St. Lawrence University - History

History

Though St. Lawrence today is non-denominational, it was founded in 1856 by leaders of the Universalist Church, who were seeking to establish a seminary somewhere west of New England and were enthusiastically courted by the citizens of Canton. The church almost did not place the school in Canton, however, as they felt that students might be exposed to too much "excitement" within the village limits in 1856. The denomination, which has since merged with the Unitarian faith, was part of the liberal wing of Protestantism, championing such ideas as critical thinking and gender equality—attributes that surfaced in the new Theological School of St. Lawrence University, which was progressive in its teaching philosophy and coeducational from the beginning.

The university as it exists today was created as a "Preparatory Department" to provide a foundation for theological study. That department became today's liberal arts University, while the seminary closed in 1965 with the Unitarian/Universalist consolidation.

Early in the 20th century, the university's graduate program in education came into being; it has since served hundreds of North Country school teachers and administrators. Following a difficult period during the Great Depression and World War II that included the decision to shut down the Brooklyn Law School, the student population increased quickly, and with it, the physical plant. A four-building campus serving around 300 students in the early 1940s became a 30-building campus serving 2000 students within 25 years, partly through acquisition of the adjacent state school of agriculture campus when that facility relocated across town. The mid-1960s also saw the birth of one of St. Lawrence's nationally known programs: its international programs. In 1974, two early campus buildings, Richardson Hall (1855–56) and Herring-Cole Hall (1869–1902), were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1984, structures built before 1930 were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Lawrence University-Old Campus Historic District.

During World War II, St. Lawrence University was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.

The university has embarked upon another facilities upgrade program that aims to take advantage of the electronic revolution in higher education, as well as a curriculum reform to tailor its educational programs to the demands of the next millennium. The campus student center was completed in the spring of 2004 and serves as the school's hub at the center of campus. The Johnson Hall of Science opened in the fall of 2007, and expanded learning and lab space in several science disciplines, notably biology, chemistry, biochemistry, neuroscience and psychology. Johnson Hall received LEED Gold certification for its sustainable design; it's the only Gold science building in New York State. The Noble Center, formerly used as a student center, is now undergoing major renovations to double the space available for the arts. A new Center for Arts Technology opened in January 2007.