“I'm a firm believer in getting students out of the classroom and into experiences in nature. If students get out of their element, in a new place that stimulates their senses, that's where the best learning happens.”
Natural Sciences Assistant Professor Nick Baer
colby-sawyer college timeline
July 4, 1837
The General Court of New Hampshire grants a charter for the New London Seminary and construction of the academy begins.
May 1838
New London Seminary, a select school for young ladies, opens with 27 students. Susan Colby, age 21, is the first teacher and principal.
1838
Academy Building built. Used for instructional purposes until 1878 and periodically thereafter until 1912.
1853
At the request of Anthony Colby and Pastor Ebenezer Dodge, the New Hampshire Baptist Convention takes over the New London Academy to make it the official Baptist Academy for the state.
The new school opens with 100 male and female students.
1854
New Hampshire Baptist Association renames Academy The New London Literary and Scientific Institution.
1858
The Ladies Boarding House is built to house female students when the school is in session. Later this building becomes known as "The Heidelberg."
c. 1869
The "Brick" Academy Building is built. It is an impressive structure, with a total frontage of 186 feet and a belfry tower 111 feet high. The west wing houses the library, classrooms and two chapels while the east wing accommodates 100 women students.
1875
The town's first meeting house is bought at auction by Anthony Colby and reconstructed to serve as a boys' dormitory. It is named Colby Hall.
1878
New London Literary and Scientific Institution is renamed The Colby Academy in honor of the Colby family of New London.
April 1892
Brick Academy building burns and is completely destroyed.
1911
Construction of Colgate Hall begins. Colgate Hall is a gift to the Academy from the Colgate family, represented by Susan Colby Colgate's daughter Miss Mary Colgate.
June 1912
Dedication of Colgate Hall. Built to house the entire teaching and living facilities of the Academy.
1922
Dr. Herbert Leslie Sawyer becomes Headmaster of Colby Academy
(1922-1955).
1927
A new gymnasium is built to the west of Colgate Hall. (Reconstructed in 1965 and named Austin Hall.)
1928
After 91 years as a secondary school, Colby Academy trustees vote to transform Colby Academy into a junior college and preparatory school for women. It is called the Colby School for Girls.
June 1930
Fourteen young women receive the first associate degrees conferred by Colby School for Girls.
1930
McKean Hall is built, and is named for Dr. Horace G. McKean, Principal and Headmaster of the Academy (1899-1905).
1931
"New" Colby Hall is built, and is dedicated to the Colby Family.
1932
Shepard Hall is built in honor of one of the original New London families who were trustees of the Academy and the college.
April 1933
By an act of the New Hampshire Legislature, Colby School for Girls is changed to Colby Junior College for Women.
1934
Colby Athletic Association Lodge is erected on the shores of Little Lake Sunapee. "The contractor took down the old Colby Hall and used the beams, which had been put into the building when it was the town's first meeting house, as the framework of the new Lodge." (Rowe, The First Century of Colby).
Burpee Hall is built, and is dedicated to the Burpee family, who are Academy alumni, trustees, and valued friends of the College.
1937
The Centennial Celebration is held, and it strengthens Colby Junior College's place in the educational field. President Sawyer and Miss Doris Nielsen, President of the Class of 1937 seal materials in a copper box to be opened in June of the year 2037.
March 1937
The President's Home, a gift from Mary Colgate, officially opens, and Dr. and Mrs. Sawyer are the first residents.
1938
Page Hall is built, and is dedicated to the Reverend Charles L. Page,
Academy Class of 1880 alumnus and a Trustee for 40 years.
1940
Abbey Hall is built and dedicated to the memory of Charles Clinton Abbey, husband of Emily F. Abbey Gill, benefactress of colleges and secondary schools, especially those dedicated to the education of women.
October 18, 1941
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt visits the College and gives a speech to the community at the Baptist Church. Her visit is arranged by the Committee of Public Affairs and brings wide publicity to the College.
