A School for the People

A School for the People tells the story of OSU’snearly 150 years as a land grant institution through more than 500photographs, maps, documents, and extensive captions. In-depth chaptersfocus on themes such as campus development, the growth of academics,the evolution of research as a major focus of the university, campuslife and organizations, and, of course, athletics. A capsule historyincludes many of the iconic photographs associated with theuniversity.

As one of the first colleges and universities to offer photographyas part of its curriculum in the early 1890s, OSU is well documentedvisually. Most of those photographic treasures have made their way intothe holdings of the Special Collections & Archives Research Centerat OSU’s Valley Library. Gleaned from hundreds of thousands ofimages at the Center, many of the photos included here have neverbefore been seen by the general public.

Written by a longtime archivist at OSU’s Special Collections& Archives Research Center, A School for the People tells the full,dynamic story of this multi-faceted and living university, documentingthe inevitable ups and downs of the institution. Overflowing withvisual riches, it will appeal to OSU alumni, faculty and staff, andanyone with an interest in the history of higher education in Oregon orland grant institutions generally.