Chronology of Towson University

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This is a timeline of major events and changes related to Towson University and its predecessor institutions Maryland State Normal School (1866-1935), Maryland State Teachers College at Towson (1935-1963), Towson State College (1963-1976), and Towson State University (1976-1997).

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19th century

1865

• General Assembly of Maryland enacts legislation establishing a statewide system of free public schools and authorizing the creation of a teacher training school. Maryland is the 7th state to establish such a training school.

1866

• Maryland State Normal School (MSNS) opens its doors on January 15, 1866 in Red Men's Hall, 24 North Paca Street, Baltimore, Maryland. Eleven students are enrolled on the first day.
• McFadden Alexander Newell is the first principal.
• On June 8, 1866, MSNS holds its first commencement with 16 graduates and ends the academic year with an enrollment of 48 students.

1873

• MSNS moves to the Athenaeum Club Home at Charles and Franklin Streets, Baltimore.

1876

• MSNS moves to a new building at Carrollton and Lafayette Streets on February 29.

1890

• Dr. Elijah Barrett Prettyman is named the second Principal of MSNS. He also serves as the State Superintendent of Education until 1896.

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1900-1909

1901

• Basketball, a new sport in the United States, is introduced at MSNS for both men and women.

1905

• Dr. George W. Ward (1905-09) becomes the third principal of MSNS.

1909

• Sarah E. Richmond becomes the 5th principal. Her vision for MSNS was to expand the facilities and move the school to Baltimore County.

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1910-1919

1910

• Miss Richmond begins a drive for a new location. General Assembly creates a building commission to oversee site selection, budget and design of a new school.

1915

• MSNS moves to the 88-acre (360,000 m²) Towson campus during the summer and classes start in September. There are 3 new buildings, Administration, a classroom, library and office building; Newell Hall, a dormitory for women, and the Power Plant. A fourth building, Glen Esk, the home of the previous owners serves as the home for the Principal.

1917

• Dr. Henry S. West becomes the 6th principal of MSNS. Dr. West hires a business manager to handle the running of the large school facility (grounds, buildings, people).
• The first dean position is created; it is filled by Sarah Richmond.
• The Department of Pedagogy is established with John L. Dunkle as its leader.

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1920-1929

1920

• Dr. Lida Lee Tall becomes the 7th principal (1920-34) and the first leader to be entitled president (1934-38).

1921

• First student newspaper is issued without titles.

1922

• The Oriole begins publication as the student newspaper.

1924

• Baltimore City Training School for Teachers closes. Their students are sent to MSNS, which effectively doubles the MSNS enrollment.
• Richmond Hall (dormitory) opens in September.

1927

• Student newspaper is renamed The Towerlight.
• Members of the class of 1931 write a play, The Weavers of the Unbroken Thread, a history of intellectual thought and educational philosophy from Lao-tse to the 1940s.

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1930-1939

1931

• General Assembly increases the course of study from two to three years.

1933

• New building opens to house the Campus Elementary (Model) School. The building is later named after Libertus van Bokkelen, State Superintendent of Public Instruction (1864-1867)

1934

• Maryland State Board of Education extends the course of study for elementary teachers to 4 years, leading to a Bachelor of Science in Education.

1935

• General Assembly changes name to Maryland State Teachers College at Towson. (STC) First Bachelor of Science degrees are conferred.

1936

• Within 2 years of granting the B.S. degree, STC has achieved the necessary standards for accreditation by the American Association of Teachers Colleges and the American Council of Education.

1937

• The Glen, a 12-acre (49,000 m²) wooded area, is refurbished with stone pavilions and trails by the Works Progress Administration.

1938

• M. Theresa Wiedefeld becomes the 7th President of the College.

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1940-1949

1941

• A history of STC entitled "Seventy-five Years of Teacher Education" is published.

1942

• New gymnasium is completed. The building is later named Wiedefeld Gymnasium. (In 1968, it is razed to make way for a new library building).

1946

• Fall - Arts and Sciences program is introduced in the form of a two-year junior college. This is done to assist returning veterans in "jump starting" their education so they can advance to a four-year liberals arts college / university. It is an attempt to move these veterans quickly into jobs.

1947

• Dr. Earle Taylor Hawkins (1947-1969) becomes the 8th President of the College. Education program is expanded to include training of teachers for junior high schools.

1949

• Education program expands to include training of teachers for kindergarten.
• STC receives its first accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

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1950-1959

1951

• Ward and West Halls open as the first dormitories for men.

