Campus History

Georgia Tech has become one of the nation's top-10-ranked public universities and boasts a former U.S. president, TV personality and Hall-of-Fame athletes among its prominent alumni.

From humble beginnings as a small technological institute that opened in 1888, Georgia Tech is now renowned throughout the world for its excellence in technological education and research. A top-10-ranked public university, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings, famous Georgia Institute of Technology alumni include Jimmy Carter, G. Wayne Clough, Jeff Foxworthy, Sam Nunn, Randolph Scott, and Leonard Wood, along with many famous athletes. Georgia Tech has won four national college football championships, the first in 1917 under the legendary coach John Heisman. Today, Georgia Tech has a student body of more than 29,000 at the undergraduate and graduate levels and more than 155,000 living alumni. The institute has an annual economic impact of about $3 billion upon Georgia's economy. Authors and Tech alumni Matthew Hild and David L. Morton take you inside the journey of how this institute got to where it is today.

Florida State University has attracted a wide variety of students over the years. This pictorial history illustrates the history of this university and those who proudly call themselves Seminoles.

After the Florida State Legislature passed an act calling for the creation of two seminaries of learning in 1851, West Florida Seminary was established in Tallahassee. In the 1880s, the seminary's curriculum was reorganized along the lines of a conventional four-year college, and in 1901, the name was changed to Florida State College, better suiting its well-rounded liberal arts education and the traditional college experience offered to its students. With the passage of the Buckman Act in 1905, the school began a new chapter as the Florida Female College. After the name was changed to Florida State College for Women in 1909, it went on to rank as one of the premier women's colleges in the country. In 1947, in part to accommodate the influx of returning GIs, the school resumed its coeducational status as Florida State University. Combining traditional strength in the arts and humanities with recognized leadership in the sciences, Florida State University is one of the country's foremost research institutions today.

Auburn. The name resonates among generations who have studied, taught, or worked on the campus. Virtues such as loyalty, patriotism, service, and hard work have been encouraged on the campus from the school's inception.

No matter what the university has been formally named over the years-from East Alabama Male College to Alabama Polytechnic Institute-people have fondly called it Auburn since it was chartered in 1856. Professor George Petrie's Auburn Creed emphasizes the refrain ""I believe,"" which the Auburn family of Plainsmen, Tigers, and War Eagles have embraced. In this fitting tribute to a landmark Southern institution, vintage photographs depict people, places, experiences, and traditions beloved by the Auburn community. With a cooperative spirit, students and faculty alike applaud each other's successes in the classrooms and laboratories as well as in stadiums and on athletic fields. Numerous significant accomplishments in both academics and athletics are associated with Auburn and they are celebrated within these pages. Images of the campus as it has evolved over the years; memorable students, faculty, staff, and alumni; and unforgettable events have been gathered and preserved in this keepsake volume.

Gain insight into one of the nation's most prestigious military college, The Citadel, and discover the historic past of the South Carolina school.

Since its founding in 1842, The Citadel has provided generations of leaders to the state and nation. From its original purpose of providing an education to young men of South Carolina who would perform military duties for the state, it has evolved into an institution of national stature, highly regarded for both its academic reputation and its disciplined environment. Graduates of The Citadel have fought in every United States war since the Mexican War in 1846. Cadets have also achieved prominence in other fields, such as serving in leadership roles in state and national government, education, the professions, and business. With the help of over 200 black-and-white photographs, this work explores the development of The Citadel over the past 160 years, and included are sketches of its visionary founders, faculty members, and leaders. Descriptive vignettes highlight the success of the alumni and give insight into the experiences of the most important element of The Citadel: the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.

The school that eventually became the University of Tennessee was founded as one of the first three colleges established west of the Appalachians.

In 1794, two years before Tennessee even became a state, the legislature of the Southwest Territory established Blount College with a charter, and the small school struggled with a tiny student body and even smaller staff before changing its name to East Tennessee College in 1807. As the college grew, the trustees of the school scouted potential sites in Knoxville, settling on the site affectionately called "The Hill'? in 1828, and changing its name once again in 1840 to East Tennessee University. During the Civil War, classes came to an abrupt halt as students and faculty were recruited to serve on battlefields, and troops used campus facilities as hospitals and barracks. With a final name change in 1879, the University of Tennessee has exploded in growth in the 20th century, with campuses and programs across the state. In addition to a rich sports tradition, the University of Tennessee is considered one of the best colleges in the Southeast, and among the best institutions of higher learning in the country.

