INDIANA--From its 19th century roots as a preparatory institution for public school teachers to its current expanding horizons at the dawn of a new millennium, Indiana University of Pennsylvania has evolved with the needs of its students and the concerns of the society and community which surround it.
As the university marks its 130th anniversary, area historian John Busovicki has been sifting through the institution's past--and his extensive collection of vintage postcards--to prepare a presentation on the topic for a meeting of Indiana County's Friends of the Parks organization Saturday at 7 p.m. at IUP's College Lodge.
He brings an insider's perspective to his subject--having earned an education degree there in 1965 before returning in 1969 for a 31-year stint as a geometry professor.
Busovicki recalled, when he was a youth growing up in Clymer, he was aware of the college sports teams' exploits. But trips to Indiana were few and far between.
When he finally arrived there as a student, in 1961, he said, "To me, it was exciting...I loved mathematics and I met some really nice kids.
"It seemed there was a camaraderie and at the same time a fierce competition. We wanted to outdo each other."
A core which has run through Indiana's seat of higher learning for its entire history has been its commitment to educating educators.
Currently, the university offers 22 different majors in its undergraduate education degree program.
In the early years, before the school had gained college accreditation, aspiring instructors could enroll when they were just 14 years of age, choosing between elementary, scientific and classical courses of study.
The latter course, Busovicki noted, focused on "languages, or if you wanted to go onto college."
Though the name may seem quaint now, Busovicki indicated IUP's birth in 1875 as the Indiana Normal School represents a French influence in Pennsylvania's public school tradition.
He explained, the practice of describing the state's 12 teacher colleges as "normal schools" stems from the "Ecole Normale," an instructional institution which was launched in Paris, France, in 1794.
He noted the "normal" nomenclature simply signified the facility's mission was "educating the masses. It wasn't a fancy school."
Referring to early versions of the school's course catalog and its periodic bulletin, as well as a 1991 history of the university authored by Ron Juliette and Dale E. Landon, Busovicki noted there were nine faculty and 150 students on hand when the normal school commenced its first session on May 17, 1875, in its original and oldest building--what is now known as John Sutton Hall.
The imposing Victorian facility was constructed at a cost of about $180,000 on 12 acres of high ground in West Indiana--land which was purchased from John Sutton for $7,000.
A minimum campus of 10 acres was required under Pennsylvania's 1857 Normal School Act, which authorized establishment of Indiana and 11 other teacher training schools throughout the state.
According to a period report, a refractory was developed on the Indiana site to produce the more than two million bricks needed in the building's construction.
It initially was known simply as "The Main Building," including dining facilities and classrooms as well as accommodations for both instructors and students.
In 1903, it was renamed in honor of Sutton, first president of the school's board of trustees. That practice continued, with the panel's second and third presidents, Silas Clark and Andrew Wilson, lending their names, respectively, to a separate dormitory for male students and to the institution's "model school"--both constructed in 1893.
A precursor of the later University School, the state-mandated model school allowed student teachers to observe more experienced instructors providing lessons to elementary pupils.
Initially, the chief official at the normal school was the principal, beginning with Dr. Edmund Fairfield, who stayed only one year. A change to the more collegiate title of president occurred in 1927, appropriately, when the institution was renamed Indiana State Teachers College.
While principals came and went, the school's original preceptress (later dean of women) Jane E. Leonard, devoted nearly half a century to watching over the students.
A native of Clearfield County, she also served on the school's faculty, teaching English, history and math, and was affectionately known as "Aunt Jane."
Juliette and Landon note, after her retirement in 1921, Leonard maintained her apartment in Sutton Hall, receiving visits from current and former students.
She also remained active in the Indiana community--running unsuccessfully for a local Congressional seat while also assisting John S. Fisher in his campaign for governor.
Leonard died in her sleep on April 6, 1924, and her funeral services were held in Sutton Hall's chapel--today's Gorell Recital Hall.
Leonard's name today can be seen in the university's central Oak Grove, on the facade of one of the modern academic buildings.