1957

• Albert S. Cook Library building opens. (In 1969, library will move to a new building and the "old" library building will become the Media Center).
• Prettyman Hall opens as a dormitory for women.

1958

• Towson's newly created Graduate School offers Master's in Education. Program starts with 67 students.

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1960-1969

1960

• Education program expands to include training of teachers for senior high schools. Two-year junior college is

extended to a 4-year program in the arts & science, leading to a B.S. or B.A. in a particular major.

• Lida Lee Tall Learning Resources Center Building opens. (It is later demolished in 2007 to make way for the new College of Liberal Arts Complex.)

1961

• Theatre Department is established.
• Council on Economic Education in Maryland (CEEM) comes to Towson University. (This organization is now known as the Maryland Council on Economic Education).

1962

• Dowell Health Center opens.

1963

• Name changes from Maryland State Teachers College at Towson to Towson State College (TSC).
• Towson Tiger Mascot is introduced at the fall Homecoming

1964

• Speech-Language-Hearing clinic is established.
• Scarborourgh Hall opens as a dormitory for women.

1965

• Smith Hall opens as Towson's first science building.

1967

• Burdick Hall opens for class use.

1968

• Towson fields its first intercollegiate football team.
• Burdick Hall, named after Dr. William Burdick, the first chair of the Health and Physical Education Department at MSNS, is dedicated.
• Linthicum Hall is dedicated. The building is named after J. Charles Linthicum, a member of the House of Representatives from 1911-1932 and an 1886 graduate of the MSNS.
• First football homecoming game is played. Towson loses to Gallaudet College 25-21.

1969

• Dr. James L. Fisher (1969-1978) becomes the 9th President.
• New Albert S. Cook Library Building opens. The original library building becomes the Media Center.

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1970-1979

1970

• First Earle T. Hawkins Symposium on International Affairs is held.
• General Services building opens.

1971

• Center for the Asian Arts opens (now known as the Asian Arts and Culture Center).
• Towson acquires Auburn House, former home of Rebecca Ridgely and the Turnbull family.

1972

• Student Day Care Center opens.
• The College Union (now the University Union) opens.
• The Residence Tower and the Administration Building (now Enrollment Services) opens.

1973

• The first Minimester session (January 4 to 31) is scheduled.
• Center for the Arts opens.
• Women's Studies program begins.

1974

• College awards its first B.S. degree in nursing.
• The first "Doc" Minnegan Golf Tournament is held. Donald "Doc" Minnegan was an outstanding coach and the first athletic director at Towson.
• The men's lacrosse team wins the National Championship.

1976

• Towson is granted university status and the name changes to Towson State University (TSU).
• Towson Center opens on October 17 with an exhibition game between the Washington Bullets and the New York Knicks basketball teams.

• WTMD radio begins broadcasting.

1977

• Towson adds several new facilities - Hawkins Hall, Lecture Hall, Psychology Building, and Minnegan Stadium.

1978

• Dr. Joseph Cox serves as acting President from September 1978 to June 1979.
• First Sign language class is offered.

1979

• Dr.Hoke L. Smith (1979-2001) becomes the 10th President of the University.

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1980-1989

1980

• Towson State University holds the first Maryland Arts Festival.
• Campus hosts first Senior Olympics.
• Applied Mathematics Laboratory is established and is the first such program at the undergraduate level in the country.

1981

• Academic program is restructured into 6 colleges: Allied Health and Physical Education, Education, Fine Arts and Communication, Liberal Arts, Natural and Mathematical Sciences; and the School of Business and Economics.
• Maryland Writing Project is established.

1982

• Master of Science program in Occupational Therapy is established.
• The first President's Award for Distinguished Service to the University is awarded to Mary Catherine Kahl, History Department.

1983

• Computer Science program and B.S. in Computer Science are approved.
• Glen Complex is completed
• First Distinguished Black Marylanders Awards ceremony is held.

1984

• Department of Computer and Information Sciences is established.
• Graduate program in Professional Writing is created.

1985

• Towson is included for the first time in the Best College Survey done by U.S. News & World Report
• Professor Richard Vatz appears to discuss his book on Thomas Szasz on William F. Buckley's nationally syndicated "Firing Line"
• University Police receive the "Governor's Crime Prevention Award." They have continued to receive this award each year to the present.

1987

• Towson begins student exchange program with Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg, Germany. This is now Towson's oldest international student exchange program.

1988

• Towson becomes part of the University System of Maryland.

1989

• Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T) and Master of Music in Music Performance are established
• Towson Run Apartments opens.
• Center for the Study of Adult Development and Aging is established. First cultural exchange program with Towson State University and the Leningrad State Conservatory begins . Initially, the program centers on dance, but later expands to include musicians and language teachers.

