150 Years of Mizzou Engineering
1849-1871
From the first engineering course west of the Mississippi to a wartime reshuffling, Mizzou Engineering got its start more than 150 years ago.
1872-1902
From electric ideas to a tragic fire, Mizzou Engineering surged ahead into the 20th Century.
E-Week
Engineers’ Week, the annual celebration of St. Patrick the engineer, is a significant marker of Mizzou Engineering’s 150-year history. Now celebrated at colleges across the country, the event originated in 1903 at the University of Missouri.
1906-1916
As the nation was progressing at the turn of the century — with both rural Americans and millions of immigrants flocking to sprawling urban areas seeking opportunities — so, too, was the College of Engineering.
1917-1935
Mizzou Engineering – like the rest of the country – was feeling the impact of world war in 1917.
1936-1945
Even in the Great Depression, Mizzou Engineering kept up with new technologies. Plus, another world war creates challenges and opportunities at the College.
1946-1967
Herbert O. Croft became Dean in 1949, marking the beginning of a long and successful tenure. Students during this period began to adopt new technologies such as computing systems while watching as the aerospace industry began to take off.
1968-1979
William Kimel begins what would become a 17-year tenure as Dean of the College. Perhaps the biggest impact on the future of Mizzou Engineering was Kimel’s foresight. He understood that the application of emerging technologies would propel engineering into physical, behavioral, social, medical and communication sciences.
1980-1989
Our look back at Mizzou Engineering through the decades continues in 1980. After more than a decade of making a case for funding, Dean William Kimel has successfully raised the nearly $2 million needed for a new civil engineering wing. The project, completed in 1982, expanded space for labs, classrooms and offices and added a new lounge for students. In the early 80s, the College made more investments in technology, as well, graduating the first computer engineering student in 1982.
1990-1999
The history of Mizzou Engineering approaches the turn of the century with a new building, a new dean and new academic departments. In 1991, the College also buried a time capsule in the floor of the Engineering Building. Included in the capsule were items such as newspapers and project papers to provide artifacts for the next generation of engineers to “discover.”