User:VT hawkeye/VT history worksheet

From Methodist institute to V.P.I.
Virginia Tech's roots date back to 1851 and the founding of a small Methodist school called the Olin and Preston Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia. When that school came upon major financial difficulties for the second time in less than twenty years, its trustees urged their state legislators to pursue funding under the Morrill Land Grant Act for a state college in Blacksburg, to which they could then sell the Institute's property. In March 1872, the Virginia General Assembly approved and Gov. Gilbert C. Walker signed legislation to create the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College from the land purchased from the predecessor institution and a portion of the adjoining "Solitude" estate. The early college began as a three-year school awarding certificates rather than degrees; the first true bachelor's degree program would not be instituted until 1879.

John M. McBryde, the president of South Carolina College, was appointed president in 1891 and would serve for sixteen years. The changes made under his presidency formed the foundation of the modern Virginia Tech. Academic programs were reorganized, the faculty went from nine to forty-eight instructors, the Bachelor of Science degree was instituted in seven major areas, the military nature of the institution was solidified, and enrollment went from 135 during his first year to peak over seven hundred, with the campus physical plant expanding to match. In 1896, the General Assembly changed the name of the institution to Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute, a name popularly shortened to Virginia Polytechnic Institute (V.P.I.) almost immediately. A further contraction gained some currency as well -- Virginia Tech. The school colors also changed from gray and black to Chicago maroon and burnt orange, and the school adopted a cheer called the Old Hokie composed by student O.M. Stull. Tech's first intercollegiate football team was formed in 1893. McBryde's failing health would force his resignation in 1907.

Early 20th century
The federal Smith–Lever Act of 1914 induced the creation of one of the university's most ubiquitous programs

When McBryde's failing health forced his resignation in 1907, the school would sorely miss his direction. Under Paul Barringer (1907-1913) and Joseph Eggleston (1913-1919), though academic credibility was at last secure, V.P.I.'s focus would face several challenges. Whether to concentrate on agriculture or engineering was a source of conflict, early rotc fail http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/databook/text/chap1/1_9.htm http://spec.lib.vt.edu/archives/125th/kinnear/egg.htm