Media Advisory: Colorado State University celebrates 150 years Feb. 11

From the beginning, CSU has been a place of purpose: teaching, research, service and outreach focused toward building a better society. Now, 150 years strong, campus looks much different than the original, but the university’s mission is still the same.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020 Colorado State University will mark its 150th anniversary.

When/Where

To celebrate CSU’s sesquicentennial, events will be held on Feb. 11 in Denver and Fort Collins.

CSU President Joyce McConnell and CSU System Chancellor Tony Frank will join members of the Colorado House of Representatives and Colorado Senate at 9 a.m. at the Colorado State Capitol to celebrate with the reading of proclamations. CSU’s Acapella Group and CSU-Pueblo Chamber Choirs will be featured during the celebration. Leadership from all three CSU campuses – CSU, CSU Global, and CSU-Pueblo – will be in attendance along with select members of the CSU System Board of Governors.

A happy 150th birthday party will be held on the CSU campus 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Foundry Dining Center lobby. The event will feature CAM the Ram, CSU cheer squad and the University pep band along with treats and giveaways.

The 2020 Founders Day recipient is Libbie Coy, the first woman to graduate from college in Colorado. Coy’s medal will be on display with her wedding dress at CSU’s Avenir Museum as part of their work to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The Avenir’s exhibit features a suffrage-themed exhibition examining how women’s attire in the U.S. has changed in response to the activism of the times.

Details

It all started with Abraham Lincoln. Sort of. Yes, the nation’s 16th president signed the Morrill Act of 1862 that created the framework for the founding of one college in every state dedicated to the agricultural and mechanical arts, open to all who wanted an education and supported by the federal government in perpetuity.

Territorial Gov. Edward M. McCook signed the act that formally established the State Agricultural College of Colorado in Fort Collins on Feb. 11, 1870.

Take a look at the places, people and discoveries that define Colorado State University: https://csu150.colostate.edu/

Stories about CSU’s history, contributions and future vision can be found at the University’s news channel, SOURCE: https://source.colostate.edu/csu-150/

An interactive photo slider exploring how CSU’s campus and surrounding community have changed and grown from the University’s beginnings in the 1800s to today can be found at https://csu150.colostate.edu/then-and-now/

Media contact

For more information, contact Jennifer Dimas at jennifer.dimas@colostate.edu or (970) 491-1543.