Medical School, 1859-1979. Evanston and Chicago: Northwestern University. 
• Dummett, Clifton O. Dummett; Lois Doyle Dummett (1993). Culture and Education in Dentistry at Northwestern University, 1891-1993. Chicago[?]: Northwestern University Dental School. 
• Fine, Morris E. (1995). Tech, the early years; an anthology of the history of the Technological Institute at Northwestern University from 1939 to 1969. Evanston: McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. 
• Fine, Morris E.; Mark E. Seniw, (2001). Tech Anthology II: . . . from 1970-2000. Evanston: McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University. 
• Morledge, Kirk W.. To the Memories: A History of the Northwestern University Waa-Mu Show, 1929-1980. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University. 
• Paulison, Walter (1951). The Tale of the Wildcats, A Centennial History of Northwestern University Athletics. Evanston, IL: Northwestern Men's Club, Northwestern University Club of Chicago, Northwestern University Alumni Association. 
• Pridmore, Jay (2000). Northwestern University: Celebrating 150 Years. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. 
• Rahl, James A.; Kurt Schwerin (1960). Northwestern University School of Law - a short history. Chicago: Northwestern University School of Law. 
• Rebstock, Heather (2002). Advancing Music for a Century: The First Hundred Years of Northwestern University's School of Music. Evanston: Northwestern University. 
• Rein, Lynn Miller (1981). Northwestern University School of Speech: a history. Evanston: Northwestern University. 
• Sedlak, Michael W.; Harold F. Williamson (1983). The Evolution of Management Education, a history of the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, 1908-1983. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. 
• Sheppard, Robert D.; Harvey B. Hurd (1906). History of Northwestern University and Evanston. Chicago: Munsell Publishing Co.. 
• Snyder, Alice W. (1996). Inventing Medill, a history of the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, 1921-1996. Evanston: Northwestern University. 
• Ward, Estelle Frances (1924). The Story of Northwestern University. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co.. 
• Williamson, Harold F.; Payson S. Wild (1976). Northwestern University, A history, 1850-1975. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. 
• (1951) A Pictorial History of Northwestern University, 1851-1951. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. 
• Wilde, Arthur H. (1905). Northwestern University, A History, 1855-1905. New York: University Publishing Society. 

v • d • e Northwestern University Academics Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences • School of Communication • School of Music • Kellogg School of Management • Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science • Medill School of Journalism • School of Education and Social Policy • Feinberg School of Medicine • Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary • School of Law • The Graduate School • School of Continuing Studies • Faculty Campus Buildings • Block Museum • Chicago • Dearborn Observatory • Deering Library • Evanston • Norris Center • The Lakefill • The Rock • Technological Institute • Theatre & Interpretation Center • University Hall • University Library Athletics Big Ten • Football • Go U Northwestern • Northwestern Wildcats • NUMB • Softball • Patten Gymnasium • Rocky Miller Park • Ryan Field • Sweet Sioux Tomahawk • Welsh-Ryan Arena • Willie the Wildcat Media The Daily Northwestern • North by Northwestern • Northwestern News Network • Northwestern University Law Review • Northwestern University Press • TriQuarterly • WNUR Student Life Residences • Alumni • Dance Marathon • Dillo Day • Dolphin Show • Mee-Ow