User:GC Buffalo/History of the University of Kansas

right|173px The history of the University of Kansas can be traced back to the summer of 1854 when residents of Lawrence, Kansas began to request for the creation of a state university in Kansas. Together, with the help of Amos Lawrence, Charles Robinson, the Kansas Legislature, and several other prominent figures, they established the University of Kansas in 1865. The university was initially funded by the Lawrence residents' $15,000 endowment and by the 40-acre (160,000 m²) allotment by former Kansas Governor Charles L. Robinson and his wife Sara.

Prior to its establishment, the university endured through a long and tedious process. Several issues extended this process, including debates over slavery, location of the university, and financial issues, among several others. The university has also played a historically important role in several economies, both at the local and state level.

Beginnings

Conception

In the summer of 1854 when residents of Lawrence, Kansas began to request for the creation of a state university in Kansas. During this time, a small group of Free-Staters began a movement to create a solely Free-State institution for higher learning. One of the agents of the New England Emigrant Aid Company, Charles Robinson, told treasurer Amos Lawrence that the citizens of Lawrence would begin a college as soon as possible. It was to be located atop Mount Oread. Territorial Governor Andrew Reeder was the first to publicly address the need for a new state university in Kansas. On July 3, 1855, he addressed members of the first territorial legislature, saying, "To enlarge upon the necessity of general education for producing good government," he told the lawmakers, "would be at this day a work of supererogation, and I leave the matter in your hands, confident it will receive the attention it deserves." Following his speech, the session responded by establishing a system of common schools for the territory, and also approved a charter for the University of the Territory of Kansas. However, this initial university never came to be. Both Free-Staters and their opposers fought fiercely for the right to control the university.

Initially, the University of Kansas was proposed to be a private institution. On Christmas Day of 1856, a group of prominent Lawrence citizens adopted a resolution from a business committee stating that the time had come to establish a college in Kansas. Fifteen trustees were appointed to govern the institution and immediately appointed a committee to petition congress for land. It was estimated that $100,000 would be necessary to get the university started properly, with nearly all of this money coming from outside of the Kansas territory. In 1859, provisions were written for a state university into the Wyandotte Constitution, under which Kansas became a state in 1861. Under the Wyandotte Constitution, legislature was required to create a state university. A resolution was passed in 1861, allowing Leavenworth to build a penitentiary and allowing Lawrence to establish a college.

Establishment

On February 20, 1863, Kansas Governor Thomas Carney signed into law a bill creating the state university in Lawrence. The law was conditioned upon a gift from Lawrence of a $15,000 endowment fund and a site for the university, in or near the town, of not less than forty acres (160,000 m²) of land. If Lawrence failed to meet these conditions, Emporia instead of Lawrence would get the university.

The site selected for the university was a hill known as Mount Oread, which was owned by former Kansas Governor Charles L. Robinson. Robinson and his wife Sara bestowed the 40-acre (160,000 m²) site to the State of Kansas in exchange for land elsewhere. The philanthropist Amos Adams Lawrence donated $10,000 of the necessary endowment fund, and the citizens of Lawrence raised the remaining cash by issuing notes backed by Governor Carney. On November 2, 1863, Governor Carney announced that Lawrence had met the conditions to get the state university, and on March 1, 1864, the University of Kansas was formally chartered.

1890s-1910s

The 1899 University of Kansas basketball team, with Dr. James Naismith at the back, right.

The 1890s marked a decade of major change within the athletic department. In 1890, the football team was established. In 1892 it began playing games at McCook Field until 1921. The School of Engineering was officially founded in 1891, although engineering degrees were awarded as early as 1873. In 1893, the School of Law was founded, expanding the range of interests of KU students. The University of Kansas men's basketball program officially began in 1898, following the arrival of Dr. James Naismith, just six years after Naismith had invented the sport. Naismith was not initially hired to coach basketball, but rather as a chapel director and physical education instructor. In these early days, the majority of the basketball games were played against nearby YMCA teams, with YMCA's across the nation having played an integral part in the birth of basketball. Other common opponents were Haskell Indian Nations University and William Jewell College. Under Naismith, the team played only two current Big 12 schools: Missouri (twice), and Kansas State (once). Naismith was, ironically, the only coach in the program's history to have a losing record (55–60).

On February 8, 1912, a group of KU women organized the Women's Athletic Association, the first group of its kind in the school's history.

1920s-1940s

In 1921, Memorial Stadium was built to replace McCook Field. The football team still plays in Memorial Stadium, making it the seventh oldest college football stadium in the nation. which opened in 1921. The School of Business was founded in 1924. The first union was built on campus in 1926 as a campus community center.

1950s-1970s

In 1954, the debate team won their first National Debate Tournament. The debate team experienced more success throughout the 1970s, winning the National Debate Tournament in 1970 and 1976. On February 17, 1962, the Kansas Board of Regents voted to replace the original Fraser Hall, claiming it had "outlived its usefulness." One day later, future KU alumnus Clyde Tombaugh announced his discovery of the planet Pluto.

1980s-1990s

In 1983, the debate team won the National Debate Tournament for the fourth time. In 1993, the KU Edwards Campus was established in Overland Park, Kansas in order to provide adults with the opportunity to complete college degrees and to further their education. The Edwards campus began providing programs developmental psychology, public administration, social work, systems analysis, engineering management and design.

Recent Years: 2000-Present

In athletics, the men's basketball team made it to the Final Four in 2002 and lost the National Championship in 2003 to the Syracuse Orange. Lew Perkins, previously at Connecticut, replaced Al Bohl as the university's athletic director in 2003. Under Perkins's administration, the department's budget increased from $27.2 million in 2003 (10th in the conference) to over $50 million thanks in large part to money raised from a new priority seating policy at Allen Fieldhouse, a new $26.67 million eight-year contract with Adidas replacing an existing contract with Nike, and a new $40.2 million seven-year contract with ESPN Regional Television. The university experienced what is arguably considered its most successful year in its history in terms of athletics and debate. The football team, led by former coach Mark Mangino, won the 2008 Orange Bowl and finished the season 12-1. The men's basketball team won the National Championship in San Antonio, Texas, beating the Memphis Tigers and finished 37-3. Additionally, in 2009, the debate team won the National Debate Tournament for the fifth time.

External links

• Official website
• KUpedia: A KU wiki maintained by KU students