The Maples, Old Chemistry Building, President's residence and Old Main, circa 1876.
The large building (right) is the Main Building, built in 1868 with a wing added in 1871. The building in the foreground is the president's residence, built in 1869. At far left (rear) is the Maples, also completed in 1869, later known as Music Hall. To the right of the Maples is the Chemistry Building, built in 1870 with an addition in 1875. The smaller building behind Chemistry is not identified. Photo courtesy of Iowa State University Library Special Collections and University Archives.
Friday, March 22, is Iowa State University's 166th birthday (some prefer founder's day). The count starts from that spring day in 1858 the Iowa General Assembly passed a bill to establish the Iowa State Agricultural College and Model Farm "to be connected with the entire agricultural interest of the State of Iowa."
It took more than 10 years to purchase land, erect the beginnings of a college campus and welcome the first students and, while other dates were significant during that period, March 22 remains the date we celebrate as a community of employees, students and alumni.
Most recently, the ISU Alumni Association has led that charge with "State Day" observances. Talbot Endowed President and chief executive officer Jeff Johnson said the intent behind the celebration varies slightly by audience. For current students, it's to encourage a show of loyalty and pride in their school. For alumni, it's to trigger fun memories of classmates and their time at Iowa State.
"We don't have active chapters in all the cities our alumni live, so these broader events give us a chance to serve all of our alumni, no matter where they live," Johnson said.
Instruction to be offered, according to the 1858 legislation:
- Animal and vegetable anatomy
- Book-keeping
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Entomology
- Forestry
- Fruit growing
- Geology
- Horticulture
- Mechanical arts directly connected with agriculture
- Meteorology
- Minerology
- Natural philosophy
- Plain mensuration, levelling and surveying
- Veterinary art
- Zoology
Johnson noted it's important to share an accurate university history in "fun and engaging" ways so the Iowa State community appreciates its shared history.
State Day
State Day launched in 2016 when the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC) organized a central campus event with birthday cake and prizes for students who showed up in their Cyclone gear.
The outreach expanded to alumni in 2018 with an email message about Iowa State's establishment in March 1858 and a video about the carillon and campanile, a historic central campus icon and memory maker.
This year, the alumni association ran its first "State Week" March 4-8, a five-day, opt-in email campaign. Each daily note featured a short video story that showcased today's campus to alums: Fountain of the Four Seasons restoration project, 50 years of the M-Shop, Veterinary Medicine's new state diagnostic laboratory, the modern campus dining experience and news highlights from each college.
More than 1,100 alumni and friends opted in to receive the email series -- and many forward it to other friends, Johnson said.
Calling their events "State Day" or "State Week" gives organizers a little flexibility with their planning, he noted. For example, last week's early emails to alumni were designed to not conflict with other communications later this month to alumni around anticipated tournament appearances for the wrestling and women's and men's basketball teams.
SALC's 2024 "State Day" celebration is Tuesday, March 26 (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., central campus) with food, activities and prizes.
A collection of dates for Iowa State
Our start: 1858
The Iowa Legislature established the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm on March 22, 1858, though more than a decade would pass before students arrived. The bill appropriated $10,000 to purchase land and build facilities and outlined how an 11-member board of trustees would guide that process. The bill also stipulated that tuition would remain "forever free" -- which it was for more than three decades. The next year, on June 21, 1859, the board selected Story County as the site for the college and purchased the original 648 acres.
Morrill Act: 1862
Iowa was the first state to identify and map the land parcels the federal government gave to states under the Land Grant Colleges Act -- or Morrill Act -- which President Abraham Lincoln signed on July 2, 1862. Two months later, on Sept. 11, the Iowa Legislature met in a special session to become the first state to accept its terms: Sell the land and use the proceeds to establish a land-grant institution open to all and emphasizing agriculture and mechanic arts.
Despite its central Iowa location, none of the federal land given to Iowa State is in the area. The 204,000 acres, sold in 160-acre parcels, are scattered across 27 counties in the northwest quadrant of the state.
In 1864, the Iowa Legislature designated the Ames college, rather than its Iowa City university, as the state's land-grant.
Students arrive: 1869
Adonijah Welch, at the time serving as a U.S. senator from Florida, was appointed the first president in May 1868 and, following a fall session of students completing preparatory work, the college officially opened on March 17, 1869, with 173 students, including 37 women. Three years later, the student body surpassed 260, and 26 students graduated in the first class: 24 men and two women.
