| 1846 |
Carroll College is chartered by the Territorial Legislature on January 31, 1846, advancing the work of Prairieville Academy, founded in 1841. The college opens with an enrollment of five students and two faculty, Eleazar Root and John W. Sterling. |
| 1850 |
Reverend John Adams Savage becomes the first president of Carroll College and also starts the college's affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. Reverend Savage will hold office from 1850-1863. |
| 1852 |
Carroll breaks ground for first Main Hall. |
| 1853 |
January 4, the first college building is ready for classes. It is a two-story limestone structure built on 10 acres donated to the college by Morris Cutler and Charles Dakin.
The Philomathean Society, a literary and debating club and Carroll’s first student organization, is founded by the freshman class of 1853-54. |
| 1854 |
Carroll College Student, the first campus newspaper, begins publication. |
| 1855 |
First college catalog is issued. |
| 1857 |
Four graduates participate in Carroll College's first commencement ceremony. |
| 1858 |
Carroll College's first honorary degree is given to Henry S. McKee, minister of West Meath, Ireland. |
| 1863 |
Preparatory courses open to women for the first time.
Board of Trustees appoints two acting presidents, Renssellaer B. Hammond (1863-64) and William Alexander (1864-65). |
| 1866 |
Walter L. Rankin arrives in Waukesha to become Carroll’s next president. With the exception of two short absences while the school is temporarily closed, Dr. Rankin will serve Carroll for the next 38 years as president (1866-71, 1873-79, 1881-1903), and as a professor until 1910. |
| 1874 |
Carroll Echo (later, The Perspective) newspaper begins publication. |
| 1881 |
Carroll College Alumni Association is founded on August 23. |
| 1883 |
French, history, geography and bookkeeping are added to the traditionally classical curriculum. Art, music, theater and a teachers department will also be added in the 1880s. |
| 1885 |
Original college building is destroyed by fire on January 29. Classes continue to meet in the basement of the Presbyterian Church where Eleazar Root and John Adams Savage held classes almost 40 years before.
Cornerstone for the current Main Hall is laid on September 24. |
| 1887 |
Main Hall is first used for classes on January 11. The building is constructed of Waukesha limestone and designed by Chicago architect, Colonel S. V. Shipman, with a tree-lined circle drive from the street allowing horse-drawn vehicles to enter the campus. |
| 1894 |
In the fall, the school has six faculty members, 155 students (academy and collegiate courses), with recitation exercise being the chief style of instruction.
Intercollegiate athletics begin with Carroll winning a football game with Marquette, 8-6. (First season record: one win, two losses and one tie.) |
| 1895 |
Carroll’s first endowed chair, the Voorhees Chair of Oratory, is established and will be filled for the years 1895-1931 by Dr. Rankin’s eldest daughter, May Nickell Rankin. This chair will be the first of many contributions to the college by Ralph and Elizabeth Voorhees over the next 12 years, eventually totaling $254,300. |
| 1896 |
May Nickell Rankin forms the Carroll Players, the oldest student dramatic club in the state. |
| 1900 |
Construction begins on Voorhees Hall, a north wing addition to Main Hall. |
| 1902 |
Men’s intercollegiate basketball begins. |
| 1904 |
Wilbur O. Carrier becomes president. Courses in government, economics, sociology, education, and domestic science added to the curriculum during his term as president, 1904-1917. |
| 1906 |
Cornerstones for Rankin Hall of Science, Elizabeth Voorhees Dormitory, and Ralph Voorhees Cottage are laid on June 13.
Beta Pi Epsilon, the first campus fraternity, is chartered.
The first forward pass in football history is thrown against Carroll by St. Louis University, which resulted in a final score of St. Louis, 22, Carroll, 0. |
| 1907 |
Women's intercollegiate basketball begins. |
| 1908 |
Men’s Glee and Mandolin Club, including member Alfred Lunt, tours the state. |
| 1909 |
The college receives full accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities.
A four-year experiment in medical education begins with the establishment of the Carroll Medical College and affiliation with the Wisconsin College of Dentistry.
Frame Field is dedicated on June 16, on the site of a former limestone quarry and the present site of Schneider Stadium.
The first Hinakaga yearbook is published. |
| 1910 |
The first of many Washington Day Banquets is held with class skits and orations. |
| 1913 |
The May Day Festival begins as a yearly ritual that will last for more than two decades. |
| 1917 |
The Student Senate is formally established with a constitution. |
| 1918 |
Delta Sigma Nu, a scholastic honor society, is established.
The Student Army Training Corps program is added to aid the war effort.
Herbert Pierpont Houghton becomes president. He will hold office from 1918-1920. |
| 1919 |
Eighteen separate subject departments are created on campus, each with stipulated graduation requirements and teaching a set sequence of courses on a rotating basis. Faculty members total 23 fulltime and 11 parttime. |
| 1920 |
First college sponsored dance, the Junior-Senior Prom, is held in May. |
| 1921 |
William Arthur Ganfield becomes president and will hold the position until 1939. |
| 1922 |
President Ganfield runs an unsuccessful campaign to unseat the Progressive Robert La Follette in the U.S. Senate. |
| 1923 |
Pi Kappa Delta (forensics) and Theta Alpha Phi (drama) honor societies are founded. There are the first of many honor societies to be formed in the 1920s.