130 years after its opening, the once small agricultural college has become Virginia's largest university- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

When Charles Minor opened the doors of his new land-grant institution in late 1872, there were only 29 students, 3 faculty members, and a single building in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. From the humble beginning of donated livestock, seeds, machinery, and books, the university now known as Virginia Tech has emerged as a leading research university that is consistently ranked among the nation's best colleges. In addition to housing some of the top engineering and business schools, the university also has a tremendous athletic program that continually produces many of the nation's top ranked athletes. The Campus History Series: Virginia Tech illustrates the university's evolution through over 200 archival photographs, including rare and fun bites of campus history, such as the old cadet rat parades, the first ring dance, the Highty-Tighties, the Huckleberry, and even the evolution of the school's mascot, the Hokie Bird.

The eleventh-oldest college in the nation, the College of Charleston stands as one of the country's most historic academic institutions.

Over the past few centuries, the College has provided education and opportunity for students, faculty, and local Charlestonians against a rare Southern backdrop, with a campus that mirrors the architectural charm and elegance of the peninsula city. This volume, with over 200 black-and-white photographs, transports readers on an incredible visual journey across an nineteenth- and twentieth-century landscape of Charleston, a time and place unique in the city's and school's history. Documenting the school's antebellum days as the first municipal college in 1837, the turbulent years of the Civil War, the campus's growth and evolution in the earlier part of the twentieth century, and the traditions that continue today, this pictorial retrospective explores the many elements of the Cougar experience: the College's student life, the development and preservation of its buildings, its athletic teams and events, and the many diverse student-run organizations.

Located in what was considered the "lost provinces," the small school that became Appalachian State University provided a much-needed education for the economically depressed population of western North Carolina.

The regional university that today boasts over 17,000 registered students had its humble beginnings as Watauga Academy in 1899. Blanford Barnard "B.B." Dougherty and his brother Dauphin Disco "D.D." established the school for mountain children in the western North Carolina town of Boone. Dougherty, who remained president of the school for 56 years, envisioned an institution that would eventually serve not only the region but the state. Today, the school's reach extends well beyond North Carolina borders, attracting students and faculty from throughout the Southeast and the rest of the country. This book documents the visual history of Appalachian State, focusing on its varied transformations from a local academy and eventually into a top-ranked university.

Today's non-military, coeducational Linsly School continues to enrich students in grades five through twelve with values of honesty, sportsmanship, hard work, and discipline. Through rare and never-before-seen vintage photographs, The Linsly School chronicles the fascinating and inspiring story of the tribulations and successes of the school itself, and the people who worked, sacrificed, and dreamed to make it happen.

See how one man's belief in agriculture's promise led to the founding of what is now a powerhouse among Southern academic institutions, Clemson University.

The roots of agriculture run deeply in South Carolina's history; even its earliest settlers valued the rich and fertile land. However, after the Civil War devastated Southern land and economy, many questioned if the agrarian way of life could survive. Thomas Green Clemson, son-in-law of South Carolina's foremost statesman John C. Calhoun, believed in the promise of agricultural improvement through science and offered his estate, Fort Hill, to found the agricultural and mechanical college today called Clemson University. For more than a century, the institution that bears his name has served as a beacon for perhaps thousands of students, standing proudly in the solemn Carolina foothills. Through the years, faculty, students, alumni, and fans have realized Thomas G. Clemson's vision for higher education and strengthened the school to a mighty level. From the more than 600 students who applied the first year to join an all-male Cadet Corps, Clemson has developed into a household academic institution. Recognized for its commitment to academic excellence, cultural opportunities, and aesthetic attractions, the university is perhaps best known as home of the famed athletic teams, the Clemson Tigers. This volume offers young and mature readers alike a chance to meet and reminisce about Clemson's legends - with longtime Tiger fans perhaps even finding old friends they made along the way.

Join Tulane University Archivist Ann E. Smith Case as she recounts the history of this illustrious university using vintage images.

Tulane University was founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young doctors who saw the need for trained physicians in the city of New Orleans. In 1847, it evolved into the public University of Louisiana, also offering law, liberal arts, and science coursework; it became a private institution in 1884 after Paul Tulane's donation. The addition of Newcomb College, the nation's first coordinate women's college, completed the university's basic structure in 1886. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck, forcing Tulane to close for a semester. It emerged from the floodwaters restructured and renewed into the progressive university focused on public service that it is today. The photographs in this book take readers through the collegiate experience of former Tulane and Newcomb students to illustrate the meaning of the Tulane motto, ""Non sibi sed suis""--""Not for one's self, but for one's own.""

