Trace: » Timeline of events

Show pagesource Old revisions

Recent changes Index

Index

Special Collections &
University Archives

UMass Amherst Libraries

Search for UMass Amherst photos

Search Terms

Group

or show only item number

Timeline of events

in the History of UMass Amherst

1845-1875

Marshall P. Wilder, of Boston, advocates for agricultural education.

1852

Wilder elected first President of the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture.

1862

On July 2, Abraham Lincoln signs the Morrill Land-Grant Act which allows states to use revenues from sale of public lands to establish colleges “for the agricultural and industrial classes”

1863

Governor John A. Andrew signs charter of Massachusetts Agricultural College on April 29; the trustees of MAC are created. MIT is designated as the Commonwealth's “mechanical” land grant college.

1864

Town of Amherst holds special town meeting and votes to raise $50,000 by taxation and $25,000 by subscription. The Trustees vote to locate the college in Amherst; campus 310 acres and existing buildings, $34,999.50.
First president, Henry Flagg French, elected by the Board of Trustees on November 29; serves till September 29, 1866.

1865

Construction on new buildings begins in the Spring.

1866

Henry Flagg French resigns, Paul Ansel Chadbourne appointed 2nd president; term of office November 7, 1966- June 1, 1867.
Pelham Stone Quarry purchased for $500.00.

1867

October 2, four buildings receive first class of 56 students and faculty of four with William Smith Clark as first seated president; serving from August 7, 1867 till May 1, 1874.
Tuition is $36.00.
Old South College built; burns down in 1885.
First college to provide a glass plant house of commercial quality, $12,000.

1868

Twenty-four scholarships provided by agricultural societies.

1869

Faculty increases to 10.
Major Henry E. Alvord, an officer in the U.S. Army, assigned to Campus by the War Department. The first officer ever detailed to give instruction in an agricultural college.
First yearbook, The Index.
Washington Irving Literary Society established.

1870

Tuition rises to $54.
An orchestra.
“The M.A.C. Weekly” column appears in The Amherst Record (1870-1872).
Edward Everett Literary Society (1870-1876).

1871

Twenty-seven students receive B.S. degrees at first commencement.
Trustees empowered to fill their won vacancies.
On July 21st M.A.C. defeated Brown and Harvard at the Intercollegiate regatta at Springfield.
Social Union (society & library).
The Senior Register (1871-1976).

1872

Enrollment at 171 students.

1873

Tuition rises to $75.

1874

Congressional investigation of land grant colleges.
Associate Alumni.
Southwick’s glee club sings in Barre.

1875

Louise Mellicent Thurston is first female to study at MAC.
College drops the professorship of veterinary science as an economy move.

1876

William S. Clark invited by the Imperial Government of Japan to assist in the establishment of an agricultural college and experimental farm in the province of Hokkaido.
Levi Stockbridge, acting president.

1877

President Clark returns from founding Sapporo Agricultural College in Japan.
Each Massachusetts Congressman distributes a free-tuition scholarship for four years; and in addition each of the one hundred and fifty alumni of the college is given the same privilege.

1878

Experiment Station established.

1879

College Shakespearean Club established.
Charles L. Flint appointed President and leads the college till March 24, 1880.
Tuition falls to $36.
The D.G.K. Cycle, an annual (1879-1907).

1880

President Flint resigns; Levi Stockbridge elected president and serves from March 12, 1880 till January 16, 1882.

1881

President Levi Stockbridge succeeds in bringing together the Governor and Council, the Board of Agriculture and the College Board of Trustees to consider the issue of aid to students.

1882

Legislature makes its first appropriation for an experiment station (State Station, 1882-95).
Paul Chadbourne appointed president for the second time, serves January 1, 1882-February 23, 1883.
Funds made available for new construction and scholarships; curriculum now includes liberal arts (1882-1884).

1883

Granted 80 scholarships for each of 4 years.
Henry Hill Goodell serves four months as acting president.
Greenough elected president and serves from July 6, 1883 till June 21, 1886.
Plant house burns.
Drill Hall constructed.

1884

Tuition climbs to $80.
Class prayer meeting instituted by class of 1887.
Stone Chapel and Library Building (Old Chapel) built for $31,000 (1884-1886).

1885

Old South College burns; rebuilt using old foundation.
President’s House (Hillside) built, $11,500.

