- In the beginning
1890 - George Lilley
May 1891-Dec. 1892 - John Heston
Dec. 1892-Aug. 1893 - Enoch Bryan
1893-1915 - Ernest O. Holland
1915-1945 - Wilson A. Compton
1946-1951 - C. Clement French
1952-1966 - Glenn Terrell
1967-1985 - Samuel H. Smith
1985-2000 - V. Lane Rawlins
2000-2007 - Elson S. Floyd
2007-current
How history was made
In the beginning
Since its founding in 1890, WSU has forged a rich history from stories of remarkable people-scholars and leaders whose contributions transformed lives nationwide.
After a shaky beginning-2 presidents were forced from office in less than 2 years-Enoch Bryan became the University's third president in 1893 and served for 23 years. During his tenure, Washington Agricultural College and School of Science, as it was then called, became the State College of Washington, and the University's journey to become one of the top research universities in the country was begun.
| 1892 | Washington State Agricultural College and School of Science opens to students |
| 1905 | Name changes to State College of Washington |
| 1959 | Name changes to Washington State University |
George Lilley
May 1891-Dec. 1892
Academic field: Mathematics, master's degree, Washington and Jefferson College
Major challenges: Launching a new college with little support from the Regents, who limited his appointment to one year
Life after WSU: Served as principal of Park School, a public school in Portland, Oregon, then became a professor of mathematics at the University of Oregon in Eugene
Important milestones during the Lilley administration
| 1892 | Washington Agricultural College and School of Science opens its doors on Jan. 13 to 13 collegiate and 46 preparatory students |
| 1892 | Construction starts on Ferry Hall, the first residence hall, in February |
| 1892 | College Hall construction contract awarded May 15 |
John Heston
Dec. 1892-Aug. 1893
Academic field: Education, master's degree, Penn State
Major challenges: Scorned by students, who pelted him with rotten cabbages when he arrived, then unsupported by a newly appointed Board of Regents, which replaced him after 8 1/2 months on the job
Life after WSU: Became president of Dakota State University
Important milestones during the Heston administration
| 1892 | Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington opens |
| 1893 | Stock market crash: "Panic of 1893" |
Enoch Bryan
1893-1915
Academic field: Classics, master's degree, Harvard University
Major challenges: Expanding the academic breadth of the college beyond agriculture and science, an effort that culminated in renaming the school the State College of Washington in 1905
Life after WSU: Becomes Idaho's Commissioner of Education for several years and then returns to the State College of Washington as a research professor
Namesake: Bryan Hall and Tower
Important milestones during the Bryan administration
| 1894 | First varsity football game, WSC 10, Idaho 0 |
| 1895 | First issue of The Daily Evergreen published |
| 1897 | First graduating class of seven earns diplomas |
| 1899 | Enrollment: 481 |
| 1902 | First master's degree conferred |
| 1905 | School renamed State College of Washington |
| 1906 | Enrollment: 1,371 |
| 1913 | President's house completed for $25,000; first homecoming celebration held |
Ernest O. Holland
1915-1945
Academic field: English, Ph.D., Columbia University Teacher's College
Major challenges: Conflict in the legislature regarding duplication of courses at WSC and UW. Although President Holland and President Suzzallo of UW were great friends before moving to Washington, they gradually became bitter rivals
Life after WSU: Stays in Pullman, dies five years after retirement
Namesake: Holland Library
Important milestones during the Holland administration
| 1916 | WSC defeats Brown University in the first annual Rose Bowl |
| 1917 | Enrollment 2,130; institution reorganizes into 5 colleges and 4 schools; Act of February 2, 1917, distinguishes major curriculum lines at WSC and UW |
| 1919 | Cougar adopted as the school's official mascot |
| 1925 | Enrollment 3,129 |
| 1927 | Phi Beta Kappa chapter established, first for a separate land-grant institution; enrollment 3,275 |
| 1929 | First Ph.D. conferred, in bacteriology |
| 1930 | Edward R. Murrow graduates |
| 1931 | WSC loses to Alabama in the Rose Bowl |
| 1929-41 | Great Depression |
| 1936 | More than 2,500 students march to demand "abolition of Ultra-conservative, dictatorial Administrative policies" |
| 1940 | Enrollment 5,109 |
| 1942 | Government contract has the college training soldiers in aviation, Japanese, signal corps, radio, and gunnery |
| 1943 | Enrollment 1,530; Cougar football suspended for duration of WWII |
| 1944 | Cougar Gold cheese introduced |
Wilson A. Compton
1946-1951
Academic field: Economics, Ph.D., Princeton
Major challenges: Providing classrooms and housing for GIs and families; facing opposition from Regent McAllister, who spearheads Compton's ouster
Life after WSU: Director, International Information Administration in D.C., then heads Council for Financial Aid to Education in New York City
Namesake: Compton Union Building
Important milestones during the Compton administration
| 1945 | Enrollment: 2,708 |
| 1946 | Surge in military veterans enrolling as students; admission requirements imposed to limit enrollment; enrollment: 5,907 |
| 1948 | Enrollment: 7,890 |
| 1950 | Construction of Holland Library begins |
| 1951 | In the face of state budget cuts, the Regents order Compton to dismiss 182 employees (including the vice president); Compton resigns; the new Student Union is dedicated to Compton |
C. Clement French
1952-1966
Academic field: Chemistry, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Major challenges: Healing campus wounds after Compton firing
Life after WSU: Serves on various higher education committees and commissions, active in Episcopal Church
Namesake: French Administration Building
Important milestones during the French administration
| 1959 | WSC becomes Washington State University |
| 1960 | Honors Program is established |
| 1961 | The WSU nuclear research program completes its first chain reaction; the first peace march takes place on campus |
| 1962 | Compulsory ROTC enrollment changes to voluntary; WSU joins the Athletic Association of Western Universities, precursor of today's Pac-12 |
| 1964 | The first "skyscraper dorms," Orton Hall and Rogers Hall, are built to accommodate the Baby Boom generation |
Glenn Terrell
1967-1985
Academic field: Psychology, Ph.D., University of Iowa
Major challenges: Student unrest and social upheaval
Life after WSU: Active with The Pacific Institute, an international organization working to transfer knowledge from the cognitive sciences to educational settings, organizations, and the public and private sector.
