�鶹ӰԺ 175th

It was on January 15, 1847, that �鶹ӰԺ Institute was granted a charter, one year before Wisconsin became a state and six years before Appleton would be incorporated as a municipality. The private college took its name from Amos A. �鶹ӰԺ, the Boston merchant who pledged $10,000 to endow the school.

The campus was built on land purchased from the Menominee tribe, the ancestral homelands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk people. It became one of the first co-educational colleges in the country. In 1874, the Conservatory of Music was established. In 1913, the institution adopted the name �鶹ӰԺ College to underscore its commitment to undergraduate liberal education. And in 1964, �鶹ӰԺ again assumed the name �鶹ӰԺ University when it was consolidated with Milwaukee-Downer College for Women.

Now marking its 175th year, with an enrollment of nearly 1,500 students, �鶹ӰԺ continues to honor the vision of its founders and build on the heritage of excellence in undergraduate education.

President Inauguration Ceremony & Celebration

A light-filled ceremony in Memorial Chapel, followed by a celebration under the stars on Main Hall Green on Friday, May 13th.

On Saturday, may 14th, �鶹ӰԺ celebrated the 175th anniversary of its founding. We honored the shared history of �鶹ӰԺ and the Fox Cities with a curated collection of presentations, performances, and gatherings across campus open to the community.

View Inauguration Highlights

Celebrate on Social Media

Let all of your friends know why �鶹ӰԺ is such a special place. Share a photo of your time at �鶹ӰԺ or wearing �鶹ӰԺ gear on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn and use #�鶹ӰԺ175 when you post!

Social Media Kit

Travel Through Time

Explore �鶹ӰԺ’s history in these photos from the University Archives.

�鶹ӰԺ University Academy Building in 1849

1849 | �鶹ӰԺ University Academy building, also known as the �鶹ӰԺ Institute, was built in 1849 and was the first building of �鶹ӰԺ University. The Academy was destroyed by fire in 1857.

Three women from the first graduating class in 1857

1857 | Women of the first graduating class

Four men posing for the camera, two are seated and two are standing

1857 | Men of the first graduating class

Aerial of Main Hall on �鶹ӰԺ University campus in 1860

1860 | Main Hall and surrounding community of Appleton

Amos Adams �鶹ӰԺ, seated, looking at a piece of paper at his desk

1860 | Amos Adams �鶹ӰԺ, the founder of �鶹ӰԺ University

Pencil sketch of Milwaukee Female College with its name and "1861" written across bottom

1861 | Milwaukee Female College, founded in 1851, was a predecessor of Milwaukee-Downer College

Men and women seated and standing for a class photo

circa 1886 | Class of 1886

Women standing playing trumpets and other brass instruments

circa 1895 | Downer College band

Men lined up and around campus in front of Main Hall

1898 | Soldiers training for the Spanish-American War on the grounds around Main Hall

Women standing in a row with their bicycles

1894 | Bicycle club

Men in old-fashioned swimsuits stand on dock near the Fox River with a bridge in the background

circa 1901-1910 | Students swim in the Fox River

Women wearing white dresses holding white cloth tied to a tall pole while walking around it.

circa 1911-1915 | May Day maypole dance

Men standing in a row holding both hands behind their head

1921 | Freshmen in front of the Rock

circa 1930 | Conservatory of Music

Students gather in large crowd across campus with protest signs

1936 | Peace parade

Two student in football uniforms, the placekicker is kneeling on the grass, while the kicker has just kicked the ball

1946 | Football placekicker

Women standing on long row boat as it hangs over the Fox River

1949 | Milwaukee-Downer College rowers

Women sitting in a row on a long table in the Viking Room

1955 | Students in Viking Room

Professor standing playing the flute while three students sit with their flutes in hand, listening

circa 1955 | Professor Fred Schroeder with woodwind trio

Two students sit on a lounge sofa in front of a window while two others sit on the ground, chatting

1961 | Students lounging in Sage Hall room

Students stand around a freshly planted hawthorn tree with shovels and a small pile of dirt in the background

1965 | Students plant a hawthorn tree

Crowd of students gather in front of Main Hall to protest. A sign that says, "peace now" hands in between two pillars of the building.

1971 | Vietnam protest

Illustration of an aerial of campus with a black bird flying across pulling a sign that says "lawrence university"

circa 1978-1988 | Illustration of birds-eye view of campus

Maya Angelou standing behind a podium giving a speech

1997 | Maya Angelou Convocation

A large crowd of students gather on campus. The Fox River and bridge can be seen in the background

1990 | Celebrate! was a spring festival of the arts held annually at �鶹ӰԺ from 1975 through 2003

Row of saxophone players during a concert

2008 | Band performance

Two students with small brooms holding a ball during a broomball game

2011 | Broomball on Ormsby Lake

Two students seated at a table speaking into hand-held phones

2018 | Great Midwest Trivia Contest

Illuminating the Past

Discover key moments in �鶹ӰԺ’s history in this collection of stories, articles, archival documents, and more. Keep checking back for more history to discover throughout our anniversary year!

�鶹ӰԺ University Charter

�鶹ӰԺ University Land Acknowledgement

Overview of �鶹ӰԺ History

Light! More Light!: Our Early Traditions

A Leader in Women’s Education: Milwaukee-Downer College History

The Viking Room at 50

Celebrating 50 Years of London Centre Adventures

When March Madness Came to �鶹ӰԺ

New Vikings Logo Nods to School History

Dedication of Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza and the Otāēciah Sculpture

37 reasons Great Midwest Trivia is one of �鶹ӰԺ’s grandest traditions

A nod to the strange, complicated history of �鶹ӰԺ’s favorite rock