History of the College

February 22, 1865 - Provisions of the Morrill Land-Grant Act implemented; Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky made part of Kentucky University (founded as Transylvania University).

1869 - Instruction given in the School of Civil Engineering and Mining.

Fall 1871 - Tuition was $5.00; room and board was $1.50 to $2.00 per semester.
March 1878 - A&M College removed from Kentucky University; made an independent state institution; James K. Patterson named President

February 1880 - City of Lexington donated its old fair grounds to relocate A&M College.

February 15, 1882 - A&M College moves to its new campus composed of three buildings: President's home, boys dormitory (became White Hall), and college building (today the Administration Building).

September 1886 - Course added to curriculum that led to the degree of Civil Engineer; enrollment for entire institution was 296.

1889 - A Department of Engineering was established; William Newbrough served as Dean.

June 1890 - John Wesley Gunn received the degree of Civil Engineer; considered the first person to graduate with an engineering degree from A&M College.

June 1891 - Department of Mechanical Engineering established by F. Paul Anderson.

Summer 1891 - Construction of Mechanical Hall began; completed January 1892.

Spring 1893 - First Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree awarded to James Richard (Colonel Dick) Johnson.

1895-1896 - First organized course in mining engineering offered.

1897 - Courses in electrical engineering were incorporated into the mechanical engineering curriculum.

1901 - Department of Mining Engineering established; Charles J. Norwood appointed Dean.

April 1902 - Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi was established.

1903 - Average starting salary for engineering graduates was $53 per month.

1904 - First Bachelor of Mining Engineering degree awarded to Robert Hargrove Barclay.

1906 - 248 students of the total enrollment of 437 were registered in engineering.

March 1908 - Legislature changed the name of A&M College of Kentucky to State University, Lexington, Kentucky. The three engineering departments became schools.

1909 - The word "School" was changed to College for each of the three engineering schools.

June 1914 - Henry J. Jakobe and Oliver W. Smith, Jr. received first degrees of Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering.

March 16, 1916 - Legislature changed the name from State University, Lexington, Kentucky to University of Kentucky.

June 1916 - Margaret Ingels, first woman graduate, received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree.

1916 - Name of Mining Engineering College was changed to College of Mines and Metallurgy.

September 18, 1918 - Board of Trustees combined the Engineering Colleges into the College of Engineering; named F. Paul Anderson Dean. Seven departments were organized: Civil Engineering, Daniel V. Terrell; Mechanics of Engineering, Leon K. Frankel; Drawing, Louis E. (Butch) Nollau; Mines and Metallurgy, Charles J. Norwood; Electrical Engineering, William E. Freeman; Practical Mechanics, Joseph Dicker; Mechanical Engineering, F. Paul Anderson. Bachelor of Science degrees were offered in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, and Mining Engineering.

1920 - Average starting salary for engineering graduates was $100 per month.

1921 - First degrees of Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering awarded.

May 25, 1927 - Henry D. Wendt Shop, the first section of the Quadrangle dedicated.

April 8, 1934 - F. Paul Anderson died; William E. Freeman served as acting Dean until January 1935, then Daniel V. Terrell was named acting Dean until June 1935; degree of Architectural Engineering was added; Mechanical and Electrical Engineering were separated with degrees offered in each.

June 1, 1935 - James H. Graham appointed Dean of the College of Engineering; graduate studies leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Engineering offered.

Class of 1936 - Awarded the first Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering.

1936-1939 - Construction of three buildings, with the Wendt Shop, comprised the Quadrangle.

1937 - Bachelor of Science degree in architectural engineering was dropped; architecture was added to Civil Engineering as an option.

1939 - All departments of the College were housed under one roof in the combined Mechanical Hall/Engineering Quadrangle.

1941 - Program known as Engineering, Sciences, Management, and War Training began and continued through June 1945; construction of the Aeronautical Research Laboratory (now Wenner Gren Research Laboratory) was completed.

1942 - Army Engineer School courses given; quarter term system inaugurated; Highway Materials Research Laboratory was built.

1943 - Army Specialist Training Program with accredited courses in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering formally authorized; continued until October 1945. Coal Research Laboratory erected.

1944 - Because of the war, only 66 students enrolled in the College during the spring quarter.

September 21, 1946 - James H. Graham retired and Daniel V. Terrell named Dean; engineering Experiment Station established by an act of the Board of Trustees.
1948 - Name of Engineering Quadrangle, including old Mechanical Hall, changed to F. Paul Anderson Tower in honor of Dean F. Paul Anderson; University returned to the semester system; for year ending June 30, Engineering College enrollment was 1,572; University enrollment was 9,991; Kentucky Department of Highways Scholarship Program started.

1951 - Holloway Fields, Jr. became the first African-American awarded an under-graduate degree at UK when he received the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

1951 - First unit of Mineral Industries Building completed.

1953 - First doctor of engineering degree (metallurgy) awarded to Carl J. McHargue.

September 1956 - Departments of Agricultural Engineering and Chemical Engineering established.

July 1, 1957 - Dean D.V. Terrell retired and Robert E. Shaver named Dean of the College of Engineering.

1963 - Average starting salary: $600/month.

August 1964 - Mechanical Hall razed; construction of F. Paul Anderson Tower Tower started; dedicated April 8, 1967.

July 1966 - Robert M. Drake, Jr. named Dean of the College of Engineering.

1968 - Name of the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering changed to Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science.

July 1, 1972 - A grant was awarded establishing the Institute for Mining and Minerals Research by the state legislature; operated by the College of Engineering.

July 1, 1972 - Robert M. Drake, Jr. appointed Vice President of the University of Kentucky; James E. Funk named Dean of the College of Engineering.

July 1, 1979 - Roger Eichhorn named Dean of the College of Engineering.

January 1, 1981 - State Transportation Research Program transferred to College.

July 1982 - Donald C. Leigh appointed interim Dean.

September 1, 1983 - Ray M. Bowen assumes duties as Dean of the College.

January 1986 - Ground breaking for the Mining & Mineral Resources Building; dedicated April 8, 1988.

December 1987 - Ground breaking for the UK Center for Manufacturing; dedicated April 20, 1990.

1988 - Construction began on the new Agricultural Engineering Building; dedicated June 1990.

1988 - Name of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science changed to Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

July 1, 1989 - Ray M. Bowen resigns as dean; Vincent P. Drnevich named interim dean.

August 1990 - Thomas W. Lester named Dean of the College of Engineering.

1991 - Broadcast of first graduate courses through the College's Extended Campus Program.

July 1991 - Demolition of civil engineering and machine shop wings of the Quadrangle; construction of Civil Engineering/Kentucky Transportation Center Building and ASTeCC (Advanced Science and Technology Commercialization Center) began.

July 1, 1994 - Department of Computer Science transferred from College of Arts and Sciences to College of Engineering.

1995 - Department of Agricultural Engineering was changed to Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.

1995 - UK Distance Learning awarded first Master of Engineering (Mining) degree earned entirely via satellite to Eric Bauer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

April 4, 1995 - Department of Engineering Mechanics was consolidated into the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

1996 - First undergraduate engineering courses offered at Paducah.

June 10, 1997 - The Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering were combined into the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering.

April 1998 - Dedication of Crounse Hall, located at Paducah Community College.

May 1998 - Demolition of the Wendt Shop and the remaining Quadrangle building, making room for a new Mechanical Engineering/Student Commons building to be constructed in the year 2000.

October 1998 - Transportation Research Building renamed S.J. "Sam" Whalen Building; Civil Engineering/Kentucky Transportation Center renamed the Oliver H. Raymond Building.