Published:
By Leslie Virostek
The handwritten “Registrar of Entrants” from 1849, which names the first students enrolled at the school that would become Central.
The list of demands made by Black and Latino students whose civil rights-era protest included a takeover of the campus radio station.
Photographs of former Polish president Lech Walesa from his 1996 campus visit as a Vance Distinguished Lecture Series speaker.
These are among the dozens of intriguing items featured in an exhibit celebrating Central’s 175th anniversary. The exhibit, which opened on Sept. 9 and will run throughout the fall semester, shows how the first public higher education institution in Connecticut became the university we know today. The exhibit highlights various milestones and the contributions of key leaders, and how students of different generations experienced daily campus life.
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An early cohort of Teachers College students on display at the Burritt Library as part of the university's 175th anniversary.
All items displayed come from the library’s archives and special collections, according to Dr. Carl A. Antonucci Jr., director of library services.
He says, “I hope that visitors will get a sense of the rich history of Central Connecticut State University.”
One of the most interesting pieces for University Archivist Renata Vickrey is a student scrapbook that commemorates campus life, including the student’s courses and grades, photos of dances and other student activities, and clippings from student publications.
Vickrey says, “I’m sure that student would be doing a blog or Instagram today.”
While telling the story of Central, the exhibit also offers broader lessons related to national shifts in education, the economy, and popular culture. For example, course catalogs from different eras show how university curriculums have evolved to meet emerging needs. Meanwhile, a vintage Keystone “lantern slide” projector (below), widely used as a classroom tool in the early decades of the 1900s, shows how much classroom teaching technology has changed.
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Photo by Stan Godlewski
Many exhibit items evoke pivotal moments in the history of higher education, such as the explosion in enrollment with the passage of the GI Bill and the rise of anti-Vietnam War activism in the 1960s and 1970s. Visitors can view the Supreme Court’s ruling on Healy
v. James. That case arose when officials at what was then Central Connecticut State College blocked Students for a Democratic Society from starting a campus chapter. The court held this was a violation of students’ First Amendment rights.
The exhibit also features three special display cases. One is dedicated to the development of the library itself, with its dramatic changes in physical space and technological system and services. Vickrey notes that historically the library used to provide free textbooks to students. Today that tradition is partially carried on by the Textbook Fund, which enables the library to purchase some textbooks that students may use on the premises.
The second special case highlights athletics and includes not only photos and programs from sporting events but also a vintage track and field uniform and a baseball sweater from the 1940s. The third case features student publications, including the Recorder newspaper, which was founded in 1930.
Vickrey notes that the university’s official name, logo, physical campus, curriculum, and leadership have changed over the years, but some things have stayed the same. For example, documents included in the exhibit reflect Central’s ongoing role in the city of New Britain and its accessibility to first-generation students.
In June of 1849 the Connecticut General Assembly approved an allocation of $10,000 over four years to fund a state school for training teachers, says Vickrey. The question was, which municipality would step up and provide a location and additional funding?
“New Britain made the best offer,” says Vickrey. “This document tells you that the people of New Britain really cared about education. What I came to really appreciate even more was the continuous support of the people of this town and the state of Connecticut.”
Vickrey believes exploring the institution’s history is valuable for the same reasons that people find it worthwhile to study their genealogy: “To see where you came from.”
She says, “I think there is a lot to be proud of.”
The Central Connecticut State University 175th Anniversary Exhibit can be found on the second floor of the Elihu Burritt Library and can be viewed whenever the library is open.
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Vintage athletic clothes on display in the Burritt Library's 175th anniversary exhibit. (Photo by Stan Godlewski)