History of College of Emporia

Emporia State University Special Collections and Archives, 2016

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The need for education, especially with religious emphasis, in the west was a driving factor in the institutionalization of the College of Emporia. With the help of a $2,000 gift from Senator Preston B. Plumb and the work of Reverend Robert M. Overstreet proposing Emporia as the location for the Presbyterian college to the Synod of Kansas, C of E was formed. Classes began on November 1st, 1883 in the old Emporia State Bank building under the first President, Reverend J. F. Hendy with 30 students in attendance. Construction commenced on Stuart Hall, the first building on campus, in 1885 with classes being moved there a year later. Due to lack of Synod involvement and donations in the early 1900s the school struggled to pay the faculty. This is thought to be because of the institution’s Populist foundation. 1917 saw more troubles for the college. President Culbertson, after a very successful presidency, was pushed out by false accusations after he backed the teaching of evolution. This diminished C of E’s reputation, and caused even less funds to be donated during the Great Depression, and they lost partial accreditation. The school was saved from being turned into an Army Veteran’s hospital or merging with another institution by newly elected President Daniel Hirschler in 1942. C of E was out of debt by the time he left in 1947. He did this by offering summer school and night extension courses to returning GIs. On March 29th, 1951 accreditation was fully restored. 1961 saw a new C of E President, Joseph R. Laughlin. His main focus was on saving the college at all cost, and threw all funds into building projects and a recruitment plan focused on the east coast. His plan was seemingly successful. Enrollment jumped from 204 in 1961 to about 900 in 1963! The plan backfired when the local students did not get along with the “Eastern sophistication” of the transplants. Local C of E supporter J. J. Morris tried to save the college by launching a drive for $150,000, but Emporia citizens balked because they didn’t like the “Easterners.” The Synod also declined to help due to the current mixed religion of the school. Ronald Ebberts was the last President of the College of Emporia starting in 1970. With only 400 students enrolled, he urged the school and community to raise $50,000 to just pay the faculty - only $40,000 was raised. This did not put a dent in the almost a million dollars in loans and past due accounts. These fundraising efforts were impeded due to alumni having no idea of how dire the need was for donations to save the school. December 10, 1973 was the last official C of E event, the Christmas Vespers. It was announced on Christmas Eve 1973 that the doors of the College of Emporia would not be opening for the spring semester.

C of E thrived musically. This was due to its strong Bachelors in Music and Music Education that was created. Daniel Hirschler became the Dean of Music under President Culbertson. Under his tutelage, the music programs excelled and brought in many outside ensembles.

Even with the struggles in the early 1900s, the college thrived educationally due to the work of President Henry Coe Culbertson, whom was elected into office in 1907. With him in charge, C of E expanded to include Mason Gymnasium, the women’s dorm Emporia Hall, and Lewis Hall of Science. In 1909 the North Central Association of Colleges and Universi-ties awarded C of E the honor of being the first institution fully accredited.

In 1927, the C of E campus included buildings such as theAnderson Memorial Library (still standing), Emporia Hall, Gwinn Henry Cemetery, Mason Gymnasium, Keynon Hall (still standing), Lewis Science Hall, Lake Mergendahl, and Dunlap Hall.

On December 2nd, 1915 a fire burned down Stuart Hall, but classes resumed the next day with a mantra of “C of E Fights!”

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Background: Allah Rah, 1940.

Most in attendance at the final Christmas Vespers in the basement of Kenyon Hall had no idea that the school was closing.

By 1970 only 12% of the population was from Kansas, and 83% of students were from the bottom half of eastern high school graduates. The once entirely Presbyterian college was now 1/3 Catholic 1/3 Jewish and 1/3 Protestant

Andersen Collection, 1918.

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Andersen Collection, 1909.

Andersen Collection, 1927.

Allah Rah, 1973. Andersen Collection, 1964.