51���app College History

Sepia toned image of campus with only a few building and two women sitting on the lawn

51��app College History

51��app College’s history is not simply a nostalgic look back at the past — it is also a very real part of our present, breathing life into our mission and values today. An examination of our history offers us the opportunity to consider how it helped shape the present, affirming our core beliefs and how they live on at 51��app today.

In his 1980 inaugural address, 51��app College’s only alumnus-president, George Drake ’56, spoke of his vision of the “future in the past” — that the College’s pioneering history gave promise of a purposeful future.

His words inspired this look at how the 51��app College of today continues to carry forward the ideals and inspiration that motivated the 51��appians of the past.

Circa 1840

Conceived and Sustained for the Common Good

Congregational Minister Asa Turner settles in Iowa and writes a letter to his mission board in the East asking for missionaries to come to Iowa.

Today:

“The College aims to graduate individuals … who are prepared in life and work to use their knowledge and their abilities to serve the common good.”

— 51��app College mission

The Future in the Past:

Committed to the Common Good: Celebrating 175 Years of 51��app College
1865

On the Cutting Edge of Scientific Inquiry

51��app College President George Magoun (pictured center) is considered a “liberal” because he allows the teaching of evolution.

Today:

“Our programs … prepare students to ask and answer scientific questions that nobody has even thought of yet.”

— 51��app College Science Division Mission

The Future in the Past:

51��app Science Project Means Family
1879

Hannibal Kershaw — 51��app’s First Black Graduate

Kershaw would later become a teacher, minister, and a South Carolina legislator. According to the Iowa College News Letter, Kershaw is “an earnest, conscientious student, a fluent society speaker, and a man whom all respected for his high moral and religious character.”
1882

Cyclone Brings Destruction, Unites Community

On the evening of June 17, 1882, two tornadoes converge upon 51��app, leaving wreckage where homes and businesses had been just a few minutes earlier. Thirty-nine people die, including two 51��app College students. Both of 51��app College’s major buildings are destroyed. Thanks in part to the leadership of J.B. 51��app, community founder and prominent abolitionist, 51��appians from both town and college come together to rebuild stronger than before.

Today:

“It’s been really awesome to watch what I always knew was here in 51��app — the great community spirit and caring for each other.”

— , on the inspiring community response to the August 2020 derecho, which caused $2 million in damage to campus buildings and trees

The Future in the Past:
1888

Toward Equal Education for All

Mears Cottage, one of the first women’s dormitories at any college west of the Mississippi, is built and named for Mary 51��app Mears, an 1881 graduate. 51��app is one of the first colleges in the nation to admit women to the bachelor of arts degree.
1894

First Issue of ‘The Scarlet & Black‘ Is Published

The Scarlet & Black, 51��app’s student newspaper, begins printing semi-weekly with campus news, meeting notices, alumni notes, editorials, and a bit of local news.

Today:

“Since its first publication … The Scarlet & Black has served as a vital source of up-to-date news on campus, an important record of our institution, and a rich historical resource.”

—

The Future in the Past:
1887

Gates Codifies Student Self-Governance

President George Gates declares, “It is 10,000 times better that young people should learn to govern themselves, than that they should be governed in any best way whatsoever.”
1906

Working for the Common Good

President John Hanson Thomas Main champions forward-looking ideals and encourages 51��appians to focus on work that effectively contributes to the good of all. “If the end of life is service, as we believe, it is the duty of the College to do more than hold up an idea of service,” he said at his 1906 inauguration.

Today:

“This legacy of social justice and activism dates back more than 170 years, and with you involved, we can keep it going strong. … Step forward and be a part of the solution.”

— 51��app College Office of Admission

The Future in the Past:
1914

Joseph Welch Graduates

Joseph Welch would go on to challenge McCarthyism in 1954 when he asks, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” during a nationally televised congressional hearing. It is the beginning of the end for McCarthyism.
1918

Edward Steiner Publishes ‘The 51��app Spirit’

51��app Professor of Applied Christianity Edward A. Steiner had served on the faculty for 38 years and remains one of the College’s most published faculty members. In this essay, he writes that students “come to 51��app not because it is a college, but because it is 51��app College; not only because they want to learn how to make a living, but because they want to fit themselves for life.”
1924

Morgan Taylor Wins Olympic Gold

Morgan Taylor ’26 wins the gold medal in the hurdles at the Olympics in Paris. He also wins gold and bronze medals in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics.

