Skip to main content

Historical Timelines

Milestones

Use search to filter table content.

Start Date End Date Headline Description
1932 NA St. Margaret’s Hall Bishop Middleton Barnwell urged that St. Margaret’s Hall and a number of auxiliary buildings be converted to a junior college.

See Ch. 1: An Idea Grows

1932 NA Opening Day Enrollment: 70 Students
Faculty: 8 full time, 6 part time

Tuition: $60 per semester

See Ch. 1: An Idea Grows

1932 NA Bishop Middleton S. Barnwell Bishop Barnwell was the first president of Boise Junior College.

See Ch. 1: “An Idea Grows

1932 1933 Blue and Orange Broncos Decided in the first year, the students wanted a name that suited the western area and as many wild horses roamed the Owyhees, Bronco was chosen. The students also chose blue and orange as the colors.

See Ch. 3: An Idea Grows
See p. 11: The Broncos

1934 NA Episcopal Diocese ends affiliation After the Episcopal Church ends their affiliation, BJC elects a board of directors.
1934 NA First Commencement BJC holds first commencement ceremony for 27 graduates.
1936 1966 Dr. Eugene Chaffee Dr. Eugene Chaffee appointed the second president.

See Ch. 2: An Idea Grows

1939 NA BJC becomes a public institution Boise voters approve creation of Boise Junior College District; BJC becomes a public institution.
1940 NA Administration Building The first building on campus, the Administration building originally included all classrooms, library, faculty offices as well as administrative offices. It was built by the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and opened in the Fall of 1940. In 1951 it was formally designated Oliver O. Haga Hall but is rarely called by that name.
1941 1945 Helping the War Effort In true Rosie the Riveter spirit, female students learn electronic skills and build radios for the war effort.
1942 NA Logo An early college logo, circa 1942.
1945 1946 Veterans Between fall 1945 and spring 1946, over 400 GIs registered for classes.

See Ch. 5: Search for Excellence

1950 NA Morrison and Driscoll Halls Built separately for men and women students, Morrison and Driscoll Halls were the first on-campus living options for students.
1953 1977 Ruth McBirney Ruth McBirney becomes librarian. During her tenure, the library moved from the Administration building to a new building and the collection increased from 15,000 to over 100,000 volumes.
1957 NA 25th Anniversary BJC invited community members to attend classes to learn what a typical students’ day was like.
1965 1969 Boise College School attains four-year status and becomes Boise College with implementation of baccalaureate degrees.

See Ch. 8: Searching for Excellence

1967 1977 Dr. John B. Barnes Dr. John Barnes named third President, and oversaw the transition to Boise State University.

See Ch. 9: Searching for Excellence

1967 NA Alumni Association formed With just 12 founding members, the fledgling organization was led by Boise Junior College graduates pending the first round of four-year alums.

Read more: Boise State Public Radio

1967 NA Enrollment reaches 5,000 See enrollment history
1967 NA First baccalaureate degrees awarded The 1967 commencement program lists the first baccalaureate degree recipients.

See historical commencement programs

1969 1974 Boise State College Governor Don Samuelson signing a bill that changes Boise College to Boise State College and moves it into state system of higher education.

See Ch. 9: Searching for Excellence

1972 NA Co-Ed Dorm Morrison Hall becomes first co-ed dorm.
1972 NA First master’s degrees awarded The 1972 commencement program lists the first masters degree recipients.

See historical commencement programs

1974 NA Boise State University Governor Cecil D. Andrus signing a bill that changes Boise State College to Boise State University. Pictured: Doug Shanholtz, Governor Cecil Andrus, Dr. John Barnes, Kitty Gurnsey, Vernon Ravenscroft, Chuck Billyeau.

See Ch. 10: Searching for Excellence

1975 NA Enrollment tops 10,000 See enrollment history
1978 1991 Dr. John H. Keiser John H. Keiser named the fourth President.
1982 NA 50th Anniversary 50th Anniversay of the founding
9/13/1986 NA Bronco Stadium turns BLUE! Boise State University bucked the national trend by installing blue astroturf in 1986.
1988 NA NPR Affiliate Boise State Radio officially becomes a National Public Radio affiliate.

Read more: Boise State Public Radio

1989 NA Enrollment climbs to 12,586, the largest in the state See enrollment history and facts and figures.
1990 NA First Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Celebration Students rally in support of Idaho Human Rights and the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Idaho.

Additional reading: Idaho’s ‘Aryan’ Education: Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and Racial Politics

1991 NA President John Keiser dismissed President John Keiser dismissed by State Board of Education; Larry Selland named interim president.
1992 NA First Doctoral Program Doctorate in education (Ed.D.) in curriculum and instruction, approved by State Board of Education.
1993 2003 Dr. Charles P. Ruch Dr. Charles Ruch became the fifth President.

See: Fall 1992 FOCUS

1997 NA First doctorate degrees awarded First doctorate of education in curriculum and instruction degrees awarded. The first graduates were Alecia R. Baker, Christopher E. Francovich, Brenton A. Kidder, Eileen A. Thornburgh, Patricia N. Toney.

Source: commencement program

1998 NA First Gene Harris Jazz Festival The mission of the Gene Harris Jazz Festival is to educate, entertain and enrich listeners of all ages in Boise and surrounding communities to the exciting sound of all forms of jazz music; to encourage the appreciation of, and participation in music by children and adults alike; to support an endowment that will provide ongoing financial support for guest artists, music scholarships and the festival at BSU.

Read more: Treefort South

2003 NA Dr. Robert W. Kustra Dr. Kustra becomes sixth President.

See: Summer 2003 FOCUS

2003 NA BSU West Campus Technology and Entrepreneurial Center opens as first building on BSU West campus.
2004 NA First honorary doctorate awarded Alum and filmmaker Michael Hoffman receives the first honorary doctorate.
2007 NA Ada and Canyon county voters pass community college ballot initiative The creation of the new community college district, along with a $10 million donation from the Albertsons Foundation, created the groundwork for what is now the College of Western Idaho.

Read more: Summer 2007 FOCUS

2007 NA Diamond Jubilee, 75th anniversary “Boise State’s 1st Buildings”:
Spring 2007 FOCUS

“The Faces of Boise State”:
Summer 2007 FOCUS

Diamond Jubilee celebrations:
Fall 2007 FOCUS

1/21/2015 NA President Barack Obama visits President Obama was the first sitting president to visit, and came the day after his 2015 State of the Union address to talk about his proposal for Middle-Class Economics.
2015 NA Boise State Earns Carnegie Classification Read more Boise State Earns Carnegie Classification for Engaging with Treasure Valley Community

Back To Top