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150 Years and Still Growing!

Calendar of Events

Historical Moments and Memories

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Rhode Island College Timeline

One Hundred Fifty Events in the History of the Institution

  1. RI State Normal School Opens (1854)
  2. Normal School Moves To Bristol (1857)
  3. Dana P. Colburn, First Principal, Dies In Accident (1859)
  4. Joshua Kendall Named Principal (1860)
  5. General Assembly Ends Funding, Normal School In Hiatus (1865)
  6. Teacher Instruction Held At Providence Conference Seminary And Lapham Institute (1866)
  7. Education Commissioner Thomas Bicknell Campaigns To Reopen Normal School (1869)
  8. State's 1st First Board Of Education Established (1870)
  9. James C. Greenough Named Principal (1871)
  10. Normal School Reopens On Hoyle Square In Providence (1871)
  11. 1st Permanent Home Of Normal School, On Benefit St. (1878)
  12. Thomas J. Morgan Begins Serving As Principal (1884)
  13. RI Normal School Alumni Association Established (1887)
  14. George Abner Littlefield Named Principal (1889)
  15. William E. Wilson Named Principal (1892)
  16. General Assembly Approves New Normal School Building (1892)
  17. First Model And Training School Opens (1893)
  18. Old State Prison Property Chosen As Site For New Normal School (1894)
  19. Alumni Association Establishes First Endowment (1895)
  20. Frederick Gowing Named Principal (1898)
  21. New Normal School Dedicated On Smith Hill (1898)
  22. First Contribution To School From Endowment (1898)
  23. Former Normal Hall On Hoyle Square Is Destroyed By Fire (1899)
  24. Henry Barnard Dies At Age 89 (1900)
  25. More Than Half Of All Public School Teachers Now Possess Normal School Diplomas (1900)
  26. Charles S. Chapin Named Principal (1901)
  27. State Retirement For Teachers Established (1907)
  28. John Lincoln Alger Named Principal (1908)
  29. Admission Now Limited To High School Graduates (1908)
  30. Saturday Classes For Teachers Begin (1909)
  31. 1st Student Government Established (1910)
  32. Thomas Bicknell's "History Of The RI Normal School" Is Published (1911)
  33. Entrance Tests First Required (1913)
  34. Clara E. Craig Experiments With Montessori Methods (1914)
  35. First Summer School For Teachers Held (1918)
  36. Instution Becomes RI College Of Education (1920)
  37. Observation & Training School Named To Honor Henry Barnard (1920)
  38. First Baccalaureate Degree Awarded (1922)
  39. 1st Graduate Degree Program (M.Ed.) Offered (1925)
  40. Ground Broken For New $660,000 Henry Barnard School (1926)
  41. Class Of '27 Establishes Anchor As School Symbol (1927)
  42. The Anchor Publishes 1st Edition (1927)
  43. Associated Alumni Of RICe Is Organized (1928)
  44. First Yearbook, "RIColed", Is Published (1929)
  45. Men's Basketball Is First Intercollegiate Sport (1929)
  46. Bristol Home Of Normal School Destroyed By Fire (1934)
  47. First "May Queen" Is Selected (1934)
  48. "Long Black Stockings For Women" Requirement Is Dropped (1937)
  49. Men's Athletic Association Organizes "Stunt Night" (1939)
  50. 1st College Store Opens In Former Closet (1939)
  51. Lucius Albert Whipple Is Inaugurated As Institution’s 2nd President (1940)
  52. Secondary School CurriCulum Established (1942)
  53. Accreditation By American Association Of Teachers Colleges (1943)
  54. At The Height Of Wwii, Only One Male Student Remains Enrolled (1944)
  55. Frederick J. Donovan Named College’s 1st Vice President (1944)
  56. Student Activity Fee Set At $22 Per Year (1948)
  57. Freshman Hazing Tradition Begins (1949)
  58. Tuition For Graduate Students Established (1949)
  59. President Whipple Resigns, Fred Donovan Named Acting President (1951)
  60. College’s Future Under Fire; “Seige Of Troy” (1952)
  61. William C. Gaige Named President (1952)
  62. College Centennial Observed (1954)
  63. Successful Bond Issue For New Campus (1954)
  64. Gov. Roberts Leads Groundbreaking For New Campus (1956)
  65. RIC Dance Company Organized (1957)
  66. New $5.6 Million Mount Pleasant Campus Opens (1958)
  67. College Is Accredited By New England Association Of Colleges And Secondary Schools (1958)
  68. $25 General Fee Is Established (1959)
  69. Undergraduate Enrollment Tops 1,000 For First Time (1959)
  70. Name Changed To “Rhode Island College” (1960)
  71. New College Seal Adopted, Incorporating Holbrook Flame (1960)
  72. “Chalktones” Organized (1960)
  73. 1st Residence Hall Opens, Named For Mary Tucker Thorp (1961)
  74. Mandatory Chapel Discontinued (1962)
  75. 37 Acres Purchased To Expand Campus To West (1962)
  76. Donovan Dining Center Dedicated (1962)
  77. Council Of Rhode Island College Established (1963)
  78. First Bachelor Of Arts Degrees Awarded (1963)
  79. Adams Library, Clarke Science Dedicated (1963)
  80. Departmental Honors Program Established (1964)
  81. Rhode Island College Foundation Established (1965)
  82. RIC Goes To The G.E. College Bowl (1965)
  83. Women First Allowed To Wear Slacks (1965)
  84. President’s House Completed; Weber Hall, Walsh Center Dedicated (1965)
  85. Wsbe Begins Broadcasting From Studios In Adams Library (1966)
  86. Horace Mann Hall Is Dedicated (1966)
  87. Upward Bound Program Established (1966)
  88. Aft Local 1819 Is Chartered (1967)
  89. Joseph Kauffman Named President (1968)
  90. Student Union Dedicated; “Student Power” Demonstrations Ensue (1968)
  91. Doorley Properties Acquired (1968)
  92. Master Of Arts Degree Is Introduced (1968)
  93. Rose Butler Browne Residence Hall Opens (1969)
  94. Nursing Program Approved (1969)
  95. Administration Wing Of Roberts, Faculty Center Opened (1970)
  96. Student Unrest; Classes Temporarily Suspended (1970)
  97. New CurriCulum & General Studies Program Inaugurated (1970)
  98. Earth Day (1970)
  99. Freshman Hazing Tradition Ends (1971)
  100. Mann Hall Redicated As Gaige Hall (1971)