1886

Campus connects to town water.
M.A.C. Football Team's first formal uniform.
Dedication, June 20th, of Stone Chapel and Library Building.
New York Alumni Club formed.
Henry Hill Goodell succeeds President Greenough.
William Wheeler becomes first alumni trustee.

1887

College leases 50 acres to Experiment Station.
First college to offer a formal course of study in Forestry.

1888

Experiment Station established; called Hatch Experiment Station, 1888-1906.
Out of 278 living graduates, 123 are in agricultural pursuits.

1889

President Flint dies.
The first bulletin on Household Insects and their control, ever issued, published here.

1890

Entrance standards raised from 50% to 65%.
The 2nd Morrill Act: $20,000 annually for M.A.C.
Aggie Life, a fortnightly newspaper, appears.

1891

William Smith Clark’s house burns.

1892

First woman undergraduate, Florence May Vallentine, enrolls at MAC
Campus pond created.
Electric lights installed in Drill Hall.
Weekly band concerts in campus bandstand.
President Goodell introduces a two-year, non-degree course in practical agriculture.

1893

The College grants 21 bachelor's degrees.

1894

Ridge Barn burns.

1895

Winter Short Courses started.
Hatch & State Experiment Stations consolidated.

1896

First class at M.A.C. to wear cap and gown at commencement.
First two master’s degrees awarded.

1897

Running water in North College.

1898

Class (1899) honor system.
Interfraternity conference.

1899

There are now 20,000 books in library.
Admission by certificate.
Free tuition for U.S. citizens.

1900

Grant: $8,000 to cover depreciation in stocks.

1901

State dairy law.
A recorded pond party.
Terms replaced by semesters.
Aggie Life (1890-1901) becomes College Signal (1901-14).
Legislative grant of $400 for Band.
Alla Frances Young enrolls in the Short Winter Course, becomes the first woman to complete her program at MAC.
Esther Cowles Cushman of Northampton and Monica Lillian Sanborn of Salem enter MAC with the class of 1905 and become the first women to graduate with BS degrees.
MAC's first woman graduate student, Elizabeth Hight Smith, enrolls.

1902

First Ph.D degree awarded to Warren E. Hinds (Entomology).
Varsity basketball introduced
Charles H. Fernald relinquishes $1,500 of his salary to permit a new position in his department.

1903

Draper Hall erected as a dormitory for women and a dining facility (1903-1905).
Change in curriculum requirements-the elective feature was introduced into the program for Junior year.
Majors first introduced for students: Agriculture, Horticulture, Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Landscape Gardening.

1904

Grand Prix for exhibit at St. Louis Fair.
Phi Kappa Phi.
Levi Stockbridge dies.
Matthew Washington Bullock, a graduate of Dartmouth, is hired as football coach, becoming the first African American to coach at a predominantly white college. Bullock also coached in 1907-1908.

1905

Wilder Hall designed for the study of market gardening, floriculture, greenhouse management, and landscape gardening.
Henry Hill Goodell dies.
William P. Brooks acting president until Kenyon Butterfield reports for duty.
First women awarded degrees: two bachelor's degrees (Cushman and Sanborn) and one master's degree (Elizabeth Hight Smith).

1906

Kenyon L. Butterfield starts a long stay as president, beginning January 2, 1906 and continuing till August 31, 1924.
Dairy building burns.
Station becomes “Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station”.
A rope-pull across the pond.
Cranberry Substation established in Wareham.
Asparagus Substation established in Concord.

1907

Clark Hall constructed for science teaching and research, particularly Botany.
M.A.C. first college to organize a separate Department of Pomology.
Dairy Barn rebuilt at a cost of $41,000.
Summer School.
Divisions of Humanities, Horticulture, & Agriculture established.
Department of Agricultural Education.
French Hall erected for instruction particularly in Floriculture, and Market Gardening (1907-1908).

1908

Graduate School established as a separate unit.
Rifle Range purchased, 20 acres for $500.
First college to organize a separate Department of Floriculture.
First college to organize a separate Department of Landscape Gardening.

1909

The College Signal becomes weekly.
Entrance requirements raised to prevailing collegiate standards.
Dickinson stage-manages The Toastmaster, first dramatic production.
Fernald Hall originally built (1909-1910) for Zoology and Entomology; named after Professor Henry T. Fernald.
Theta Nu Epsilon (1909-1913).
Kappa Gamma Phi (1909-1928).

1910

First varsity debating team.
Alumni Field, $5,868.
Farming Special (trolley).
Roister Doisters.
M.A.C. Literary Monthly.
Experiment Station at Wareham established.