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1990-1999

1990

• Institute for Teaching and Research on Women is founded.

1991

• Master of Science in Occupational Therapy is established.

1992

• Towson establishes its first endowed chair in the College of Education after receiving a $1 million gift from Naomi Hentz, class of 1927.

1993

• The Athletic Training Education Program receives certification from the National Athletic Training Association (NATA), becoming the first certified undergraduate program in Maryland.

1994

• Graduate programs in Computer Science and in Theatre Arts are established

1995

• Master's degree in Occupational Therapy is offered via the interactive video network.
• John Glover, class of 1969, wins a Tony Award for Love! Valour! Compassion!

1996

• Towson State University gets its own zip code - 21252-0001.
• Administrative Data Processing and Academic Computing are merged to form Computing and Network Services (CANS).
• Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) comes to Towson State University.
• College of Allied Health Sciences and Physical Education changes its name to College of Health Science Professions.
• Physical Education Department changes its name to Department of Kinesiology.
• U.S. News & World Report ranks Towson second in the "Most Efficient Schools" and fourth in the "Best Sticker Price" category for institutions in the north.
• Student Government Association donates Tiger statue to the University.

1997

• Towson State University is renamed Towson University and adopts a new logo.
• College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences changes its name to College of Science and Mathematics.
• Dan Jones, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, receives the "Maryland Association for Higher Education (MAHE) Outstanding Educator Award."
• World Cello Congress II, organized by Towson University, is held in St. Petersburg, Russia.
• Gerontology Program is established.
• The Fitness/Wellness Center, a collaborative effort between Towson and St. Joseph's Hospital, opens.
• Installation begins for high-speed internet service to Towson's residence halls and the Burkshire.
• Women's Center receives the "Governor's Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Victim's Rights and Services."
• Ethel Nowell Andrews, class of 1909, dies. She was 108 years old and had long been considered the University's oldest graduate.

1998

• Towson is ranked among the top 10 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report.
• Graduate program in Women's Studies is established.
• Occupational Therapy's graduate program is ranked 13th in the U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools."
• Master of Science in Applied and Industrial Mathematics and Master of Science in Information Technology Management accept students into their programs.

1999

• Center for Applied Information Technology is created.
• Dance Team wins the Division I National Championship.
• College of Education receives a national award for teacher training.

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2000-present

2000

• Towson hosts the World Cello Congress III from May 29 to June 4. Yo-Yo Ma is the featured performer.
• Millennium Hall, a privatized apartment complex for resident students, opens.
• Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine names Towson University to its list of "100 Top Values in Education".
• TU's academic advising programs for freshman and transfers earn an "Outstanding Institutional Advising Program Award" from the National Academic Advising Association.

2001

• Dr. Mark L. Perkins (July 2001- April 2002) becomes Towson's 11th President.
• Dr. Dan Jones serves as interim President from April 2002 to June 2003.
• Towson inaugurates doctoral programs in Audiology and in Occupational Science.
• Towson University's chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, National Business Honor Society, wins the 2001 Gold Chapter Award.
• Dr. Alex Storrs, Astronomy, discovers a companion to Asteroid 107 Camilla, only the fifth such companion ever found.
• Schuerholz Park for baseball is dedicated on April 29.
• Towson is ranked 8th in the "Top Public Northern Universities - Master's" by U.S. News & World Report.
• Towson's chapter of Kappa Delta Pi is awarded an Achieving Chapter Excellence Award.

2002

• Towson University is named a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by the National Security Agency.

2003

• Dr. Robert L. Caret becomes the 12th President of the University.
• 7800 York Road building opens as the home to the Department of Computer and Information Science, College of Extended Programs, College of Graduate Education & Research, and the English Language Center.
• Barry Levinson, filmmaker, is honored with the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Departments of Mass Communications and Communications Studies and Electronic Media and Film.
• Towson Stadium is renamed Johnny Unitas Stadium.

2006

• The tiger statue is vandalized in front on Cook Library and is removed.

2007

• The new bronze tiger statue is unveiled outside of Stephens Hall.
• Lida Lee Tall structure is razed to make way for the new College of Liberal Arts complex.

2008

• Tubman House and Paca House open as the first phase of the West Village complex, August 2008. A university-wide contest was held for the naming of the two new buildings. The names were chosen in honor of Harriet Tubman and William Paca.
• The addition to the Towsontown Garage is completed.

Source of the article : Wikipedia