This month in Penn State history: The founding of a world-class university

It began in 1855; just 80 years after the United States became an independent nation. On Feb. 22 of that year, Pennsylvania Governor William Pollock signed a bill chartering The Farmers’ High School as a baccalaureate institution, creating what is today The Pennsylvania State University. Governor Pollock’s action not only laid the foundation for public higher education in Pennsylvania, but also created an institution of higher learning that was one of the first of its kind in the nation—an institution dedicated to teaching the scientific principles of farming and educating the working class.

At the time, this event went unnoticed by most of the world. Even Penn State’s original charter was written on plain paper—an unpretentious start for a great university. The new school was located on 200 acres donated by Centre County ironmasters James Irvin and Moses Thompson. It opened its doors to 119 students in 1859, the same year its first President Evan Pugh arrived to find Old Main only partially finished. Pennsylvania’s crops had failed, the nation had fallen on hard times, and the Civil War was about to begin.

But President Pugh—with the help of a number of Trustees—unreservedly accepted the challenge to build Penn State into an institution known throughout the nation for its exceptional education, not only in agriculture, but also in engineering, the sciences, humanities, mechanics, and other areas.

From the very beginning, Pugh saw Penn State as a source of discovery, a place of innovation, and a vast resource for Pennsylvania and its people. He battled vehemently for Penn State’s pioneering vision and worked to push legislation through Congress that would create “the people’s institutions.” This legislation, known as the Morrill Act, was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, and Penn State became one of the nation’s first land-grant institutions. Today, Penn State is still Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant university—holding a special place in the history of the Commonwealth.

From a student body of little more than 100 in 1855 to nearly 84,000 today; from graduating its first class of 11 students to conferring more than 557,000 degrees in the course of its history; Penn State’s legacy is one of success. The isolated 200-acre farm with a single academic building has grown to 24 locations on nearly 21,000 acres across the state; touching nearly five million Pennsylvanians each year.

Clearly, what began as a pioneering experiment in higher education has flourished into one of America’s greatest success stories. From a small agricultural school in the heart of Pennsylvania to one of the leading research universities in the world—Penn State is now synonymous with excellence.

(Excerpt from Penn State President Graham Spanier’s Sesquicentennial Kickoff Address, July 8, 2004)