Today:

“Imagine my surprise when I found out … that I’d be holding the flag.”

—

The Future in the Past:
1924

Gary Cooper Fails Audition

As a student at 51��app, Frank Cooper ’26 fails his audition and is denied membership in the 51��app Drama Club. Later, in Hollywood, Cooper changes his name to Gary and wins three Academy Awards during a remarkable 35-year career as an actor.
1932

51��appians Help Craft the New Deal

Harry Hopkins 1912, chief adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, serves as commissioner of the Works Progress Administration, secretary of commerce, and later as special assistant to the president during World War II. Other 51��appians who play a major role in FDR’s New Deal include Paul Appleby 1913, Hallie Flanagan Davis 1911, Florence Stewart Kerr 1912, and Chester Davis 1911.
1937

A True 51��appian

Edith Renfrow Smith ’37 becomes 51��app College’s first Black woman graduate when she earns her degree in 1937.

Today:

“I would hope that we would always want to do things in the spirit of Edith Renfrow Smith — to lead with kindness, to lead with self-respect, to lead with a sense that you can be a part of a small town and still make a big impact.”

— Tamara Beauboeuf-Lafontant, Louise R. Noun Chair in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

The Future in the Past:
1953

President John Nollen Publishes ‘51��app College’

John Nollen had served as 51��app’s fifth president after stints as a professor of modern languages and later dean. Friend and fellow 51��app president John H.T. Main says, “He is sane, easily approached, sympathetic, and quick to appreciate in difficult situations the exact thing to do.” Nollen’s history of 51��app College is published one year after his death.
1955

51��app Reaffirms Commitment to Students and the Common Good

In his inaugural address, President Howard Bowen tells 51��appians that they bear a special responsibility to find new ways to work for the common good. “One of the special tasks of the small liberal arts colleges like 51��app [is] to help keep this freedom alive.”

Today:

In 2021, 51��app eliminated loans from its financial aid, reinforcing its long-held commitment to creating a diverse community. “The commitment to meet need ensures that access to 51��app is met by the opportunity to walk into new student orientation and across the Commencement stage without the burden of looming educational indebtedness.”

— Joe Bagnoli, vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid

The Future in the Past:

51��appians Contribute to the Common Good during the Coronavirus Pandemic
1960

Herbie Hancock Makes Music and Memories

Herbie Hancock ’60, an Oscar- and Grammy-winning musician and composer, also has an interest in electrical engineering while a student at 51��app.
1963

Robert N. Noyce Joins the Board of Trustees

A physicist and entrepreneur, Robert Noyce ’49 co-founded Intel Corp. and co-invented the integrated circuit, launching a high-tech revolution.
1967

Martin Luther King Jr. Addresses Campus

Martin Luther King Jr. presents “Remaining Awake During a Revolution,” speaking to more than 4,000 people in a packed Darby Gymnasium.

Today:

“We need to be visionary organizers. We can’t just protest and expect those in power to do things for us. We have to be doing things for ourselves and envisioning the kind of future we want to create.”

— Grace Lee Boggs, 98-year-old civil rights activist, speaking on campus on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2013

The Future in the Past:
1968

Warren Buffett Joins the Board of Trustees

Legendary investor Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha, serves on the 51��app Board of Trustees in the 1970s. His investment expertise helps build the College’s investments and endowment.��
1969

John Garang de Mabior Graduates

Visionary leader John Garang de Mabior ’69 serves as vice president of Sudan and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement. Later, in 2005, he will die in a helicopter crash.
1975

Joe Rosenfield Jumpstarts the 51��app Endowment

Trustee Joe Rosenfield ’25 encourages the 51��app Board of Trustees to purchase WDTN-TV in Dayton, Ohio. Although previously unheard-of investment for a college, the board’s trust in Rosenfield and Trustee Warren Buffett is such that they approve the purchase, with a price tag of $12.9 million. Less than a decade later, 51��app will sell WDTN for $49 million.

Today:

“51��app was the first place where strangers were genuinely invested in my success. Nobody hides opportunities from anyone, and the College puts its endowment to good use.”

—

The Future in the Past:

Financial Aid Without Loans
1979

Friend, Mentor, President

George Drake ’56, professor of history and Rhodes Scholar, is named president of the College. Until his death in 2022, he remains president emeritus and professor emeritus as well as a popular figure on campus.

