History of the College
College of Engineering Timeline
| 1855 |
Agricultural College of the State of Michigan founded in East Lansing |  |
| 1857 | Classes begin | |
| 1861 | College renamed the State Agricultural College of Michigan |
| 1862 |
Passage of Morrill Land-Grant College Act establishes colleges of agriculture and mechanic arts |
| 1885 | College renamed Michigan Agricultural College |
| Original Mechanical Laboratory designed by Rolla Carpenter and constructed | |
| 1888 | First undergraduate degrees granted to four engineering students |
| 1892 | Student chapter of Tau Beta Pi is founded by Lancaster P. Breckenridge |
| 1901 | College renamed Michigan State Agricultural College |
| Departments of Civil and Electrical Engineering are established, with master's degrees available in Electrical Engineering | |
| 1902 | Master's program in Civil Engineering established |
| First Senior Engineering Society organized to discuss mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. Weekly meetings held; papers read and discussed | |
| 1907 | The State Board of Agriculture begins awarding professional degrees in mechanical, civil and electrical engineering for those engineers who have five years of practical service in the field |
| First Dean of Engineering is appointed, George Bissel | |
| 1908 | Engineering Hall is dedicated |
| 1909 | College renamed Michigan Agricultural College |
| Division of Engineering is established with departments in civil engineering, drawing and design, mechanical engineering, physics and electrical engineering | |
| 1916 | Engineering Building and Mechanical Building destroyed by fire |
| 1917 | R. E. Olds Hall of Engineering is built on the old foundation of the former Engineering Building |
| 1918 | War Service work begins; Student Army Training Corps for auto mechanics is established |
| 1924 | Engineering Experiment Station established |
| 1925 | College renamed Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science |
| 1927 | Michigan's first rural electrical power line, reaching from Mason to Dansville, is placed in service with the cooperation from the college |
| 1929 |
G. W. Bissel retires, H. B. Dirks appointed dean |  |
| Ethel V. Lyon is the first female granted permission to enroll in engineering |
| 1932 |
Department of Chemical Engineering joins the Division of Engineering |
| 1936 | Seven academic departments receive accreditation that is continuous to the present |
| 1940 | Flat fee system adopted by college |
| 1946 | Doctoral Program in Electrical Engineering approved |
| 1947 | The Electrical Engineering Building is constructed (now the Computer Center) |
| 1948 | Dedication of Farrall Hall, the agricultural engineering building |
| 1948 | First annual College of Engineering Exposition |
| H. B. Dirks retires and Lorin G. Miller, chairperson of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, appointed dean | |
| 1949 | Department of Metallurgy established |
| 1950 | JETS, Junior Engineering Training for Schools, is organized |
| 1951 | Department of Applied Mechanics established |
| 1953 |
L. G. Miller retires and J. D. Ryder, head of Electrical Engineering at University of Illinois, appointed dean |
| 1954 | Doctoral Program in Civil Engineering approved |
| 1956 | University renamed Michigan State University |
| 1957 | MISTIC Computer completed |
| 1958 |
Engineering Experiment Station renamed Division of Engineering Research |
| 1962 | Engineering Building is constructed where it is now |
| 1963 | Tau Beta Pi dedicates seven-foot replica of society's symbol, The Bent, to chapter founder Lester P. Breckenridge |
| 1964 | Engineering program reduced to 180 hours including Natural Science and Physical Education |
| 1966 | Engineering Science program established |
| 1968 | J. D. Ryder retires, Lawrence W. Von Tersch, associate dean, appointed dean |
| 1968 | The Engineering Equal Opportunity Program Committee established |
| 1969 | Department of Computer Science established and graduate program approved |
| MiSTriga reactor becomes operational | |
| 1971 | Material Science graduate degree program approved |
| 1973 | Engineering Arts major approved |
| Society of Women Engineering student chapter established | |
| 1975 | Engineering Cooperative Education Program established |
| 1978 | A. H. Case Center for Computer-Aided Engineering and Manufacturing established |
| 1981 | MSU purchases Jolly Road Research Facility |
| Department of Civil & Sanitary Engineering renamed Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering | |
| 1988 | Dedication of Research Complex - Engineering |
| Ground breaking ceremony for Engineering Building addition and renovation | |
| Composite Materials and Structures Center established |
| 1989 |
Lawrence W. Von Tersch retires, Theodore A. Bickart, Dean of Engineering at Syracuse University, appointed dean |
| $34.5 million addition and renovation to the Engineering Building adds 167,000 square feet of space | |
| The Crop and Food Bioprocessing Center Established | |
| 1990 | MSU purchases Hulett Road Research Facility |
| 1997 | $14 million, 46,000 square foot addition to the Engineering Building from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Institute for Materials Research |
Fire Photos from 1916:
(Click for larger image)
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