1911

Theta Chi.
Curry Hicks comes to campus as Assistant Professor of Physical Education and also as Health Officer.
Polish farmers’ day.

1912

Edward M. Lewis acting president.
Library has 40,000 books.
Free tuition restricted to Massachusetts students.
Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Lambda Chi Alpha
Watts’ college songbook.

1913

Trustee recognition of Athletic Board.
Scarlet Fever epidemic on campus, 25 cases, 4 of which are fatal.
Alpha Sigma Phi.
Hampden County Improvement League.
Zabriskie’s Roister Doisters in New Jersey.

1914

The College Signal (1901-14) becomes The Massachusetts Collegian (1914-67).
Smith-Lever Act ($10,000 increasing to larger sums, for extension)
Adelphia.
President Sato (Sapporo Agricultural College, Japan) visits M.A.C.

1915

Academics Board.
Two buildings ready for use as an Infirmary, $15,000.
M.A.C. has more federal entomologists than any other college.
Non-Athletic Activities Board formed.
The Squib (comic, 1915-1924).

1916

Three term plan (by intention four).
Mt. Toby, 755 acres, $30,000.
Market Garden Sub-station at Lexington.
Worthley’s joint concert with Amherst College.

1917

The discovery of the presence in this country of the Gypsy Moth and the European Corn-Borer first made by members of college staff.
Caswell’s Brief History of the Massachusetts Agricultural College published.
Library’s Bibliography of the College.
Thirty women attend campus for fall term.
F. K. Baker’s design for our seal.

1918

Station building in Lexington.
Power Plant renovated, $54,500.
The Corps, established at M.A.C. on October 1, with 351 enrolled, has a short existence here. War ends on November 11th and The Corps disbands by December 21, 1918.
First award of medals for academics.

1919

World Aggie Night.
Women’s Student Council.

1920

College Honor System.
First award of gold medals for academics.
First women’s dormitory, Abigail Adams House, opens.

1921

John Epps-anniversary play.
The Alumni erects Memorial Hall, a center for student activities, with offices for the Alumni Association for a cost of $117,500.
Alumni committee investigates College.
In the fall 194 disabled veterans enroll.
Joint concert with Mount Holyoke College.

1922

Old Chemistry building burns.
Goessmann Chemical Laboratory constructed.
Inter-church student secretary.

1923

Waltham land, 55 acres, $21,000 (gift).
Maroon Key.
U.S. Forestry Experiment Station locates in French Hall (1923-1932)
College catalog mentions curriculum credit for campus activities.

1924

Goessmann Chemistry Laboratory built for a cost of $300,000.
Former president Greenough dies and Edward M. Lewis is acting president till June 13, 1926.
Market Garden Substation moves to Waltham.

1925

Evelyn Davis Kennedy’s first coed glee club.
Joint concert with Smith College.
Cavalry Barn burns and is rebuilt.
College buys “Revelation,” second to grand champion at International Live Stock Exposition.
Purnell Act ($20,000, with increasing annuities, for economic research).

1926

Edward M. Lewis becomes president on June 14, 1926 after serving two prior years as acting president. Serves as president until April 24, 1927.
First interfraternity sing.
Tuition $60 (Mass residents).
Wareham Substation burns & rebuilt, $9,000.
The Ynkhorne (1926-1928)

1927

Dad’s Day.
Short Course for Greenskeepers, the first in the nation.
President Roscoe Thatcher inaugurated; serves from June 9, 1927 through April 8, 1932.

1928

Capper-Ketcham Act ($20,000 for extension).
Outing Club.
The name “Stockbridge School of Agriculture”
Alumni Club awards first honorary medal to Griggs (Class of 1913).

1929

Girls’ Glee Club has 35 voices and 10 concerts.
Volunteer group of students start the Agitation Committee, because they want a broader curriculum to permit the granting of an Arts degree.
Depression starts; larger student body, but no physical growth. budget is reduced.
Five year course in Landscape Architecture.
Seniors’ honor course given by Ray Ethan Torrey. Departmental honor work.

1930

Horticultural Manufacturers Laboratory, $70,000.
Extension Service sends 163,000 bulletins to 37,000 people in response to requests.
Tercentenary Celebration exhibit in Boston & Springfield.

1931

On March 26th Governor Ely signs a bill into law changing the official college name to Massachusetts State College.
Curry Hicks Physical Education Building constructed for $287,500.
Sigma Beta Chi, Lambda Delta Mu, and Alpha Lambda Mu.
Twelve performances of “The Americans Come.”

