University Archives of Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Historical Data Book: Significant Dates 1851 Olin and Preston Institute opens 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act becomes law (July 2) 1864 Morrill Act accepted for Virginia by "Unionist" legislature 1869 Preston and Olin Institute chartered with collegiate powers 1872 Bill establishing V.A.M.C. signed (March 19) First meeting of Board of Visitors (March 25-26) Montgomery County citizens approve bond issue (May 24) Charles L.C. Minor elected first president (Aug. 14) First session begins (Oct.1) 1875 Twelve students awarded first non-degree diplomas 1876 First off-campus student trip (to Richmond) 1879 John L. Buchanan elected second president 1880 National social fraternities banned 1882 Thomas N. Conrad elected third president Military system firmly established 1883 First degrees (Bachelor of Arts) awarded 1886 Lindsay L. Lomax elected fourth president Agricultural Experiment Station legally established 1891 John M. McBryde elected fifth president Athletic Association organized 1892 First Bachelor of Science and Master of Science awarded First football game played 1896 "Polytechnic Institute" added to name of College 1903 First dean named (E. A. Smyth, dean of the faculty) 1904 First summer school held 1907 Graduate Department established Paul B. Barringer elected sixth president 1909 First basketball game played 1913 Joseph D. Eggleston becomes seventh president 1914 Agricultural Extension Division established 1917 First R.O.T.C. unit established 1919 Julian A. Burruss becomes eighth president 1920 Quality credit and credit hour system established 1921 Engineering Experiment Station established Women admitted for first time as full time students 1922 Semi-Centennial celebration 1923 Engineering Extension Division established First woman student receives degree (Mary E. Brumfield) 1926 Future Farmers of Virginia (later FFA) founded at V.P.I. 1930 First extension branch established in Richmond Civilian Student Union formed 1942 First Doctor of Philosophy awarded (Nathan S. Sugarman) 1944 Radford State Teachers College becomes V.P.I. Women's Division "Agricultural and Mechanical" College dropped from College name 1945 John R. Hutcheson elected ninth president 1946 Walter S. Newman elected first vice president "Rad-Tech" campus established Civilians outnumber cadets for first time 1947 Walter S. Newman elected tenth president 1948 V.P.I. Educational Foundation, Inc., established 1949 "Rad-Tech" campus closed 1952 First Master of Education degrees awarded Cooperative Education program established 1953 First Black student admitted (Irving L. Peddrew) 1956 Bachelor of Agriculture degree awarded 1958 First Black student graduates (Charles L. Yates) 1961 First Master of Architecture degree awarded 1962 First Master of Urban and Regional Planning awarded T. Marshall Hahn, Jr. becomes eleventh president 1963 First student to win Rhodes Scholarship (William W. Lewis, Jr.) First (and only) Southern Conference football championship 1964 Corps of Cadets becomes voluntary option V.P.I.-Radford merger dissolved 1965 Bachelor of Arts degree re-instated University withdraws from Southern Conference 1966 Cadets and civilians unite to form one student government University-wide Extension and Research Divisions established 1967 First Black student to receive athletic grant-in-aid (Jerry Gaines) 1968 First student representation to the University Council TRW, Inc., gives University its Rocky Mount Testing Center Women students outnumber cadets for first time Master of Business Administration and Master of Forestry approved 1969 Master of Engineering and Master of Accountancy approved Faculty Senate established 1970 "and State University" added to V.P.I.'s name Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Master of Health and Physical Education approved 1971 Doctor of Education 1972 Centennial Year Bachelor of Technology approved (effective Fall) Recognized social fraternity-sorority system approved

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Tamara Kennelly, University Archivist
University Libraries
Virginia Tech
P.O. Box 90001
Blacksburg, VA, 24062-9001

URL: http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/databook/sig_dates.htm
Last Modified on: Tuesday, 25-Sep-2001 08:16:06 EDT