Not all of the school's instructors shared her sterling reputation. Though their infractions weren't specified, Busovicki found mention of two other female members of the normal school's original faculty who were fired after the first term due to "conduct unbecoming a teacher."
As with the other normal schools, Indiana persevered through an early history marked by financial strain.
"Though the state gave guidelines for its operation, it was a private school which raised money through stock sales," Busovicki noted.
A prized item in his collection of local historical artifacts is a certificate for 10 shares of stock, sold on Oct. 28, 1874, to help with the initial financing of the Indiana Normal School.
Signed by Sutton and Clark, the stock sold for $25 a share, or $250 in total.
"That was a small fortune in 1874," Busovicki pointed out.
He noted the same could be said of the $400 cost attributed to the bell gracing Sutton Hall's signature tower.
The men of means who served on the original board of trustees got personally involved when it came to looking out for the fledgling school's welfare.
According to Busovicki, "They had a sheriff's sale after the school opened, and the fixtures and furnishings were purchased by the trustees as individuals and then donated back to the school."
But, for the most part, the school had to rely on its own resources during its early operations--which included construction of the Model School at a cost of $44,000 and Leonard Hall and Thomas Sutton Hall, which housed new dining facilities and a music conservatory, for a combined $75,000. That prompted a conservative approach when it came to doling out raises, even for key employees.
Busovicki cited as an example one of the school's more active principals: Dr. David Waller, whose vigorous support of improved campus athletics resulted in a namesake building in Oak Grove--a former gym now housing the theater department.
"Dr. Waller started in 1893 at a salary of $2,000, and he was only making $2,250 when he resigned in 1906," Busovicki noted.
Also, "Leonard started teaching for $650 in 1875 and, 25 years later, was only making $350 more."
Fees for students also drifted upwards over the years.
According to an early school publication, in 1918 graduating seniors were charged 50 cents for their diploma, an additional dollar if they wanted their name "engrossed thereon" and an extra 20 cents if they wanted it mailed to their residence.
The diploma charge had increased to $5 three decades later.
In 1917, a full year of instruction at the normal school, consisting of 40 weeks' worth of classes, cost $225, including room and board. A higher fee of $285 was charged to those who were attending for reasons other than pursuing a career in education: a college prep or finishing school program.
According to the 1947 college bulletin, those pursuing a standard elementary education curriculum were charged $45 per semester for tuition and a $10 student activity fee. On-campus housing cost $81 for one-half a semester.
Due to the different class materials involved, those studying music education had to pay a higher tuition fee of $90 per semester.
Not counting his room, board and books, Busovicki recalled he still only paid $250 for one year's tuition when he attended the school in 1961--then called Indiana State College.
Last year's estimated annual costs for undergraduate students hailing from Pennsylvania included $5,784 for tuition, $2,352 for room and board and $1,000 for books and supplies.
World War I cut into the potential student pool at Indiana, adding to the financial hardship for the school. Busovicki noted enrollment fell from 1,247 in 1917 to 786 in 1922.
Eventually, in 1920, Indiana Normal School was purchased by the state. Though it had racked up a debt exceeding $200,000, Busovicki pointed out, "It was the last of the 12 normal schools that sold out to the state."
World War II had a similar impact on enrollment two decades later.
In 1942, Busovicki noted, the 733 students on campus included only 15 young men. An honor roll outside Wilson Hall lists the 825 students who served in the conflict, 28 of whom were killed in action.
But, overall, the trend in enrollment for the college has been an upward one, prompting a series of physical expansions for the campus.
By 1948, there were 1,415 full-time students on hand, 105 faculty members and 34 buildings spread over a 40-acre campus. That included the earlier purchase of acreage which had been part of the first Indiana County fairgrounds.
The 104-acre College Lodge was purchased in 1926, on land three wiles northwest of campus. Skiing outside and social gatherings inside have been the main attractions there.
Dr. Willis Pratt took over as president in 1948 and stayed until 1968, overseeing the college's largest growth spurt.