1932

Hugh Potter Baker assumes presidency on May 20, 1932 and leads the college through difficult years until June 8, 1946.
Total volume of books in Library at 90,000.
Over 7,000 people at Horticultural Show.
Holstein herd wins U.S. Production Contest, with average of 16,059 lbs. milk & 564 lbs. butter fat.

1933

Farley 4-H Clubhouse, $2,500.
Power Plant enlargement, $100,000.
Tuition at $100 for Massachusetts residents.
Hugh P. Baker formally inaugurated as 12th president, holds office for almost the entire period the institution is called Massachusetts State College (1933-1947).
Return to semesters.

1934

Student committee formed to study improvement of teaching and modernize curriculum, but it is not very successful in making changes.
Gaie Whitton’s coed debating team beats Boston University and Middlebury College, loses to Columbia.

1935

Snow’s band in new uniforms.
Goodell Library opens.

1936

Dedication, October 23rd, of Women’s Athletic Field, formulated under the direction of Adeline (Mrs. Curry) Hicks.
Othello with alternating leads.

1937

Debating trip to South Carolina.
Collegian Literary Supplement.
On May 1, Bernard Smith (Class of 1899) presents to the College a chime of bells in memory of his classmate Dr. Warren Elmer Hinds.

1939

Massachusetts State College Building Association incorporated.

1940

The trustees approve plans of the education department to consolidate its teacher-training program into one semester.

1941

The first Campus Community Chest organized and raises funds for local and national organizations.
Male enrollment plummets during World War II (1941-1945). Facilities used for military training programs.

1942

Degrees granted: bachelors: 273, masters: 37, & doctorate: 6.

1943

Trainees of the 58th College Training Detachment (CTD) of the Army Air Force arrive on campus March 1st.
Fall enrollment drops to 738 from the previous year’s 1,410.
Congress provides for the rehabilitation of disabled veterans through higher education in an act approved March 24, 1943; and for aid to all who had been in their country’s service by a second law on June 22, 1944.

1944

Total enrollment at 787.

1945

Enrollment jumps to 1,002.

1946

New construction starts as WW II veterans return.
Fort Devens (Ayer) branch of the college established to accommodate veterans; 2-year school.

1947

On May 6th Governor Bradford signs bill making the college the University of Massachusetts.
Engineering School started.
Ralph Van Meter serves as acting President till 1948.

1948

Berkshire House, Hampshire House, Middlesex House, and Mills House (New Africa House) constructed.
Skinner Hall built to house the School of Home Economics
On Jan.10th the newly erected Engineering Annex is destroyed by fire.
President Van Meter becomes 13th president of UMass; serves from April 29, 1948 till May 10, 1954.
School of Business administration founded.
WMUA student radio station begins broadcasting

1949

Fort Devens, branch campus closes.

1950

Dean William L. Machmer brings in a report favoring the establishment of a five- year nursing program at the University.

1951

FM radio station established
Massachusetts Quarterly starts.

1952

Jean P. Mather appointed UMass Provost.

1953

Buildings constructed: Crabtree House, Leach House, and Worcester Dining Hall.
In October Mary Maher appointed as Director of the Division of Nursing with the responsibility for developing the curriculum, selecting the field agencies and selecting a nursing faculty.
Eleanor Roosevelt addresses 89th opening convocation.
Omicron Nu Sorority initiated.
Senior Class gives $1500 for History Room in Goodell Library.

1954

On May 5th [people:m:mather_jean_paul|[Jean Paul Mather]] starts as president and serves till March 21, 1960.

1955

North College, built in 1867, razed to make room for Machmer Hall.

1956

“Freedom Bill” improves salary incentives for faculty.
Student Union Building constructed (1956-1957).
Major construction program results in some 110 instructional and dormitory facilities, many self-liquidating (1956-1963).

1957

Engineering Journal begins.

1958

Lincoln Apartments and Wheeler House constructed.
School of Nursing graduates its first class.
Student Union – Games Area: 177,000 students participate in the games; of this number, 72,446 participate in bowling; 59,803 in billiards; 17,945 in ping pong; and 27,574 check out miscellaneous games available.
The Health Service enjoys a relatively quiet year as compared to 1957 with its Asiatic influenza epidemic. The staff remains the same: 2 doctors, 5 nurses, 3 cooks, 1 housekeeper and 1 clerk, all full time.
Ground breaking for the new addition to Goodell Library building.

