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The University of Virginia's College at Wise company history timeline

1954

Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia opened in September 1954 with an enrollment of 100 freshmen.

1954: From these early discussions at the Wise Inn, a committee is formed to pursue the dream.

1954: Kenneth Asbury, Fred Greear, and William Thompson, named the “Three Wise Men,” travel to Charlottesville to meet U.Va.

In the winter of 1954, the local community matched the commonwealth's funds and collected over $6,000 to furnish the classrooms and use for supplies.

1955

1955: Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia is selected as the official name.

1957

1957: The College acquires a small stone building, first named Martha Randolph Hall, which formerly housed delinquent boys.

1958

1958: A series of faculty houses and apartments is constructed to help secure a capable faculty.

1959

1959: Zehmer Hall, the state’s first major commitment to the College, is constructed; the Alumni Association is organized.

1960

1960: Miriam Morris Fuller becomes the first African-American student admitted to the College, at a time when other Virginia colleges and universities were not open to black students.

1961

1961: Greear Gymnasium is dedicated in honor of the late Fred B. Greear, one of the “Three Wise Men.”

1970

1970: McCraray Hall, the College’s first new residence hall, opens in honor of Emma McCraray, one of the first faculty; the College awards its first bachelor of arts degrees.

1971

1971: The College’s first administration building opens.

1973

1973: The College awards its first bachelor of science degrees.

1974

1974: The new theatre building opens.

1984

1984: Two new residence halls, Thompson Hall and Asbury Hall — named in honor of two of the “Three Wise Men” — open.

1991

1991: Full-time enrollment exceeds 1,000 students; the Highland Cavaliers play their first football game at Carroll Dale Stadium in Wise.

1994

1994: The College launches its first capital campaign with a goal of $13 million; Bowers-Sturgill Hall opens.

1996

1996: The College graduates its first bachelor of science nursing students.

The college continued to grow and added new programs such as nursing and technology and in 1996, the college granted its first Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.

1997

1997: $2 million, the largest gift in college history, is received to build a new football stadium; Commonwealth Hall, the first new classroom building in 20 years, opens.

1998

1998: A $3 million addition to the Wyllie Library opens; Smith House, the chancellor’s residence, is dedicated.

1999

In 1999 the college completed a transition from Clinch Valley College to the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.

1999: The College name is officially changed to The University of Virginia’s College at Wise; the College is named the #2 regional liberal arts school in the South; the first home football game is played at Carl Smith Stadium; WISE-FM, the College’s public radio station, signs on-air.

2001

2001: First capital campaign ends with $21 million raised; Jim Humphreys Tennis Complex and Henson Hall open.

2002

2002: Commonwealth Hall is renamed Darden Hall; Beaty-Richmond Field is dedicated.

2004

Published for Wise’s fiftieth anniversary in September 2004, Brian Steel Wills’s history is essential reading for the college’s alumni, faculty and administrators, and for anyone interested in a heroic chapter in the history of public higher education in Virginia.

2006

2006: Fulfilling the Dream campaign is launched with a goal of $50 million.

2011

2011: $8.3 million, largest gift in College’s history, is announced to build a health & wellness center; renovate Greear Gymnasium

2012

On February 2, 2012, UVA Wise saw the unexpected death of Chancellor David J. Prior.

2012: Fulfilling the Dream Campaign concludes raising more than $67 million

2016

2016: New $37 million Library opens with Book Brigade tradition

2017

2017: Hunter Smith announces $10 Million gift to UVA Wise, the largest in the College’s history, to be matched with $10 million from UVA to fund the Carl W. Smith Bicentennial Scholars Fund

2019

2019: College Launches Honoring the Future Campaign with goal of $100 Million

2020

2020: Naming of the Library entrance the Doctor Miriam DeLois Morris Fuller Foyer, honoring the College’s first African American Student

2021

2021: UVA receives Apple Distinguished School honor

2021: First Office of Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion opened

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