That included the addition of 20 more buildings, with nearly as many more in the planning stages, on a roomier 110-acre campus. Also, branch campuses were opened in Punxsutawney and Kittanning.
The school gained its present status, as a university, in 1965. Three years later, enrollment had shot up to 7,695.
Current enrollment exceeds 13,000, with about 1,600 in graduate programs. Providing them instruction are 673 full-time faculty and 80 part-timers.
Connie Sutton of Indiana, who retired in 2003 after 35 years teaching in IUP's geoscience department, was a student there in 1963-67, during the school's blossoming under Pratt.
She recalled him as "a very personable man. You would see him in the Oak Grove every day, and he would eat in the cafeteria with the students. He knew every faculty member's spouse by name."
During the 1960s, IUP's main gym and football stadium, named for multi-sport Coach George Miller (1926-47), were moved to their current location at the south edge of the campus.
Previously known as "Brave Field" the football gridiron had been moved from it original location near Oak Grove to the lower side of Grant Street in 1948. The final relocation, in 1962, cleared the way for construction of new student housing, known as the Tri-Dorms.
Busovicki noted pieces of discarded product from Indiana's old glassworks factory surfaced throughout the stadium construction.
At the time, Sutton was more excited about the 1966 construction of the new science building, Weyandt Hall, where she soon would be working. "It was the largest building that had ever been built on campus, other than John Sutton," she noted.
"During the space race, it was especially exciting to be in the sciences."
With science education being pushed from the White House on down, Connie Sutton helped break new ground at IUP. In 1968, she and one other colleague were the first two female professors to be hired for the science department.
In addition to her teaching duties, Sutton led programs for area schoolchildren in Weyandt's new planetarium. "I was doing programs for 4,000 to 5,000 people a year," she noted.
Indiana's post-secondary school was co-educational from its inception. But, in the early going, any extra-curricular mingling of the sexes was strictly regulated.
An early school handbook states: "Students shall not correspond, walk or ride with those of the opposite sex or meet in the reception room, parlor or elsewhere, except by special permission from the Principal and Preceptress."
During Indiana Normal's initial period as a private institution, regular attendance at religious services was required, unless an excuse was obtained from school officials.
Busovicki noted the Presbyterian faith was dominant?
He explained, students were required to report to the school's chapel for daily morning and evening devotions and also were expected to attend Sunday services at one of Indiana's local congregations.
Also, there were no classes on Monday mornings, as students were expected to observe the Sabbath and were not able to prepare their homework on Sundays.
Male students wore coat and ties while taking their meals in the dining room. Their female counterparts were expected to wear hats and gloves whenever they ventured off campus.
During the school's collegiate era (1927-48), Juliette and Landon report students weren't permitted to ride in their vehicles after 6 p.m. and were required to sign out if they left their dorm after 7:30 p.m.
When dances were in progress, faculty members were assigned to the "bush patrol," making sure the opposite sexes weren't getting too well acquainted while exploring the school's landscaping.
Regulations on student behavior outside of the classroom gradually were relaxed, for both better and worse.
Originally, smoking was forbidden on the school grounds. But, at a later date, a basement smoking room--complete with spittoons--was provided for those on campus.
Sutton recalled that the last remnants of formal decorum, still in place when she was an IUP student, soon gave way to societal changes in the late '60s and '70s.
While she attended as an undergrad, she said, "All of the girls, unless they were commuters, had to live in the dorms. Study hours were from 7 to 9 p.m., and you had to be in your room or have a pass for the library."
She added, "From 9 to 10 p.m., you could socialize and be out, but then you had to be back in the dorm Sundays through Thursdays. On Friday and Saturday, you could stay out until 11 p.m."
"In the elementary department, girls were expected to wear a skirt or dress to class," she noted. "There were certain times of the week when you had to dress up to go to the dining hall."
In addition to science, Sutton said, there was an emphasis on exposing students to cultural activities during the 1960s.
She said, "On Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to noon, there were no classes. You were to visit your advisor or go to the library or attend convocations at Fisher Auditorium."
