UNIVERSITY HISTORY
UNIVERSITY HISTORY
UCO is one of the state’s oldest institutions of higher learning, founded in 1890 as the Territorial Normal School. Today, we’re a thriving metropolitan university. Check out highlights from our history below.
2019
Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar is named the 21st president of Central, becoming the university's first female president.
2017
Old North, the oldest building of higher education in Oklahoma Territory, reopens after a multi-year, multi-million-dollar renovation.
2015
UCO celebrates its 125th birthday with a yearlong UCO@125 celebration.
2015
Central officially establishes itself as the place “where art meets the river” on the Oklahoma River’s boathouse district with the grand opening of the CHK|Central Boathouse.
2013
President Betz is inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame as part of the 2013 class.
2012
Central moved up the ranks among the top colleges and universities in the nation, once again ranking as the top public regional university in the state according the 2013 Best Colleges list from the U.S. News and World Report. In 2012, Central ranked number 27 in the list of Tier One institutions in the “Top Public Schools: Regional Universities – West” category. Central also moved to number 72 in the overall list of regional universities in the West, up from number 81 the previous year.
2011
Don Betz is named the 20th president of Central.
2009
Central dropped the “k” in its website address, moving from www.ucok.edu to www.uco.edu.
2008
Wei Chein, Ph.D., assistant dean for the College of Mathematics and Science, received two major awards honoring his role as an outstanding educator and leader. He was awarded the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Teaching at a Regional University/Community, as well as an Oklahoma Medal for Excellence Award from the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.
2007
Music Theater sophomore Lauren Nelson was crowned Miss America 2007. Additionally, the EPA recognized Central as a national leader in energy efficiency.
2006
Central became the first major Oklahoma university to have 100 percent of its energy supplied by wind power. The Edmond university was also named an Olympic community partner and Olympic/Paralympic training site.
2004
The Jackson College of Graduate Studies celebrated its 50th anniversary. The UCO Passport globalization program also began, with the initiative to annually expand understanding of different cultures through a festival event featuring a different country each year.
2003
The formation of the Oklahoma Center for Arts Education is announced, and a redesign of the university logo is released.
2002
UCO Jazz Lab opened to the public, offering classes during the day and live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
2001
The University Center is renamed the Nigh University Center in honor of former Oklahoma Governor and UCO's eighteenth president George Nigh.
1997
Roger Webb was named the nineteenth President of Central.
1996
The new Education building was dedicated, and the Max Chambers Library addition officially opened.
1992
Former state governor George Nigh was named the eighteenth President of Central.
May 18, 1990
During the Edmond university’s Centennial Year, legislation was passed changing the name to the University of Central Oklahoma.
November 9, 1972
Old North Tower was officially dedicated as a national historic site.
April 13, 1971
The state legislature officially changed the institutions name to Central State University.
1971
The college was authorized to grant the Master of Arts in English and the Master of Business Administration degrees.
1969
The Master of Teaching degree became the Master of Education.
1954
The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education gave Central permission to offer a Master of Teaching degree.
1939
The state legislature passed a law renaming the institution. The new Central State College was authorized to grant degrees without teaching certificates.
1921
The graduating class had nine members, and its members were the first to receive four-year degrees.
December 29, 1919
The State Board of Education passed a resolution making Central a four-year teachers’ college conferring bachelor’s degrees. It was renamed the Central State Teachers College.
1904
Territorial Normal became Central State Normal School. Statehood was still three years away.
June 16, 1902
The Alumni Association is formed by graduates of the Territorial Normal School.
1897
The first graduating class – two men and three women – received their Normal School diplomas.
January 3, 1893
Occupancy of the Old North Tower began. The school first operated as a normal school with two years of college work and a complete preparatory school.
Summer, 1892
Work began on Old North Tower, the first building on campus.
November 9, 1891
The first class, a group of 23 students, met for the first time in the Epworth League Room, located in the unfurnished First Methodist Church. A marker of Oklahoma granite was placed in 1915 near the original site by the Central Oklahoma Normal School Historical Society. It can be seen at Boulevard and Second Street.
October 1, 1891
Richard Thatcher is elected as the first President of the Territorial School of Oklahoma.
December 24, 1890
The Territorial Legislature voted to establish the Territorial Normal School. The Territorial Legislature located the new school in Edmond. But first, Oklahoma County had to donate $5,000 in bonds, and Edmond had to donate 40 acres of land within one mile of the town. Ten of those acres had to be set aside for the new school. The remaining land had to be divided into lots that would be sold to raise money for the new school. Once this was accomplished, the city of Edmond also donated an additional $2,000 in bonds.