The college band is organized. |
| 1924 |
First Moms and Dads Day (later, Parents Weekend) is held.
The gymnasium, later to be named for William Arthur Ganfield, is opened. |
| 1926 |
Women and alumni are actively recruited to serve on the Board of Trustees. |
| 1927 |
The Wilbur home on the southeast corner of East and College avenues is acquired for use as the Lydia Morgan Library (now MacAllister Hall). |
| 1928 |
The Andrew J. Frame Chair in Economics is established. |
| 1929 |
A south wing is added to Voorhees Dormitory.
Pioneer Club, a men's organization, was founded Nov. 11. It was renamed Pioneer Fraternity on Jan. 23, 1948, and transitioned to the Greek-lettered fraternity Delta Rho Upsilon in spring 1950. |
| 1935 |
Two cooperative programs begin: faculty from Milwaukee’s Layton School of Art come to campus a half day each week to teach, and students from Nashotah House Seminary come to Carroll for classes as part of their divinity degrees.
A campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors is organized.
Enrollment is 502, with 15 full-time and 8 part-time faculty. |
| 1936 |
E. Ben Weinke is hired as the first admission counselor.
First All-school Sing is held May 4. |
| 1940 |
Gerrit T. Vander Lugt becomes president. He will hold this office until 1946.
Students are now required to attend only two of the originally required five chapel services each week. |
| 1941 |
Evening courses for adults begin. |
| 1942 |
Campus becomes the home of the Army Air Corps. Two hundred men are housed in the Voorhees Dormitory.
The Carrier Memorial Library is dedicated on May 17. |
| 1943 |
The college purchases the old Caples Sanatorium at the corner of east College and Racine avenues for men’s housing. |
| 1946 |
The college holds its Centennial Celebration.
Nelson Vance Russell becomes president and will hold office until 1951.
The Waukesha Symphony Orchestra is founded with Carroll sponsorship. |
| 1948 |
The Century, a student literary publication, first begins publication.
Delta Zeta, the first national sorority on Carroll's campus, was founded Oct. 10. |
| 1949 |
Lowry Hall, named in honor of trustee James K. Lowry, is dedicated Oct. 22.
Chi Omega sorority was founded Sept. 18. Alpha Xi Delta sorority was founded shortly after on Sept. 25. |
| 1951 |
The first Founders' Day Convocation is observed and members of the faculty Twenty-Five Year Club are recognized. |
| 1952 |
Swarthout Dormitory, named for trustee Susan B. Swarthout, opens.
Alpha Gamma Delta sorority was founded May 17. |
| 1956 |
Robert D. Steele becomes president. He will hold this office until 1967.
The student union, now known as the Campus Center, opens. |
| 1960 |
South Bergstrom Hall opens. |
| 1961 |
Maxon Hall, named for Howard L. Maxon of the class of 1886, is dedicated. |
| 1964 |
A dormitory, later to be named for Robert D. Steele, opens. |
| 1965 |
Frank G. James addition to the library is built.
Construction of Van Male Field House begins, funded as a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Olive J. Van Male in memory of their son James R. Van Male of the class of 1954. |
| 1966 |
The 4-1-4 academic calendar begins.
Voorhees Dormitory is renovated to house administrative and faculty offices.
North Bergstrom Hall opens. |
| 1967 |
John T. Middaugh becomes president and will hold office until 1970.
The first January Term program is held.
Shattuck Chapel and Music Center, named for trustee and college architect S. Frank Shattuck, opens. |
| 1968 |
A dormitory, later to be named for Jean W. Kilgour, a member of the Carroll faculty for 43 years, opens. |
| 1970 |
The Howard T. Greene Scientific Study and Conservancy Area is gifted to the college.
The college Art Studios are constructed. |
| 1971 |
Robert V. Cramer becomes president. He will hold office until 1988. |
| 1972 |
Main Hall is renovated.
The W. Norman FitzGerald Civil War Collection is dedicated. |
| 1973 |
The Distinguished Alumni Award and the Athletics Hall of Fame are established. |
| 1974 |
Evening session programs begin.
Carroll'sGgeography Department is accepted as a reporting weather station to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. |
| 1975 |
Rankin Hall is renovated. The Frank G. James addition to the library is expanded. |
| 1976 |
New Cultural Experience Program begins.
Van Male Field House is dedicated and the tennis courts are constructed. |
| 1977 |
The Mary Robertson Williams Chair in English is established.
Senior guard Dave Shaw makes basketball history as Carroll's all-time leading scorer with more than 2,500 points in his four-year career. He is the nation’s leading scorer in NCAA Division III. |
| 1979 |
Otteson Theatre and the Walter Young Center are dedicated. |
| 1980 |
Ganfield Gymnasium undergoes renovation. |
| 1981 |
A Computer Center is constructed in Main Hall. |
| 1983 |
The Nursing Program begins. |
| 1984 |
Actor Dennis Morgan ’30, known as Stanley Morner during his Carroll days, receives Carroll's Distinguished Alumnus award. He is the first initiate in the Wisconsin Theater Hall of Fame. |
| 1986 |
U.S. News & World Report ranks Carroll among America's best colleges. The education editor at the New York Times includes Carroll in "The Best Buys in College Education." |
| 1988 |
Dan C. West becomes president and will hold office until 1992. |
| 1990 |
New Hall dorm opens.