The latter, she explained, could take the form of a lecture, play or musical or dance presentation: "It was considered to be a kind of intellectual stimulus."
Of the convocations, she noted, "You didn't have to go to them all." But, "At each one you were given a ticket, and you had to turn in a certain number of these tickets to your advisor to get your grades at the end of the semester."
Though still important, Sutton feels fraternities and sororities in the 1960s had a more prominent role in both student life and the surrounding community.
"The majority of students belonged to a fraternity or sorority then," she said. One tangible result was a greater number of floats in the Homecoming parade.
She recalled that one IUP frat literally "went the extra mile" to raise money for the holiday Children's Hospital fund drive, which was just gaining prominence.
"The members of the fraternity would walk to Pittsburgh before Christmas, collecting donations along the way," she said.
In every generation, IUP students have had a favorite hang-out for gatherings in between classes--including eateries located just across street from campus.
Over the years, sodas at Sharkey's, the Dairy Dell or Joe Deeds' gave way to burgers at Lefty Raymond's College Inn and then pepperoni and cheese pies at the Pizza House.
During Busovicki's undergraduate years, in the early 1960s, the student hot spot was known as the "Wig Wam."
Sutton recalled venturing uptown to the Capitol Restaurant, located were Cozumel's now offers Mexican fare.
"Their cinnamon rolls were out of sight," she said.
Aspects of student life which have gone by the wayside include initiation ordeals for new students.
In earlier days, they were referred to as "freshman customs," which the green students had to endure for the entire fall semester in the 1930s. Eventually, the period was shortened to two weeks.
Female students might be required to wear skullcaps or mis-matched socks, while the male students would wear their trouser legs rolled up and don "dinks," or beanies.
Finally, with the men clad in pajamas, the students paraded to the Indiana courthouse for a round of college cheers.
Busovicki noted he rebelled against the outmoded practice when he was told to wear a beanie as a student in the 1960s.
Another college tradition which has disappeared is "Swing Out Week," which was held during the first week of May.
At one time, IUP students selected a Swing Out queen and court.
Busovicki, as an older, married student holding down a regular job, had little time to get involved.
But he recalled Swing Out incorporating a Maypole ceremony. Also, "There usually was a musical production in Fisher Auditorium, and they had jazz bands in to perform for the week."
By the time Sutton was a student, the Swing Out tradition had little remaining impact, beyond the staged musical.
Now, she noted, "Finals are usually given about the first week of May, so they have the musicals earlier."
Among Busovicki's collected images of IUP's past are an undated photo which shows students crossing a bridge over Two Lick Creek for a day's outing in an area known as "Idlewood."
Another shows an area near McElhaney Hall which was flooded to create an ice skating rink during winter months.
Among other noteworthy milestones in the school's development were: formation of a marching band, in 1921; creation in the 1930s of the student council and of the the student cooperative association--whose projects have included developing a bookstore and student union.
The football team became known as the Indians in 1928, gaining the figure of an Indian brave as a mascot in 1937. The team name remains but the mascot, in a nod to political correctness, has become a bear.
IUP had a number of noteworthy sports figures pass through its class ranks--including the late Steelers chief, Art Rooney, and John Brallier, credited as being the first professional football player.
IUP's own strong football tradition stretches back at least to 1917, when it captured what then passed for a national championship title, beating Michigan's Kalamazoo Normal 40-0.
Other early grid highlights included an undefeated, untied season in 1934 and a state championship in 1940.
Setbacks for the school included the destruction by fire of the original Clark Hall, on Nov. 5, 1905, and of the first version of Leonard Hall, in 1952. Both were reconstructed and remain familiar features of the campus skyline, with Clark currently housing administrative offices.
IUP's central iconic landmark, John Sutton Hall, almost didn't make it into the 21st century.
In 1974, Busovicki noted, the deteriorating structure was slated for the wrecking ball. But concerned members of the community formed a Committee To Save John Sutton Hall and obtained recognition of the building on the National Register of Historic Places.
"That provided the impetus for its restoration," he said.