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  101. New Mann Hall Dedicated, Tower Addition To Craig-Lee Completed (1971)
  102. First Separate Graduate Commencement (1971)
  103. First Student-Designed Courses (1971)
  104. Faculty Vote Aft For Collective Bargaining (1972)
  105. First Student Exchange & Study Abroad Programs (1972)
  106. Age Of Majority Lowered To 18 (1972)
  107. Charles B. Willard Named President (1973)
  108. Rathskellar Opens (1974)
  109. Fogarty Life Science Dedicated (1975)
  110. RIC Student Community Government, Inc. Established (1976)
  111. Old Student Center Snack Bar Closed (1976)
  112. Women’s Center Established (1976)
  113. Fall Semester Finals Held Before Christmas Break For First Time (1976)
  114. David E. Sweet Named President (1977)
  115. Art Gallery Named To Honor Edward M. Bannister (1978)
  116. Debut Of “The Chanchor” (1978)
  117. 50,000 Sq. Ft. Addition To Adams Library Opens (1978)
  118. School Of Social Work Officially Established (1979)
  119. First Winter Commencement Held Since 1894 (1982)
  120. College Begins To Receive Ada Funding For Disability Improvements (1982)
  121. President Sweet Passes Away Unexpectedly (1984)
  122. First College E-Mail System Established (1984)
  123. State Drinking Age Raised To 21; College Goes Dry (1985)
  124. Surdut Pool & Children’s Center Activities Bldg. Acquired (1985)
  125. Carol J. Guardo Inaugurated As President (1986)
  126. RIC Foundation Surpasses $1 Million In Assets (1986)
  127. Burgundy Chosen To Accent Official School Colors Of Gold And White (1987)
  128. RIC Becomes Charter Member Of Ncaa Division Iii’s Little East Conference (1987)
  129. Recreation Center & Reconstruction Of Former Whipple Gym Completed (1989)
  130. John Nazarian Named Eighth President (1990)
  131. Walsh Center Destroyed By Fire (1992)
  132. Gov. Sundlun Transfers Remainder Of Children’s Center Property To College (1992)
  133. Smoking Prohibited In Or Around College Buildings And Vehicles (1993)
  134. Forman Center Dedicated (1994)
  135. Donovan Dining Center Expansion/Renovation Completed (1994)
  136. New Health, Physical Education, & Athletic Complex Opens (1995)
  137. Dialogue On Diversity Established (1995)
  138. Alan Shawn Feinstein: 1st Private Gift Of $1 Million (1996)
  139. General Education 2000 (1996)
  140. 1898 Normal School Building Demolished (1997)
  141. Technology Center At Horace Mann Hall (1997)
  142. First Ph.D. In Education (1999)
  143. College Converts To Peoplesoft For Y2k (1999)
  144. www.RIC.edu Goes Live (1999)
  145. Nazarian Center For The Performing Arts Dedicated (2000)
  146. Buildings 4 & 5 Completed; Mt. Pleasant Avenue Entrance Renovated (2001)
  147. Name Change: School Of Management & Technology (2002)
  148. Obediah Brown Field Acquired Through Lease With City (2002)
  149. Building 10 Is New Home To Development & College Relations (2002)
  150. Murray Center Dedicated (2003)

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