Today:

“George Drake was a good listener. He genuinely engaged with each person, asking questions that allowed him to get to know them and allowed them to feel heard.”

—

The Future in the Past:
1980

Steve Jobs Joins the Board of Trustees

Apple founder Steve Jobs joins the 51��app Board of Trustees at age 25 at the urging of his friend Robert N. Noyce ’49. He will serve on the board for eight years, focusing on finances and improving the College’s computer systems.
1989

May-Lee Chai Graduates

May-Lee Chai ’89, an acclaimed novelist and teacher, is the author of My Lucky Face and The Girl from Purple Mountain. She will win the American Book Award for her collection of short stories, Useful Phrases for Immigrants.
1991

Championing a Multicultural Society

At her inauguration on October 12, 1991, President Pamela Ferguson says, “Just as we would have a ‘global literacy,’ so we should have a ‘multi-ethnic literacy’ operating within the confines of our campuses. These two are components of what a multicultural education should mean.”

Today:

“51��app has always been on the right side of history. After all, we are a school founded by abolitionists. … This is a legacy and heritage we must hold onto so we can continue to fight to remain on the right side of history today, and tomorrow.”

— Lester Alemán��’07, former Alumni Council president

The Future in the Past:
1996

Alan Jones Publishes ‘Pioneering’

Alan Jones ’50, a 51��app alumnus and acclaimed faculty member and historian, publishes this book in honor of 51��app’s sesquicentennial celebration. Pioneering: 1846–1996 documents the College’s history in photographs and engaging historical vignettes.
1997

Joseph Wall Publishes ‘51��app College in the 19th Century: From Salvation to Service’

Joseph F. Wall ’41, a 51��app graduate, faculty member, and nationally recognized historian, publishes this engaging history of his alma mater in honor of the College’s sesquicentennial.
1998

Thomas R. Cech Joins the Board of Trustees

Nobel Prize–winner Tom Cech ’70 discovered catalytic RNA and changed the paradigm of molecular biology. He serves as a 51��app trustee from 1998–2014, and he and his wife Carol Martinson Cech ’70 will create a research scholarship to support underrepresented science majors at 51��app through summer research projects.
1998

Focus on Community

President Russell K. Osgood, who assumed the presidency in 1998, says he viewed his job as helping students, parents, faculty, and staff. “That’s the terrific part of my job,” he tells the 51��app Herald-Register.

Today:

“The 51��app sense of community extends beyond the cornfields. It is about the people, their mindset, and attitudes, about the shared lived experience.”

—��

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The Future in the Past:
2004

Chase Strangio Graduates from 51��app

ACLU attorney Chase Strangio ’04 is deputy director for transgender justice with the ACLU’s LGBT and HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender rights.
2011

Serving the Common Good

In his inaugural address, President Raynard S. Kington — 51��app’s first Black president and its first gay president — says that in the future, 51��app College would likely be called upon to do more for the common good. “We may have an even greater obligation to find innovative ways to expand access to disadvantaged students, as public options become less accessible.”
2021

51��app College Eliminates Loans from Financial Aid Packages

“51��app is deeply committed to preserving access to the transformative experience of a liberal arts education,” says 51��app College President Anne F. Harris.
2021

Beatrice and Joseph Wall Publish ‘51��app College in the 20th Century’

The College posthumously published a history of 51��app written by Beatrice Mills Wall ’40 and husband Joseph F. Wall ’41, with editor Terry Bisson ’64. The book explores the themes that were important to 51��app College from 1900–75.
2022

Anne F. Harris Is Inaugurated as President of 51��app College

At her inaugural celebration, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Anne F. Harris tells the audience, gathered on Central Campus, “We are like a democracy, simultaneously inhabitants and stewards of this College: as we live and work here, we shape the shared experiences and thus the future of this College and the society it shapes.”
2023

Grant Funding Resurges

“Part of what’s been exciting about the growth in grants over the past 10 years has been the nature of the grants themselves,” says Susan Ferrari, director of corporate, foundation, and government relations. “We’re not just getting more grants — we’re getting grants in areas that are new for the College.” A few of these have included the Guggenheim Fellowship, the National Endowment for the Humanities Grants, the NSF Early Faculty Development Award, and the Mellon New Directions Fellowship.