Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, commonly referred to as Bloomsburg or BU, is an public university located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is one of the 14 state universities that compose the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).

History

The initial institution of Bloomsburg University was founded in 1839 as the Bloomsburg Literary Institute for the purpose of educating teachers. Founder C.P. Waller sold stock to raise the $15,000 needed for Institution Hall, now named Carver Hall. In 1866, Principal Henry Carver negotiated the purchase of the seven acres (28,000 m²) that lie directly behind the building that now bears his name in order to construct a dormitory and a teaching building.

Related Topics:
1839 - Teacher - Stock - 1866 - Acre - Dormitory

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Eleven years later, the dormitory caught fire and burned to the ground within two hours. There were no injuries or deaths, but the residents lost all their possessions. Plans for reconstruction moved quickly and, within a year and a half, the dormitory, now called Waller Administration, was rebuilt. The physical growth of the campus in the later 19th century was unplanned, as buildings were put up to accommodate the growing student body's needs.

Related Topics:
Fire - Death - 19th century

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Approximately 50 years after Carver's planning, the state of Pennsylvania purchased the school and renamed it The Bloomsburg State Normal School. Even through World War I, the school continued to grow, despite losing about 20 students to the war (who are commemorated by a memorial). A planning group continued purchasing land, constructing classroom buildings and dormitories, and increasing student enrollment until the occurrence of World War II.

Related Topics:
Pennsylvania - World War I - World War II

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In the 1950s, the school assumed a new name, Bloomsburg State Teacher's College, and the planning group hoped to increase the student enrollment by 75%, from 1,200 to 2,000 by 1965. Carver Hall was renovated and the group decided to knock down all buildings east of the historic building to separate the school into three separate areas: living, learning and leisure. This is still the rough layout of the institution today.

Related Topics:
1950s - 1965 - Living - Learning - Leisure

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By the 1970s, it was realized that the planning for the school had been far too conservative, as 4,800 students were expected by 1970 and 6,000 by 1975. This realization led to the construction of 17 new buildings between 1964 and 1976. They included six dormitories, two classroom buildings, two buildings for administrative use, the auditorium, library, commons, student union, and the parking garage. The school also moved all of its athletic fields to the upper half of the campus. The appearance of Bloomsburg State Teacher's College was now completely different from what it had been fifteen years earlier.

Related Topics:
1970s - 1970 - 1975 - 1964 - 1976 - Classroom - Auditorium - Library - Commons - Student union - Parking garage

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The rate of growth slowed somewhat in the 1980s, but the school was renamed Bloomsburg University in 1983. In 1989, the university began construction on its upper-campus to provide more university-regulated housing. The Community Government Association (CGA) recently purchased more land to continue this project, which is expected to be mostly finished by August 2005.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1983 - 1989 - August - 2005

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Additionally, the school added the new Andruss Library in 1998. The campus now encompasses 282 acres (1.1 km²) and more than 50 buildings.

Related Topics:
1998 - Campus - Acre

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Most recently, the university received a huge technological upgrade, with renovations to both Centennial Hall, which houses the Anthropology and Audiology & Speech Pathology programs, and Monty's, an upper-campus eatery. The current reconstruction of the Hartline Science Center will see a dozen labs added to the structure. Bloomsburg has also recently established wireless connections in the Library and in the Student Services Center.

Related Topics:
Anthropology - Audiology - Wireless

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