In 1839, the Virginia Military Institute became the nation's first state-sponsored military college when the state arsenal in Lexington, Virginia, adopted an additional duty providing a college education to a small group of cadets.

This humble experiment became the nation's model for educating the citizen-soldier. Today cadets live a military lifestyle while pursuing an undergraduate degree and may choose to accept a commission in any branch of the armed forces upon graduation. Noted alumni include Pony Express organizer Ben Ficklin (1849), Nobel Peace Prize recipient Gen. George Marshall (1901), Polar explorer Adm. Richard Byrd (1908), U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark (1921), and actor Dabney Coleman (1957). Numbered among the alumni are over 260 general officers, 13 Rhodes Scholars, and a saint in the Episcopal Church. The Post, as the campus is called, is a National Historic District with its distinctive Gothic Revival architecture surrounding the central parade ground.

Arcadia's University of Central Florida illuminates the history of a major institution of research, culture, education, and professional development that is stitched into the fabric of one of the nation's most dynamic and influential metropolitan areas.

Conceived in 1963, at the height of America's fascination with the space program and less than an hour from Florida's Space Coast, the school began as Florida Technological University, a vast and remote tract of wild palmettos and swampland that held the promise of a cutting-edge "Space University." But 1963 was the same year that Walt Disney made his fateful fly over Central Florida and chose the location for Walt Disney World, a decision that would ultimately transform the entire region. Florida Tech found itself growing along with the surrounding community in size, prominence, and power into a diverse institution that no one in those early years could have envisioned. Renamed the University of Central Florida in 1979 to better reflect its broad curriculum and its strong marriage with the region, the school has blossomed into the prototype for the modern metropolitan university.

Presbyterian College includes more than 200 vintage photographs that trace the course of the college's development over its near 125-year existence. Dedicated presidents, inspiring faculty, and a variety of students are featured, as well as the campus's Georgian architecture, which immediately signifies Presbyterian College. The long and rich Blue Hose athletic tradition is thoroughly explored and varied aspects of student life-from choir tours to Greek life-are recounted.

Ashley Hall reveals the school's long and storied past, detailing its place in Charleston history. A pictorial retrospective, this volume explores the academic and the social aspects of Ashley Hall that have made it one of the South's premier schools for girls. More than 200 archival photographs chronicle the evolution of the Rutledge Avenue campus, from the sole Witte House to a block-long city landmark. Furthermore, these vivid images introduce the faces behind the names that live on in the school's history-Mary Vardrine and Estelle McBee, Caroline Pardue, Marie Baker-as well as newer friends who shaped the school in both large and small ways. Readers will join students as they attend class during the World Wars and the Great Depression, participate in the annual Kettledrum Carnival, take outings around the Lowcountry, and compete in-and perhaps take home the trophy-for any number of sporting events.

Throughout its history, Wofford has maintained its connection with South Carolina Methodism and has benefited from the support of its alumni.

Founded with a bequest of $100,000 from Reverend Benjamin Wofford, Wofford College opened in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in August 1854. More than 150 years later, the college remains on its original campus, a national arboretum, and five of its earliest six buildings are in daily use. Many of Wofford's more than 15 thousand living alumni maintain strong ties to the college and to each other. The awarding of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1941 recognized the college's dedication to the liberal arts and its commitment to academic excellence. Though the student body has grown from around 500 before World War II to nearly 1,500 in 2010, Wofford retains its commitment to developing relationships between students and professors.

Stately Samford University, established in 1841 as Howard College, is a treasured institution of higher learning in Alabama, consistently ranked among the best regional universities in the nation.

Well known for the quality of education it offers and for its stunning Georgian-Colonial campus, Samford boasts a long and fascinating history, illuminated here in a collection of vintage photographs. With images ranging from informal to formal, routine to remarkable, tragic to hilarious, this engaging retrospective delves into the heart of the school's heritage--its people. The aspirations of all who have called Samford home and those who have supported its mission come to life in snapshot memories of centuries past. Highlights of the book include extensive coverage of the East Lake campus years; the first experiment in coeducation; the earliest known photographs of the Marion campus; the infamous ""liberation"" of a rival college's mascot; the courage of student journalists in the 1970s; the story of Harry, the slave who gave his life saving students; and Samford University's latest educational innovations and architectural marvels. Rarely seen photographs from the university's Special Collection department, supplemented by informative, entertaining captions, offer Samford students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends a chance to relive some of the most memorable moments in the school's history.

