The
University of Northern Iowa (UNI) was founded in 1876 as
the Iowa State Normal School. It was established to fill
the need for qualified public school teachers in Iowa.
The School originally
occupied the former Iowa Soldiers' Orphans Home building
(later "Central Hall"), which stood to the southwest
of the present Lang Hall (also known as the Auditorium,
built in 1905). Other buildings on the early campus included
South Hall (1883), later "old" Gilchrist Hall,
the Old Administration Building (1895) and the President's
Cottage (1890), now the Ethnic Minorities Cultural and Educational
Center. Of these, only the President's Cottage and Lang
Hall survive.
James Gilchrist
was the School's first principal. Other original faculty
was Moses Bartlett, David Sands Wright, and Frances Webster.
The first class included 27 students, housed in a single
building on the 40-acre campus.
Today the University
enrolls about 11,000 students, with a faculty and staff
of about 1,700 people. Its original mission has expanded
to include undergraduate and graduate degree programs in
business, the liberal arts and other fields, as well as
education. Prominent modern landmarks include the Campanile,
the University Library, the Education Center, the UNI-Dome
and the Speech/Art Complex.
A detailed UNI
campus map and walking tour guide is available at the Office
of Public Information Services, 169 Gilchrist Hall. For
information about the University
call 273-2761, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The
University Archives is located in the University Library's
Special Collections area. Call 273-6307 for information
about the collection.
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