1959

Public Health Center constructed with classrooms, research laboratories and an auditorium.
Bartlett Hall built on the site of the Old Drill Hall, named for former Trustee Joseph W. Bartlett (1959-1960).

1960

UMass Building Authority established and the Building Association discontinues its building program.
With the installation of John W. Lederle on Sept. 25, as the 15th President, the University’s greatest decade of development and expansion begin. He leaves office June 30, 1970.
Enrollment at 6,331.
Massachusetts Assembly-Annual Lecture Series established by the students.

1961

An electronic computer center is established in Goessmann Chemistry Laboratory building.
WFCR, an educational FM radio station, officially begins operations on May 8th.

1962

Fiscal Autonomy law gives University greater self-management of funds; fiscal authority to trustees.
Morrill Science Center completed.
The University of Massachusetts Medical Center at Worcester is founded.

1963

April 29th, celebration of 100th anniversary. University enrollment at an all-time high of 7,600.
Harold Cary's The University of Massachusetts: A History of One-Hundred Years, the official history of the University, is published.
Dedication of Holdsworth Hall, named for Professor Emeritus Robert P. Holdsworth.
In the School of Engineering, the first Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree is awarded in June.
In January, the University’s Master of Business Administration program is accredited by the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business. The University is the only state University in New England to receive accreditation in this program.
November 16, Gorman House dedicated as a memorial to Edwin Daniel Gorman (1912-1961) who made outstanding contributions to the development of education in the Commonwealth as a Representative from Holyoke in the Massachusetts General Court.
Brett House dedicated December 9, 1962, as a tribute to Alden Chase Brett (Class of 1912), long time member of the University’s trustees and one of his alma mater’s most loyal, energetic and devoted sons.

1964

Southwest Residential Complex constructed (1964-1966).

1965

The University’s second campus opens in Boston (UMass Boston).
Franklin Dining Hall constructed.

1966

Whitmore Administration Building erected (1966-1967)

1967

Undergraduate tuition is at $200.00 for in-state students.

1968

Astronomy Building, Berkshire Dining Hall, Cance House, Herter Hall, Moore House, Pierpont House and Thompson Hall are built.
Johnny Carson makes one of his rare college performances as the Saturday night highlight of Winter Carnival .
The School of Engineering awards its first doctoral degrees.
Dick Gregory criticizes “Our Insane Democracy;” addresses a capacity size crowd at the Cage.

1970

UMass Worcester Medical School enrolls its first class.
Enrollment stands at 23,389.
Robert C. Wood serves as President July 1, 1970-December 31, 1977, leading the expansion of the UMass system
To be more effective, the Office of the President is relocated to Boston from Amherst where it had been located since the founding of the institution.
The Office of Chancellor is established as the primary administrative position at each campus.

1971

Total enrollment stands at 22,500 students.
University Library constructed, 28 stories tall (1971-1973).

1972

In-state tuition, undergraduate at $250.00.

1973

Total enrollment all programs stands at 24,138.

1974

UMass Boston Campus expanded to Harbor Campus.

1975

Enrollment reaches 25,884.

1976

Holdings in University Libraries total 1,453,314 volumes.
Tuition in-state, undergraduate is $345.00.

1978

Franklin Patterson Acting President.
David C. Knapp President from Sept. 1, 1978 till March 16, 1990.

1979

In-state undergraduate tuition is $625.00.

1980

Enrollment at 24,737.

1981

In-state tuition at $952.00

1982

Full-time instructional faculty at 1,211.

1983

Enrollment at 25,838.

1984

In-state undergraduate tuition, $1,208.

1985

Enrollment reaches 26,472.

1986

University Libraries total number of volumes is 2,129,588.

1987

In-state undergraduate tuition is $1,296.

1988

In-state undergraduate tuition is $1,404.00.

1989

The Board of Trustees commissions a blue ribbon panel (Saxon Commission) to examine “the future role of the University of Massachusetts in the Commonwealth, its governance and financing.”

1990

Joseph D. Duffey serves as president from March 17, 1990 till June 30, 1991.
Enrollment dips to 24,474.
In-state undergraduate tuition at $1,935.00

1991

E. K. Fretwell, Jr. serves as Interim President from July 1, 1991 till August 31, 1992.
Governor William F. Weld signs legislation creating a new five campus University of Massachusetts with a single President and Board of Trustees.
UMass Dartmouth and UMass Lowell added to University system.

1992