Established in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado, the university has a strong background in teacher education. The university offers over 100 undergraduate programs in the arts, sciences, humanities, business, human sciences, and education. Undergraduate degrees are typically four year programs and degree programs have a strong emphasis in liberal arts education. The university offers nearly 50 graduate programs primarily in education. Academic programs are distributed among six colleges.
The history of The University of Northern Colorado begins in the late 1880s, when citizens of Greeley petitioned the Colorado government to create a school to educate teachers in their community. In April 1889 Governor Cooper signed a bill establishing the Colorado State Normal School. Classes began in October of the next year.
The University of Northern Colorado opened on October 6, 1890, as the Colorado State Normal School to train qualified teachers for the state's public schools, with a staff of four instructors and 96 students, offering certification after completing a two-year course. Greeley's citizens raised the money for the first building. At that time, certificates were granted upon the completion of a two-year course. In 1911 the school's name was changed to Colorado State Teachers College and offered bachelor degrees after completion of a four-year course. In 1935 the name changed again to Colorado State College of Education to recognize the graduate program, which was started in 1913. In 1957 the name was shortened to Colorado State College to recognize the further growth of programs and offerings. Finally, in 1970 the name was changed to the current University of Northern Colorado.
Originally Colorado State Normal School occupied only one building, Cranford Hall, and on 40 acres.[7] It was set on fire in 1949 by a disgruntled theater student who was arrested for this and other crimes. The building was repaired, and classes were held there until 1965 when the building was deemed unsafe for classroom use. Many offices were held here until December 1971 when the entire structure became too unsafe to use, and in 1972 the building was demolished. The cornerstone was saved and now graces the northeast corner of "Cranford Park" with four commemorative plaques regarding Cranford's significance and legacy in UNC's history.
The south end of Central Campus grew with the addition of Gordon Hall, Belford Hall, and Decker Hall in 1921, which were originally built as female residence halls. Shortly thereafter, the Faculty Apartments were built, later known as Presidents Row. The Faculty Apartments were built shortly after the President's House, which is now used as the Visitors Center. Sabin, Snyder, and Tobey-Kendel Halls were added in 1936 when enrollment was growing, and men's residence halls were added on the old East Campus. These halls, Hadden and Hayes, are east of Campus on 6th Avenue. The institution sold the land and buildings, and are no longer used as residence halls (they were demolished in 2011-2012). In the 1950s, Weibking Hall, Wilson Hall, and a larger dining space were added onto the already existing Tobey-Kendel Hall to accommodate the large influx of students after the war had ended. In 1997, students voted on a fee increase to fund two buildings to house the Women's Resource Center, the Counseling Center, and the Student Health Center. Scott-Willcoxon and Cassidy Halls opened in 1999 with the new Hansen-Willis residence hall.
In the late 1950s the school grew beyond the available acreage. The institution found an outlet for expansion in the Petrikin family farm to the southwest of the main campus, adding about 150 acres (0.61 km2). West Campus expanded to include a new library, several residence halls, academic halls, an athletics facility, and, in the mid-1990s, a new football stadium and a student-fee-funded recreation center. The 1960s was a flurry of construction with a new building erected almost every year. Built in 1963, McCowen Hall was the first co-educational residence hall, and hosted nearly 30,000 students over the course of its lifetime. In the late part of the decade, McKee Hall and Turner Residence Hall opened, adding spaces for the College of Education and 600 residents, respectively. In the early 1970s, James A. Michener Library, Lawrenson Hall and Candelaria Hall would be the last buildings to be added to campus for almost 20 years, until the Campus Recreation Center opened in the mid-1990s. Most recently, McCowen was torn down in 2008 to make room for new residence halls, North and South Hall.
The campus is divided into two main areas: central, and west. UNC's Central Campus includes the areas north of 20th Street and west of 8th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado. The residence halls on Central Campus have been designated a state historic district. UNC's Central Campus was the original part of the campus and currently houses the College of Performing & Visual Arts, schools in the College of Natural & Health Science, and the Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business. Central has a quieter, more traditional "collegiate" feeling.
West Campus includes the areas south of 20th Street and west of 10th Avenue, including the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, College of Education & Behavioral Sciences, and schools in the College of Natural & Health Sciences. West Campus houses 2,000 students and is generally the more social area of campus.
The university offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado
The Board of Trustees for the university oversees the administration and approves the university annual budget. Several members of the University's administrative team are ex officio members of the Board (for example, the Vice President for Finance & Administration is also the Treasurer to the Board).
By enrollment, The University of Northern Colorado is the fifth largest university in Colorado. It had a fall 2013 enrollment of 9,710 undergraduate students and 2,374 graduate students for a total of 12,084 students. In that year most of the students came from Colorado but the student population represents all 50 states, three territories and 37 countries. The student population is 63% female and 37% male. 23% of students identified themselves as "minorities." Typically, 96% of undergraduates are employed or attending graduate school one year after graduating from the university.
The university main library houses 1.8 million items including books, periodicals, government publications, CDs, videos, DVDs and maps. It is named after author James A. Michener, who received his master's degree from and taught at the university before beginning his writing career. Michener bequeathed the majority of his literary legacy to the university upon his death. The reference desk at the library is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays.