The rich history of Tallulah Falls School mirrors the story of northeast Georgia, from a rural, remote past to a bright, boundless future.

The school, established in 1909 in response to the unmet educational needs of area children, has evolved through the decades, now meeting the needs of students both near and from countries around the world. Today, the school serves more than 500 students in grades 5 through 12, representing 20 countries. With a robust college-preparatory curriculum delivered with an equal focus on character development, students leave Tallulah Falls School well prepared for future success. The imprint of those who attended the school in the past is still visible today, with vintage structures alongside modern classroom buildings and new athletic facilities. Weathered rock walls wind through campus, reminders of those formative years. They mark the way for those who will pass through these historic gates, adding their contributions to the storied history of Tallulah Falls School. This book builds on the history established in these early records of the school, adding the exponential significance of the past 15 years to the archives.

E. Lane Gresham serves as the director of communications and media for Tallulah Falls School. Passionate about local history, Gresham brings her talent for storytelling to this project and the many roles she plays within the school community and beyond.

Rollins College was founded by New England Congregationalists in 1885 and is recognized as the first coeducational institution of higher learning in Florida. Built upon classical values, the Rollins College founders sought to introduce a liberal arts education to the Florida frontier.

Throughout the college’s history, Rollins has become synonymous with intimate classroom settings and collaboration, in turn cultivating strong relationships between its faculty and students. Known for its rigorous academics and athletics, renowned artistic programs, and mission for diversity and inclusion, Rollins College boasts the vast benefits of a small, private collegiate institution. 

Claire Strom has served as the Rapetti-Trunzo Chair of History at Rollins College since 2008. Her focus on the history of public health and local history is coupled with extensive field research and scholarship in the subject. Rachel Walton is a librarian and archivist by profession and a primary source researcher by training. Under their leadership, student coauthors and history majors Peyton Connor, Reagan Cooney, Helen Hutchinson, and Liam T. King contribute to the student-centered perspective illuminated within the text. All images and sources of this book are credited to the Rollins College Archives. 

Within these pages are some 200 photographs depicting the growth initiated by Dr. Joseph Winthrop Holley and continued through the leadership of five dynamic presidents: Dr. Aaron Brown (1943-1954); Dr. William H. Dennis (1954-1965); Dr. Thomas M. Jenkins (1965-1969); Dr. Charles L. Hayes (1969-1980); and Dr. Billy C. Black (1980-1996). Current president Dr. Portia Holmes Shields began a major renovation program for ASU-complete with new buildings and state-of-the art technology-after the devastating floods of 1994 and 1998. Poised for continued growth in the 21st century, the historic institution and its rich history are celebrated in this engaging volume of images.

The second oldest institution of higher education in the United States, William & Mary remains one of the top public colleges in the country.

By the time of the American Revolution, the College of William and Marywas already into its eighth decade as the academic source of what the new nation would become and how it would relate to the larger world.

Its land had been surveyed by George Washington, and its first honorary degree had been given to Ben Franklin. It would go on to educate two signers of the Declaration of Independence, three American presidents, and three justices of the Supreme Court. Chartered by British royalty in 1693, the college retains that connection to its roots into the 21st century. Remarkably through history, the College of William and Marywas, and remains, a public university--one of 16 in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

At a time in American history when the 18th-century thought and practice of Thomas Jefferson has become part of the contemporary conversation, the college from which he graduated in 1762 continues to pursue his simple notion that worth and genius ,be] sought from every condition of life.

This pictorial history of Carson-Newman College illustrates the people, places, and events that have shaped this institution's legacy.

Carson-Newman College, a private, Christian liberal arts college, is located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of Knoxville. In the early 1840s, a number of Baptist leaders desired to offer better-prepared ministers to area congregations. Afforded the use of a local Baptist church building, Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary opened to students in the fall of 1851. In 1880, the school was named Carson College and for several years existed alongside Newman College, a separate facility for the education of women. In 1889, the two colleges united as one of the first coeducational Baptist institutions. As Carson-Newman College celebrates 160 years of rich history steeped in the ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness, it continues to prepare students academically and spiritually to meet the challenges of the 21st century.