A century of leadership
in education and research

1892

The university in Pullman opened its doors as the Washington Agricultural College and School of Science, with 13 collegiate and 46 preparatory students.

1907

Instruction in education began in November. That coincided with the arrival of Alfred Alexander Cleveland (b.1876). The Oregon native joined the faculty of the, then, State College of Washington as an assistant professor of psychology. Between 1908 and 1910 he became full professor and then temporary head of the combined education and psychology department.

1917

The college was reorganized into five colleges and four schools with deans as administrative heads. A.A. Cleveland's responsibilities then included the deanship of the College of Education and directorship of the annual Summer Session, which played an important role in enlarging the formal training of primary and secondary teacher in Washington.

1941

J. Murray Lee becomes the second dean of the college. He arrived at WSU in January from the University of Wisconsin, where he had been and scholar, teacher, and consultant to educational groups.

1949

Camp Easter Seal was established on Lake Coeur d'Alene by Professor Roger Larson. The camp, operated by the College of Education provided recreation for children with disabilities until its closure in 2003.

1954

Zeno Katterle assumed the role as dean of the College of Education. He retired in 1964.

1959

Washington State College became Washington State University, as designated by the Legislature.

1962

Cleveland Hall, home of the College of Education, was dedicated in May.

1964

George Brain was named dean of the College of Education. He held this position until 1983 and is widely known as a true influence in the placement of superintendents around the state of Washington. The education library in Cleveland Hall is named in his honor.

1967

The WSU High School Equivalency Program (HEP) was created within the college. The comprehensive residential program allows seasonal and migrant farm workers or their dependents to obtain high school equivalency certificates. It is the oldest continuously active federal equivalency preparation program in the United States.

1976

The college received a $1 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation to create the Partnership for Rural Improvement.

1984

M. Stephen Lilley became dean of the college, serving until 1990.

1985

The college is divided into four departments: Elementary and Secondary Education, Educational Administration and Supervision, Educational and Counseling Psychology, and Physical Education, Sport and Leisure Study.

1991

Bernard Oliver was named dean. His six-year tenure saw the creation of the Future Teachers of Color program in the college.

1994

The Center for Educational Partnerships was created to increase College of Education collaboration with teachers and administrators, as well as school districts, social service agencies, businesses and communities. It was later renamed the School and Community Collaboration Center.

The college is reorganized into three departments: Educational Leadership & Counseling Psychology, Teaching & Learning, and Recreation & Leisure Studies. That arrangement lasts until 2001, when RLS is dropped.

1998

Judy Nichols Mitchell became the first woman and seventh dean of the College of Education. She previously served as faculty member and department chair during her 22-year career at the University of Arizona.

The graduating class included the first students recruited to WSU through the College of Education's Future Teachers of Color program.

2002

The 31st recipient of the Regents’ Distinguished Alumnus Award was WSU graduate and sociologist James E. Blackwell. He is a leading scholar in the areas of minorities in higher education and social movement in black communities.

2005

Students, faculty and staff participated in relief efforts for Asian countries struck by a December tsunami. Later in the year, they reached out to victims of two hurricanes that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast. More than 7,000 Backpacks for Hope—filled with school supplies, books and other items—were collected for students in the affected areas.

2005

The Education Addition opens adjacent to Cleveland Hall. The new building provides a seamless integration of technology, modeling how students will use technology in their own classrooms when they become teachers.

2006

The Future Teachers of Color program is restructured as the Future Teachers and Leaders of Color program to more broadly support the graduate students of the College of Education.

2007

100 years after the first teacher education class is held in Pullman, the WSU College of Education also offers programs at WSU campuses in Spokane, the Tri-Cities and Vancouver. A “Legacy Tree” wall sculpture, newly installed in the walkway between Cleveland Hall and the Education Addition, allows the public to honor educators who have made a difference in the lives of their students.