Virginia

130 years after its opening, the once small agricultural college has become Virginia's largest university- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

When Charles Minor opened the doors of his new land-grant institution in late 1872, there were only 29 students, 3 faculty members, and a single building in the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. From the humble beginning of donated livestock, seeds, machinery, and books, the university now known as Virginia Tech has emerged as a leading research university that is consistently ranked among the nation's best colleges. In addition to housing some of the top engineering and business schools, the university also has a tremendous athletic program that continually produces many of the nation's top ranked athletes. The Campus History Series: Virginia Tech illustrates the university's evolution through over 200 archival photographs, including rare and fun bites of campus history, such as the old cadet rat parades, the first ring dance, the Highty-Tighties, the Huckleberry, and even the evolution of the school's mascot, the Hokie Bird.

Anyone strolling through James Madison University's bucolic Bluestone area, which is grounded by the iconic Wilson Hall, will feel the educational journeys of past students resonating through the air. Founded in 1908 as a women's college, James Madison University was originally called the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg and had an opening enrollment of 150 students. Since then, James Madison University has undergone several name changes and has a current enrollment of over 20,000 students. "The Madison Experience" is one that involves a commitment to learning and a fun and open spirit. This retelling of campus history seeks to capture some of the defining moments and cherished memories that have shaped so many Dukes.

On October 29, 1900, Indiana Fletcher Williams died, leaving her 8,000-acre plantation estate and almost $1 million to create the Sweet Briar Institute.

Later renamed Sweet Briar College, it was founded by Williams to honor her daughter, Maria Georgiana "Daisy" Williams, who died tragically in 1884 at age 16. For over a century, Sweet Briar has recruited dedicated faculty and staff to teach exceptional students. The school's award-winning lands include old-growth forests, rare arboreal and floral species, scenic hiking and riding trails, and two lakes. Complementing these natural resources are beautiful campus buildings, many of which are listed in national and state historic registers. Each of these features is rare for a college campus; taken together, they compose the rich physical and community heritage of a historic college that celebrates its 115th birthday in 2016

The story of Old Dominion University began during one of the most uncertain times in American history. In 1930, as the country sank deeper into the Great Depression, the College of William and Mary opened a two-year extension school in nearby Norfolk, Virginia, to provide affordable, quality education to the community. Embracing its founding spirit of innovation, the school rapidly evolved into an independent, four-year college and adopted Virginia's nickname "Old Dominion." As the country transformed during the 1960s, so did the college, and by 1969, it had progressed into a dynamic public university. Now with over 250 academic programs, nine colleges, and approximately 25,000 students representing over 100 countries, Old Dominion University continues to pride itself on forward-thinking research, inclusiveness, and strategic partnerships.

Since its founding by the American Baptist Home Mission Society in 1865, Virginia Union University has nurtured its students for nearly 150 years. Its first campus was established on the site of the Lumpkin slave prison in what was then the notorious Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia, thus replacing a horrific purpose with one dedicated to education and enlightenment. Four historically black institutions came together into one university: Richmond Theological Seminary, Wayland Seminary, Hartshorn Memorial College for African American women, and Storer College. Overcoming Jim Crow laws and racial adversity, Virginia Union University became the center of a renowned theological school and a focal point during the civil rights movement, matriculating leaders such as Wyatt Tee Walker, Walter Fauntroy, and Elizabeth Rice and igniting the Richmond Campaign for Human Dignity in the wake of the arrest of the Virginia Union 34 during the 1960 sit-ins. Today, Virginia Union is a vibrant urban university offering graduate education in ministry, Christian education, and divinity and undergraduate degrees through the Schools of Business, Humanities & Social Sciences, Education, Psychology & Interdisciplinary Studies, and Mathematics, Science & Technology. Under the leadership of Dr. Claude Grandford Perkins, Virginia Union's 12th president, the university carries on its proud legacy of achievement.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is Virginia's largest urban university with an enrollment of nearly 30,000 students on two campuses in Richmond and partnerships in Northern Virginia and Doha, Qatar. The university's history is rooted in two institutions: the Medical College of Virginia, founded in 1838, and the Richmond Professional Institute, which began in 1917. As told in this book, MCV and RPI each have an intricate and detailed history, and each has undergone several incarnations since it began. The
two schools merged in 1968 to form Virginia Commonwealth University, setting off a period of unprecedented growth and change. VCU continues to expand its programs and facilities to meet the demands of the city of Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia under the leadership of Pres. Eugene P. Trani.

The second oldest institution of higher education in the United States, William & Mary remains one of the top public colleges in the country.

By the time of the American Revolution, the College of William and Marywas already into its eighth decade as the academic source of what the new nation would become and how it would relate to the larger world.

