University of Northern Colorado - History

History

The history of The University of Northern Colorado begins in the late 1880s, when citizens of Greeley petitioned the Colorado government to create a school to educate teachers in their community. In April 1889 Governor Cooper signed a bill establishing the Colorado State Normal School. Classes began in October of the next year. Since then the institution has been through many changes in focus, architecture, and student ideals.

The University of Northern Colorado opened on October 6, 1890, as the Colorado State Normal School to train qualified teachers for the state's public schools, with a staff of four instructors and 96 students, offering certification after completing a two-year course. Greeley's citizens raised the necessary money for the first building. At that time, certificates were granted upon the completion of a two-year course. In 1911 the school's name was changed to Colorado State Teachers College and offered bachelor degrees after completion of a four-year course. In 1935 the name changed again to Colorado State College of Education to recognize the graduate program, which was started in 1913. In 1957 the name was shortened to Colorado State College to recognize the further growth of programs and offerings. Finally, in 1970 the name was changed to the current University of Northern Colorado.

Originally Colorado State Normal School occupied only one building, Cranford Hall, and on 40 acres. It was set fire to in 1949 by a disgruntled theater student who was later arrested for this and several other crimes. The building was repaired, and classes were held there until 1965 when the building was deemed unsafe for classroom use. Many offices were held here until December 1971 when the entire structure became too unsafe to use, and in 1972 the building was demolished. The cornerstone was saved and now graces the northeast corner of "Cranford Park" with four commemorative plaques regarding Cranford's significance and legacy in UNC's history.

The south end of Central Campus grew with the addition of Gordon Hall, Belford Hall, and Decker Hall in 1921, which were originally built as female residence halls. Shortly thereafter, the Faculty Apartments were built, later known as Presidents Row. The Faculty Apartments were built shortly after the President's House, which is now used as the Visitors Center. Sabin, Snyder, and Tobey-Kendel Halls were added in 1936 when enrollment was growing, and men's residence halls were added on the old East Campus. These halls, Hadden and Hayes, are east of Campus on 6th Avenue. The institution sold the land and buildings, and are no longer used as residence halls (they were demolished in 2011-2012). In the 1950s, Weibking Hall, Wilson Hall, and a larger dining space were added on to the already existing Tobey-Kendel Hall to accommodate the large influx of students after the war had ended. In 1997, students voted on a fee increase to fund two buildings to house the Women's Resource Center, the Counseling Center, and the Student Health Center. Scott-Willcoxon and Cassidy Halls opened in 1999 with the new Hansen-Willis residence hall.

In the late 1950s the school grew beyond the available acreage. The institution found an outlet for expansion in the Petrikin family farm to the southwest of the main campus, adding about 150 acres (0.61 km2). West Campus expanded to include a new library, several residence halls, academic halls, an athletics facility, and, in the mid 1990s, a new football stadium and a student-fee-funded recreation center. The 1960s was a flurry of construction with a new building erected almost every year. Built in 1963, McCowen Hall was the first co-educational residence hall, and hosted nearly 30,000 students over the course of its lifetime. In the late part of the decade, McKee Hall and Turner Residence Hall opened, adding spaces for the College of Education and 600 residents, respectively. In the early 1970s, James A. Michener Library, Lawrenson Hall and Candelaria Hall would be the last buildings to be added to campus for almost 20 years, until the Campus Recreation Center opened in the mid-1990s. Most recently, McCowen was torn down in 2008 to make room for new residence halls, North and South Hall.