University Timeline
Events by decade:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1890 | Land donated for Territorial Normal School of Oklahoma by Anton Classen |
| 1890 December 24 | First Territorial Normal School of Oklahoma is founded at Edmond by Council Bill #106 |
| 1891 October 1 | Richard Thatcher is elected 1st President of Territorial School of Oklahoma |
| 1891 November 9 | 1st class held in Methodist Church building |
| 1891 December | Plans for North Building are drawn up by Architect William Gall for Normal regent H.J. Whitely. Work on the building begins the following summer. |
| 1893 | Architect J.G. Haskell is selected to design Old North tower and wings, work begins Jan. 1894 |
| 1893 | George W. Winans replaces Thatcher as President |
| 1893 | Ok Territorial Legislature appropriates $15,000 to add tower & wings to North Building |
| 1894 | School's first library is purchased with $26 |
| 1894 June 20 | Entire exterior of the Old North Building is completed |
| 1894 July | E.R. Williams is appointed to succeed Winans as Normal School President |
| 1895 | First school catalogue was issued |
| 1895 | The Normal School adopts Bronze and Blue as its colors |
| 1895 July | Edmund D. Murdaugh becomes President after E.R. Williams resigns |
| 1896 | Central's first baseball team established, the following year President Murdaugh would personally coach the team |
| 1897 January | The Philomath, Central's first school paper is published |
| 1897 June 4 | The Normal School honors its first graduating class |
| 1899 | First boy's and girl's basketball teams organized |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1901 | Central athletes attended their first track meet held in Guthrie |
| 1901 | Frederick Howard Umholtz becomes Normal's 5th President |
| 1901 September | The Model Training school opens |
| 1902 June 16 | The Alumni Association is formed by graduates of the Territorial Normal School |
| 1903 | Legislature passes bill for a second building at the Normal School |
| 1903 November | The first issue of the Vista was published by the senior class |
| 1903 June 8-18 | The Normal's first summer school session-faculty taught without pay |
| 1904 | the B.A. degree is offered for the first time, the degree was then discontinued and not offered again until 1921 |
| 1904 January | The School's name changed from Territorial Normal School of Oklahoma to Central State Normal School |
| 1904 October | Central's first regular Football team is organized |
| 1904 September 6 | The new Administration Building "Old South" is opened |
| 1906 | Thomas Walter Butcher of Kansas becomes sixth President of Central |
| 1908 | James Argyle McLauchlin becomes the seventh President of Central |
| 1909 | The Browser Towser, the first school yearbook is published by the senior class |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1911 | Charles Evans becomes the eighth President of Central |
| 1912 June 20 | Clock and Chimes in the North Building Tower are dedicated |
| 1913 | First Bronze Book is published |
| 1915 | Historical Society is organized and Historical Museum established |
| 1915 April 15 | Governor Williams signs a bill allowing $50,000 to Central for new building |
| 1916 | New library building is completed and named Evans Hall |
| 1916 | Grant B. Grumbine becomes CSN President after Evans resigns |
| 1917 | James W. Graves becomes 10th President of Central |
| 1918 | Student Army Training Service begins; barracks are on the top floor of Old North |
| 1918 | The president's house is completed and occupied |
| 1919 | The name is changed from Central State Normal School to Central State Teachers College |
| 1919 | Made a 4-yr college by the State Board of Education, Central offers B.A. and B.S. degrees |
| 1919 | John G. Mitchell becomes the 11th President of Central |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1922 | Mrs. Wantland suggests the name "Bronchos" for the football team |
| 1926 June 29 | The newly completed auditorium is named Mitchell Hall, & is dedicated June 29 |
| 1928 February 7 | Wantland Hall, the Physical Education Bldg, is dedicated on Feb 7 |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1930 | Otto W. Jeffries, head of the Latin dept, becomes 1st Dean of the College |
| 1931 | Malcolm A. Beeson becomes 12th President of Central |
| 1935 | Dr. John O. Mosely becomes the 13th President of Central |
| 1936 | School is organized on junior and senior college level; term is replaced by semester system |
| 1937 | Thatcher and Murdaugh residential halls are completed and occupied |
| 1937 | The stadium was erected, no longer in standing |
| 1939 | Name changes from Central State Teachers College to Central State College |
| 1939 | A law passed by the State Legislature makes Central a 4 year Liberal Arts College |
