University Hall, 1874

Nearly 140 years ago, the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College opened its doors.

On September 17, 1873, seven faculty members greeted the roughly two dozen students who showed up to get a college degree. (Reports vary between 17 and 25 on how many students there actually were.) The college’s sole building—University Hall—was still under construction, with an unfinished roof, no interior doors, and no more than a few benches for students.

There was no formal opening ceremony, nor a dedication. Therefore, it is not surprising that its opening went mostly unnoticed. However, one Ohio newspaper did write, perhaps a bit prophetically, “They say a small beginning makes a good ending.”

Despite the inauspicious beginnings, the University did succeed, and a lot of the credit for that success goes to the outstanding faculty. The Board of Trustees found remarkable individuals – men (and they were all men) who may not have achieved great honors but who recognized the worthiness of the University’s mission and dedicated themselves to the cause. And it was dedication. The faculty undertook significant workloads, not only teaching but donating time as per state requirement. For example, the agriculture professor was required by the state to analyze fertilizer samples—for free—for the general public. The faculty was also required to help with the grounds, including sanitation. On top of all that, many of the original faculty members lived in University Hall along with the students. Despite these conditions, many of these faculty members spent the rest of their careers at Ohio State.

First graduating class, 1878

But what did these professors teach? The focus was science, but the liberal arts were also required as part of the curriculum. Incoming students were required to take an entrance examination in “arithmetic, geography, English grammar, and elementary algebra.” Students also had classes in literature, history, agricultural science, engineering, chemistry, philosophy, and language (Professor Joseph Millikin apparently taught Latin, Greek, French, German, Anglo-Saxon and the Romance languages). From here, you know the story: Ohio State has been accumulating courses and departments—and students—ever since.

In 1878, the college changed its name to The Ohio State University, and the rest, as they say, is history.

For more information about the founding, visit our web exhibit at: http://library.osu.edu/projects/founding/.

Filed by C.N.