1941
Colbytown Camp is established at Colby Lodge (the Colby Athletic Association Lodge) as a one-month summer camping program for underprivileged girls. The Camp is staffed by Colby Junior College students.
1943
In an amendment to the College Charter, the New Hampshire General Court grants Colby Junior College the privilege of "granting all degrees ordinarily conferred by senior colleges."
June 1944
Ellen Marron and Phoebe Neal receive the first bachelor's degrees conferred at Colby Junior College. They are Med Tech students who have completed internships at accredited hospitals.
1948
President Sawyer begins a sabbatical leave system for the faculty.
1949-1950
The Library-Commons building is designed and constructed on the south side of the Quad to provide dining room facilities and library space. The Fernald Library honors Josiah E. Fernald, Endowment Treasurer and senior member of the Finance Committee.
April 19, 1951
The first television is installed on campus so students can watch Gen. McArthur speak before Congress.
1954
Best Hall is built and dedicated to the memory of Dr. Samuel M. Best, Chairman of the board of Trustees (1933-1968).
1955
Dr. Eugene M. Austin is appointed President of Colby Junior College for Women (1955-1962).
1959
The Sawyer Center, a fine arts center dedicated to Dr. and Mrs. Herbert Leslie Sawyer, opens.
1960
The Marion Mugar Art Gallery Building, an applied arts addition, adjoins Sawyer Center; a gift of Stephen P. Mugar, honoring his wife Marion Graves Mugar.
The "old" Academy Building, built in 1838, is restored.
1962
Dr. Everett M. Woodman is appointed President of Colby Junior college for Women (1962-1972).
May 1962
The Reichhold Science Center opens -- a gift of Henry R. Reichhold, parent and friend.
June 1962
Celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the College.
1963
The Sports Science Center, a new gymnasium, is built. This building would later be known as HESS (Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences).
The College receives the coveted annual award for outstanding historical work in the United States from the American Association for State and Local History for the restoration of the old Academy Building.
1965
The old gymnasium is renovated and refurbished as a residence for 33 students, and renamed Austin Hall, dedicated to Dr. Eugene M. Austin, President (1955-1962).
1972
Dr. Louis C. Vaccaro is appointed President of Colby Junior College for Women (1972-1977).
1973
The Board of Trustees changes the name of the College to Colby College-New Hampshire. At this time the College is offering two, three, and four year degree options, and changes its name "to accommodate the diversity of interests among the students."
1974
It is reported to the Board of Trustees that the college faces a lawsuit by Colby College, in Maine, regarding its name.
1975
The Board of Trustees, honoring its first President Dr. Herbert Leslie Sawyer, votes Colby-Sawyer College the new name for the College.
With the help of the New London community, Colby-Sawyer College acquires Seamans Alumni House, the former Cranehurst Inn.
1976
A child study lab school is established as a site for teacher internships and student practica. It is named Windy Hill School.
1978
Dr. H. Nicholas Muller, III, is appointed President of Colby-Sawyer College (1978-1985).
1985
Dedication of the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library. Named for the granddaughter of the institution's first teacher, long-time trustee, and benefactor. Two pre-Civil War barns attached to the Colby Homestead form the heart of the complex.
1986
Dr. Peggy A. Stock becomes the sixth President of Colby-Sawyer College (1986-1995). She is the first woman to hold this position.
May 1987
The New Campus Center, located in the old Fernald Library building, is opened. Wheeler Hall, the lounge and dining area, is dedicated to Wayne K. Wheeler, Treasurer of the College (1937-1971).
June 1987
The Susan Colgate Cleveland Library/Learning Center receives the award of excellence in Library architecture from the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association.
July 1987
Colby-Sawyer begins celebration of its Sesquicentennial Anniversary (1837-1987).
1987
The First Annual Women's Symposium is held at the College.
April 19, 1988
New Hampshire Governor John Sununu claims this date as Susan Colby Day to celebrate the first principal of New London Academy, and asks all citizens to recognize the many contributions Colby-Sawyer has made to the Granite State during its 150-year history.
