University Records Collection

Arizona State University was founded by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1885 as the Arizona Territorial Normal School, an institution dedicated to the training of teachers for the public schools of the state. House Bill 164 An Act to Establish a Normal School in the Territory of Arizona was introduced by John Samuel Armstrong. The bill passed the Legislature and was signed by Governor F. A. Tritle on March 12, 1885.

Instruction to the original class of thirty-three students began February 8, 1886 under the supervision of Principal Hiram Bradford Farmer. For the next fourteen years the Normal School would be governed by six principals until Arthur John Matthews was appointed president in 1900. During Matthews' thirty year tenure, the school raised admission requirements, constructed eighteen campus buildings, and received formal accreditation. Matthews' interest in botany was reflected by importation of numerous shrubs and trees and the creation of the Palm Walk.

After the brief and stormy presidency of Ralph W. Swetman (1930-1933), Grady Gammage was lured to Tempe from his presidential post at Arizona State Teacher's College at Flagstaff. Gammage's twenty-eight year career as president extended through a period of expansion of educational programs that culminated in the successful statewide initiative to rename the institution Arizona State University in 1959.

During the Gammage presidency, the Arizona Board of Regents was established (1945) to govern the two state colleges at Tempe and Flagstaff and the University of Arizona. Soon afterwards, a number of campus buildings were constructed at Tempe to house and educate the growing postwar student population. Many of these buildings were built with federal assistance secured by Dr. Gammage. After the establishment of the Sun Angel Foundation in 1964, intercollegiate athletics became a significant factor in the development of the university we know today.

Dr. Gammage passed away at his campus home in 1959. His central role in the development of Arizona State University was commemorated by the construction of Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium in 1964 from a design created by his friend Frank Lloyd Wright.

With the appointment of G. Homer Durham as president in 1960 came a period of additional reorganization and expansion of educational programs. During Durham's tenure, the Colleges of Fine Arts, Law, and Nursing and the School of Social Work were established. Major reorganizations of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences were also completed.

During the 1970s and 1980s expansion continued under the direction of presidents Newburn, Schwada, and Nelson. ASU West Campus was established along with the ASU Downtown Center in Phoenix. By 1990, Arizona State University's main campus had grown to serve 43,000 students, making it the fifth largest single campus in the United States.