Phi Theta Pi house is destroyed by fire.
With a generous gift from the late R. Jack Sneeden ’50 and his wife, Cherrill Swart Sneeden ’50, the college begins restoration of the Sneeden House, a magnificent 1922 colonial home now used as a guesthouse and conference center. |
| 1992 |
A. Paul Jones serves as acting president for the 1992-1993 school year.
Carroll and the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha sign an agreement that enables UWW graduates to complete their degrees at Carroll. |
| 1993 |
Frank S. Falcone becomes president and will hold office until 2006.
The Master in Education is accredited. |
| 1995 |
Construction begins on the Humphrey Memorial Chapel and Art Center. |
| 1996 |
Carroll celebrates its sesquicentennial.
The Physical Therapy graduate program begins.
Humphrey Memorial Chapel and Art Center opens. |
| 1998 |
The library is renovated with the help of a grant from the Todd Wehr Foundation.
MacAllister Hall, a historic home formerly called Morgan Manor, reopens after a full-scale renovation funded, in large part, by Pershing E. ’40 and Becky MacAllister. |
| 2000 |
Carroll begins offering a master’s degree in software engineering. |
| 2001 |
The Gateway Campaign, with a goal of $25 million (originally $18 million), is completed. The campaign raised $36.7 million for capital improvements, endowment and operating support. |
| 2002 |
Renovation begins on Main Hall.
The new Ted Baker court is dedicated in Van Male Field House. Baker, a 1971 Carroll graduate, provided major funding for the project.
Carroll launches its own four-year baccalaureate program in nursing. |
| 2003 |
Main Hall, Carroll’s signature building and a historic landmark, opens for public tours at Commencement after a yearlong, $4 million renovation. Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas Badciong ’62 and his wife Jean provided the lead gift of $1.5 million for the project. |
| 2004 |
Schneider Stadium is dedicated at Homecoming. The $1.25 million project, made possible through a gift from James ’74 and Debi Schneider, includes an artificial playing surface and lights. |
| 2005 |
Carroll receives a $120,464 federal grant to support the college’s Hispanic Health and Human Services program.
Carroll receives a $559,450 federal grant to recruit and educate Hispanic students in nursing.
Carroll establishes the Institute for Hispanic Health and Human Services.
Dennis Punches, class of 1958, pledges $1 million to build an outdoor track along Grand Avenue. |
| 2006 |
Pioneers women's basketball team wins its first Midwest Conference Championship.
After a national search, Dr. Douglas N. Hastad is selected as Carroll’s president; his term begins July 1.
Carroll is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer an entry-level doctor of physical therapy degree in August. |
| 2007 |
Dr. Douglas N. Hastad is inaugurated as president on April 19.
The $2.1 million Quad/Graphics Team Center opens in June.
The Building Champions Campaign, which raised $4.8 million (goal: $4 million) ends successfully in September.
The Pioneer Scholars program, an undergraduate research program, begins.
The men's soccer team wins its first Midwest Conference season championship, captures the MWC tournament title and advances to NCAA tournament.
Men's basketball competes in Sweet Sixteen of NCAA championship. |
| 2008 |
Carroll College is renamed Carroll University, effective July 1, after a unanimous decision by the Board of Trustees in May.
Carroll dedicated the Dennis Punches Track and Field Complex on Aug. 26.
Pioneer Hall, a new 264-bed residence hall, opens.
Carroll and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville sign a partnership agreement to offer an engineering degree program. |
| 2009 |
In March, the Washington, D.C., Federal Circuit Court rules that Carroll University faculty do not have a right under federal law to form a union.
Carroll and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee form a partnership that will provide opportunities for students to earn degrees in engineering in Waukesha County.
The Carroll campus goes tobacco-free in July.
Carroll and Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science sign an agreement to offer dual-degree program in pharmacy.
The Volunteer Center begins with a three-year AmeriCorps* VISTA grant. |
| 2010 |
Carroll initiates its chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, an interdisciplinary scholastic honor society, inducting 15 charter members and 49 undergraduate and graduate students (April).
The first phase of an extensive campuswide 15-year exterior renovation begins with the installation of a knee wall on Main Lawn and replace a compass/medallion in front of Main Hall.
Carroll begins offering classes in its new Master of Business Administration program.
The Carroll University Graduate Center opens on Waukesha's east side (fall).
A renovated Main Lawn, with a new knee wall and a compass/medallion in front of Main Hall, is dedicated. The project included the removal of historic Circle Drive. |
| 2011 |
In June, the first class in the new Physician Assistant Studies program begins.
Frontier Hall, a 231-bed residence hall, opens on Grand Avenue.
Pi Lambda Phi fraternity is established.
A plaza is built between Otteson Theatre, Shattuck Music Center and Van Male Field House. |