| 1939 | Roscoe R. Robinson becomes 14th President of Central |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1940 November 9 | Homecoming, Central begins year long Golden Jubilee celebration (Semi-Centennial) |
| 1941 October 11 | Homecoming, groundbreaking for the "Y" Chapel of Song |
| 1942 | Students vacate Thatcher & Murdaugh Halls-600 soldiers move in |
| 1942 | Central opens Army Air Force Training Detachment for clerks |
| 1942 | U.S. enters WWII-wartime schedule cuts semester to 16 weeks |
| 1946 | Barracks for veterans & their families secured through the Federal Housing Agency |
| 1946 | Two GI Bills passed by Congress provide for education of veterans |
| 1947 | Central is formally accepted into the North Central Association of Secondary Schools & Colleges |
| 1948 October 1 | President Robinson dies of heart attack, Dr. George P. Huckaby becomes acting president |
| 1948 November 1 | Construction of Y Chapel of Song begins |
| 1949 | New science building is officially named "Howell Hall" |
| 1949 November 13 | Max Chambers becomes 15th President of Central |
| 1949 June 26 | The "Y" Chapel of Song is dedicated |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1951 | Central State College is approved to offer a limited amount of graduate work |
| 1952 | The Student Union is occupied, today the Art Building |
| 1953 | Infirmary opens: doctors & nurse available for emergencies on 24 hour call |
| 1956 | Max Chambers Library is completed, today it is the Communications Building |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Dr. Garland Godfrey is elected 16th President of Central |
| 1961 | CSC enrollment breaks 5,000 mark |
| 1961 | Two new dormitories, East and West Halls are completed and occupied |
| 1963 | Broncho Fieldhouse completed |
| 1963 | Auxiliary Enterprises completes construction on married students housing |
| 1966 | Old Stadium comes down to make room for new Home Economics Building |
| 1966 | Ground Breaking for University Center |
| 1966 | New 450-seat cafeteria is dedicated |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1971 | Central State College becomes Central State University |
| 1972 November 9 | Old North Tower is dedicated as a national historic site |
| 1975 | Dr. Bill Lillard is named seventeenth president of Central State |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1982 | The Oklahoma Collection opens in the Max Chambers Library, now part of the Archives and Special Collections |
| 1983 | CSU's Dixieland Jazz Band ranked No.1 in nation |
| 1984 | The Health Sciences Building is completed |
| 1989 | Newly renovated Evans Hall is displayed during December Open House |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Centennial Celebration continues at CSU |
| 1990 | CSU Debaters ranked No 1. In nation |
| 1991 | Name changes from Central State University to The University of Central Oklahoma |
| 1992 | George Nigh named eighteenth President of Central |
| 1996 | New Max Chambers Library Addition opens |
| 1996 October 11 | New Education building is dedicated |
| 1997 | Roger Webb is named nineteenth president of Central |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2002 March | The UCO jazz lab opened to the public, offering classes during the day and live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night |
| 2003 March 07 | Wellness Center opened to fill the recreational needs of the campus |
| 2003 April 22 | UCO Announces formation of the Oklahoma Center for Arts Education |
| 2003 July 15 | UCO released a redesign of the university logo |
| 2003 July | Enrollment schedules are no longer printed they are available online only |
| 2004 | UCO's Graduate College celebrates 50th anniversary |
| 2004 July | UCO begins globalization program titled UCO Passport focusing on one country each year to expand understanding of different cultures |
| 2006 | UCO is awarded the Oklahoma Quality Award |
| 2006 April 01 | UCO became the first major Oklahoma university to have 100 percent of it's electricity supplied by wind power |
| 2006 November | UCO opened new center for Executive Education and Distance Services |
| 2006 November | UCO offers a minor in leadership |
| 2006 November | UCO named Olympic community partner and Olympic/Paralympic training site |
| 2007 January 29 | UCO sophomore Lauren Nelson crowned Miss America 2007 |
| 2007 February | EPA recognizes UCO as a national leader in energy efficiency |
| 2008 January | UCO honored with 2008 Environmental Excellence Awards winning both the Earth Care Award and the Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Award |
| 2008 December | UCO Debate Team scores "Top 10" national ranking status by both the National Debate Tournament organization and the Cross Examination Debate Association |
| 2008 December | UCO offers first Master's Program for autism specialization |
| 2009 January 01 | UCO Drops the "k" in its website address, moving from www.ucok.edu to www.uco.edu |
