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WSU Highlights by Decade
From Our Story
Historical highlights include:
- Instruction beginning in 1895 in what will become the College of Veterinary Medicine.
- The story of football player Butch Meeker, for whom the WSU Cougar mascot is named, noted in 1926.
- Naming, in 1957, of Frances Penrose Owen as the first woman on the WSU Board of Regents.
- Eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, covering the campus in one-half inch of volcanic ash.
- Selection in 1986 of WSU biochemist Clarence A. "Bud" Ryan for membership in prestigious National Academy of Sciences, the first WSU professor so honored.
- Grand opening of Honors Hall in 2001, the new home of the nationally-acclaimed WSU Honors College, celebrating the college’s 40th anniversary.
- WSU is ranked among the nation's top 50 public research universities.
- Elson S. Floyd taking office in 2007 as WSU's tenth president.
- $25 million grant for School of Global Animal Health from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, largest in WSU history.
There's much more! Take a "stroll" through the decades by visiting WSU's history page. Or explore the history of WSU through the eras of its presidents.