University of Dubuque history

In 1864 the Presbytery of Dubuque assumed control of the institution, and it became known as The German Theological School of The North West.

In 1871, following the death of Van Vliet, Jacob Conzett was selected to lead the school.

Although Van Vliet was Dutch, until 1896 all classes were conducted in German.

In 1901 Cornelius Martin Steffens came on board as financial secretary.

Property on the western edge of the city was acquired in 1905 for that purpose.

A liberal arts college and academy were added to the school, and the first college degrees were granted in 1906.

In 1911 the college became coeducational.

In 1916 the school, then known as the Dubuque German College and Seminary, dropped the word "German" from its name, due in part to anti-German sentiment inflamed by the First World War, and became known as Dubuque College.

The Roman Catholic school took the name of Mathias Loras, first archbishop of Dubuque, while the Presbyterian school became the University of Dubuque on June 17, 1920.

St Bernard, St Joseph College, Dubuque College and Columbia College), finally adopting its present name during its centennial in 1939.

McCormick Gymnasium was expanded in 1967.

The College became coeducational in the fall of 1971.

In 1973, the Associate of Arts and the Associate of Science degrees were introduced.

Steffens Hall was demolished in 1980 and replaced with Blades Hall, but some of its archways were preserved and can be seen today.

Such an effort includes an endowment gift creating the Edwin B. Lindsay Chaplaincy in 1983, ushering in Campus Ministry at UD under the supervision of a chaplain.

Even more substantially, in 1998 a transformation began as UD’s Mission was then adopted to intentionally be a Christian university, and to this day Campus Ministry remains central to the University’s efforts to be a hospitable Christian environment.

In 1999, the university informed 14 professors, 10 of whom held tenured positions, that they would lose their positions due to a financial crisis.