1988
The Academic Development Center opens its doors in the historic James House, originally built as a powerhouse for Colgate Hall.
The Career Development Center and Counseling Services opens in the newly renovated Caretaker's Cottage. The cottage was built in 1930 to house the farm manager of Colby Homestead.
1989
The Board of Trustees announces that Colby-Sawyer College will admit men beginning in the Fall of 1990, thus returning the College to its heritage of co-education.
The Core Curriculum is reviewed and revised to bridge academic disciplines.
1990
The first co-educational class in Colby-Sawyer's history as a college is admitted. Of 212 entering freshmen, 68 are men (32%).
The Ware Campus Center, formerly the Library-Commons building and the Fernald Library, is dedicated to Judge Martha Ware.
1991
The Hogan Sports Center opens, and is dedicated to Daniel and Kathleen Hogan.
The Annual Fund passes the one million mark for the first time, with a total of $1,058,707.
1992
The Board of Trustees votes to create a Resource Allocation and Priorities Plan to extend strategic planning efforts to academic programs.
1993
Plans are implemented to consolidate programs and ensure program quality centering around the fields of Health, Humanities, and Human Services.
1994
Colby-Sawyer College graduates its first co-educational class.
Mercer Field is dedicated in honor of William and Ramona Mercer.
1995
The dedication ceremony is held for Rooke Hall, a residence hall for 105 students, named in honor of the Rooke family.
Baker Communications Center is dedicated, named for Elbert H. Baker, distinguished in the communications industry and father of Martine Baker Anderson, Class of 1959.
1996
Dr. Anne Ponder becomes the seventh President of Colby-Sawyer (1996-2005).
The Cleveland Colby Colgate Archives is opened.
January 1998
New London is in a state of emergency as the Northeast is gripped by an unusually destructive ice storm. Over 33,000 homes in the region are without power for several days.
1998
Lawson Hall, a student residence hall, is dedicated.
Beams from Colby Lodge on Little Lake Sunapee are used once again on campus to construct the Lodge, a student area with a snack bar and recreation room. This building would be dedicated as the Lethbridge Lodge in the spring of 2004.
1999
Colby-Sawyer College donates Colby Academy, the school's original building, to the town of New London. Following renovations, New London uses the building as its town hall.
The Community and Environmental Science major is added to Colby-Sawyer's programs.
2001
Danforth Hall, a residence hall for 102 students, opens. The hall consists of 10- and 11-person suites of double and single rooms, and also features a conservatory, a working greenhouse, and a seminar room. New Hall also houses the Institute for Community and Environment and provides a study center for Honors Program students. Additionally, the Patricia D. Kelsey Tennis Courts were relocated to an area of campus between the Lodge and the Colby Farm, with a commanding view of Kearsarge Mountain.
2002
The former Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences Center (HESS) building is extensively renovated and renamed Mercer Hall, in honor of benefactors William C. Mercer and Ramona Wells Mercer '41. Home of the Exercise and Sport Sciences Department, the building includes refurbished classrooms, laboratories, a renovated gymnasium, and office space for faculty, staff, and student assistants.
The first endowed faculty chairs are created.
2004
The Curtis L. Ivey Science Center opens.
2005
The college's largest capital campaign, Confidently Colby-Sawyer: Succeeding Together, exceeds its $40 million goal with a total of $42.6 million.
2006
Thomas C. Galligan is appointed Colby-Sawyer College's eighth president (2006-).
January 2008
Seamans Alumni House was burned in a training operation by the New London Fire Department after it was determined to be an unhealthy working environment.
2008-2009
The college hosts Isaac Nyamongo of the University of Nairobi, Kenya, the college's first Fulbright scholar in residence.
2009
The college welcomed 440 first-year students.
New graphic design lab opens in Reichhold.
The Academic Development Center and Harrington Center move into the Cleveland Library.
The first year of the new Global Beginnings program with students in Strasbourg, France and Florence, Italy.
Broke ground on the new Windy Hill School.