Namesakes: Glenn Terrell Friendship Mall, Terrell Library
Important milestones during the Terrell administration
| 1968 | French Administration Building dedicated |
| 1968 | Marmes Man excavated near Washtucna by WSU geologists Richard Daugherty and Roald Fryxell |
| 1969 | What is today the WSU College of Nursing accepts its first class of 37 students |
| 1969 | Enrollment: 13,128; campus rife with Vietnam protests and student unrest |
| 1970 | South grandstands of Rogers Field destroyed by arson |
| 1971 | 50,000th student graduates |
| 1972 | WAMI (Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) medical education program starts at WSU |
| 1973 | Performing Arts Coliseum opens with 1973 graduation |
| 1976 | WSU and USDA researcher Orville Vogel receives National Medal of Honor from President Gerald Ford |
| 1978 | Butch VI, last live mascot, dies at age 15 |
| 1979 | WSU Foundation created |
| 1980 | Mount St. Helens erupts |
| 1981 | Enrollment: 19,303 |
| 1983 | 100,000th student graduates |
| 1984 | WSU athletes win three gold medals and a silver medal in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. |
Samuel H. Smith
1985-2000
Academic field: Plant pathology, Ph.D., U.C. Berkeley
Major challenge: Creating a statewide University system
Life after WSU: Establishes an office at WSU West in Seattle. Serves on the Higher Education Coordinating Board, and is director of the Washington Education Foundation, which provides scholarships to low-income, high-potential students
Namesake: Smith Center for Undergraduate Education
Important milestones during the Smith administration
| 1985 | Washington Higher Education Telecommunications System (WHETS) starts transmitting live, interactive courses from the Pullman campus |
| 1986 | WSU biochemist Clarence A. "Bud" Ryan becomes the first WSU faculty member elected to the National Academy of Sciences |
| 1989 | Lewis Alumni Centre opens |
| 1989 | Branch campuses established in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver |
| 1990 | Bobo Brayton wins 1,000th game as baseball head coach |
| 1990 | Edward R. Murrow School of Communication dedicated |
| 1992 | Distance Degree Program established to offer courses online |
| 1993 | Plans for new Cougar Plaza in downtown Pullman approved |
| 1994 | New library adjacent to Holland Library completed |
| 1996 | WSU Vancouver's Salmon Creek campus is dedicated |
| 1996 | Lighty Student Services Building opens |
| 1996 | WSU's Thomas Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service opens |
| 1996 | WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital opens, one of the best-equipped veterinary hospitals in the country |
| 1998 | Picked to finish seventh in the Pac-10, the 1997 co-conference champion WSU Cougars play Michigan in the Rose Bowl |
| 1998 | State legislature gives WSU management responsibilities for the Riverpoint campus in Spokane |
| 2000 | Enrollment: 22,015 |
V. Lane Rawlins
2000-2007
Academic field: Economics, Ph.D., U.C. Berkeley
Major challenge: Creates a strategic vision for the university
Life after WSU: Interim Director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center, a joint enterprise of UW and WSU; economics professor at WSU; President, University of North Texas
Important milestones during the Rawlins administration
| 2000 | WSU unveils its new logo, a crimson and gray cougar head first created in 1936 by WSU student Randall Johnson, presented within an academic shield |
| 2001 | New Student Recreation Center opens |
| 2002 | Samuel H. Smith Center for Undergraduate Education opens |
| 2003 | WSU Cougars play Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl |
| 2003 | WSU Regents give WSU urban campuses expanded responsibilities |
| 2003 | Institute for Shock Physics moves into new building |
| 2004 | New Communication Addition (CADD) opens to strengthen programs in the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication |
| 2004 | The Inaugural Showcase event celebrates faculty and staff research and scholarly achievement |
| 2005 | Opening ceremonies herald the new Plant Biosciences Building and the new Education Addition |
| 2006 | Construction begins on a major renovation of the Compton Union Building |
Elson S. Floyd
2007-current
Academic field: Higher and Adult Education, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major challenges: Maintaining academic quality in the face of the largest cuts in state allocations in WSU's history
Important milestones during the Floyd administration
| 2008 | Scientific American names WSU reproductive biologist Patricia A. Hunt one of the top 50 researchers in the world for her work on bisphenol A (BPA), a component of the polycarbonate plastics used to make food and beverage containers |
| 2008 | The largest grant in WSU history—$25 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—helps create a research center for WSU's new School for Global Animal Health |
| 2008 | Pop music icon Elton John performs at Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum |
| 2008 | Named for WSU's illustrious alumnus Edward R. Murrow, the university's Murrow School of Communication becomes the Murrow College of Communication |
| 2008 | The initial class of WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) medical program students begin classes at a new site, WSU Spokane |
| 2008 | The newly-renovated Compton Union Building opens for the fall semester |
| 2009 | The state legislature reduces its budget allocation for WSU by $54.2 million—the largest reduction in WSU's history |
| 2011 | Budget cuts triggered by The Great Recession lead to a 52 percent reduction in the state's allocation to WSU over the preceding 4 years |