Its land had been surveyed by George Washington, and its first honorary degree had been given to Ben Franklin. It would go on to educate two signers of the Declaration of Independence, three American presidents, and three justices of the Supreme Court. Chartered by British royalty in 1693, the college retains that connection to its roots into the 21st century. Remarkably through history, the College of William and Marywas, and remains, a public university--one of 16 in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

At a time in American history when the 18th-century thought and practice of Thomas Jefferson has become part of the contemporary conversation, the college from which he graduated in 1762 continues to pursue his simple notion that worth and genius ,be] sought from every condition of life.

Randolph-Macon College was founded as a Methodist-related college in 1830 near Boydton in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. After the Civil War, the college moved along the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad tracks to the wooden buildings of a bankrupt resort hotel north of Richmond in Ashland, Virginia. The college was soon known for such innovations as required physical education. Pres. W. W. Smith expanded Randolph-Macon into a system of five institutions, including the women's college in Lynchburg, Virginia. Pres. Robert Emory Blackwell instilled the college philosophy of "hand cultivation" of students, which is still followed today. After World War II, Pres. J. Earl Moreland began building the modern campus. In 1966, African American students were admitted, and though town girls took classes as early as 1893, the college became fully coeducational in 1971. Today the college has grown to over 1,200 students and although still grounded in the liberal arts, majors range from accounting to women's studies.

In 1839, the Virginia Military Institute became the nation's first state-sponsored military college when the state arsenal in Lexington, Virginia, adopted an additional duty providing a college education to a small group of cadets.

This humble experiment became the nation's model for educating the citizen-soldier. Today cadets live a military lifestyle while pursuing an undergraduate degree and may choose to accept a commission in any branch of the armed forces upon graduation. Noted alumni include Pony Express organizer Ben Ficklin (1849), Nobel Peace Prize recipient Gen. George Marshall (1901), Polar explorer Adm. Richard Byrd (1908), U.S. Supreme Court Justice Tom Clark (1921), and actor Dabney Coleman (1957). Numbered among the alumni are over 260 general officers, 13 Rhodes Scholars, and a saint in the Episcopal Church. The Post, as the campus is called, is a National Historic District with its distinctive Gothic Revival architecture surrounding the central parade ground.

Opened in 1961 as an extension of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Christopher Newport University (CNU) had humble origins in an abandoned downtown Newport News public school. Located in historic Hampton Roads, the institution was named for the 17th-century English mariner who helped establish the Jamestown colony. Now Virginia's youngest public university, Christopher Newport is a thriving educational institution with small class sizes, dedicated faculty, and world-class facilities. CNU's modern mission is to educate leaders for the 21st century, and it has quickly become a university of choice for students throughout Virginia and beyond. This unique volume, containing more than 200 photographs, is the first comprehensive look at CNU's history ever published. It chronicles the institution's dramatic story using images from the university's archives, published sources, and private collections.

Thomas Nelson Community College was the first of the Virginia Community Colleges in the Tidewater-Hampton Roads Region. Located in Hampton, Thomas Nelson Community College, for the past half century, has offered transfer and workforce programs to the citizens of the Virginia Peninsula. Since its founding in 1967, thousands of students have passed through its doors in search of a better future for themselves, their families, and their community. Named for one of the nation's founding fathers, Thomas Nelson Jr., the college has never forgotten its connection to Virginia's colonial past, as well as its commitment to the present and the future. This book commemorates the 50th anniversary of Thomas Nelson Community College by telling its story through photographs of the students, staff, and faculty who have made--and continue to make--Thomas Nelson the peninsula's community college.

For more than 175 years, the history of the University of Richmond has been linked to the history of the city of Richmond itself. These photographs tell the story of Richmond and a school founded by Virginia Baptists in 1830.

It is the story of two campus locations with one unique mascot - the Spider. In 1914, on the site of an old amusement park, Gothic buildings emerged representing the search for knowledge among spires, vistas, and cloistered gardens. From urban to pastoral settings, these photographs record transitory moments as well as an enduring commitment to the city and education.

The alma mater of both Dr. Booker T. Washington and Wanda Sykes, Hampton University's history is a story of ingenuity and inspiration.

Hampton University is situated on an arm of Hampton Roads, two miles from Fort Monroe. Founded under the leadership of Brig. Gen. Samuel Armstrong in 1868 and incorporated in 1870 as Hampton Normal & Agricultural Institute, it was the first permanent school for freedmen in the South. Industrial and normal education through self-help was the fundamental principle of the school; trades and industries were taught and practiced. Among the university's noteworthy alumni are Dr. Booker T. Washington, renowned orator and Tuskegee Institute founder; Alberta Williams King, mother of Martin Luther King Jr.; Marcus Dixon, NFL player for the Kansas City Chiefs; and Wanda Sykes, comedian and actress. Today, the university is recognized for the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, the world's largest cancer proton treatment center, and its local commitment to the commercial revitalization of downtown Hampton, Virginia. Through the use of vintage photographs, Hampton University shows how the university community continues to uphold Armstrong's legacy by ""keeping their eye to the future.""