One hundred years ago today East Carolina Teachers College held its first class. The date was October 5, 1909 and 123 students (104 women and 19 men) stepped through those doors at what would later become East Carolina University.
At that time the student body was comprised of young men and women from 31 counties in North Carolina and from four states. Upon arrival, students were greeted by 10 faculty member (7 women and 3 men) and president Robert H. Wright. Also, the students discovered four completed buildings – an administrative building, Old Austin; West Dormitory, the women’s dormitory (later called Wilson, and razed in 1968); East Dormitory, the men’s dormitory (now Jarvis Hall); and a dining hall (now Old Cafeteria), then called a refectory. Two other buildings, a central power house and an infirmary (now the Mamie Jenkins Building) were under construction. Despite attempts at having the campus ready for the first day of class, chairs had not been delivered, so borrowed church pews were used; electricity had not been connected, so kerosene lamps were requisitioned from the local hardware stores; the paving of Fifth Street had only just begun; and the podium in the auditorium from which the new president spoke was borrowed.
Today, 100 years later, ECU enrolls 27, 666 students (16,831 women and 10,835 men), has a faculty of 1,867 and a staff of 3,548 (including 187 administrators). Today’s class comes from all 100 of counties in North Carolina, 46 other states, and 46 foreign countries. Today’s campus includes three sites, the original campus (now referred to as the east campus), which includes 150 buildings on 523 acres, the health sciences campus (referred to also as the west campus or medical campus) which includes 55 buildings (two under construction – The Family Medicine Center due to be completed in fall 2010 and the School of Dentistry due for completed by the end of the year 2011) on 206 acres, and the former Voice of America site northwest of the City of Greenville which includes 7 buildings on 650 acres.
As you go about your day, think back on all those great times and memories you had at ECU. Was it Saturdays during football season, grab-a-dates with your fraternity or sorority, the first day you moved into your dorm, or the day your moved out? Either way, please feel free to share them with us in the comment section below. What a great day to be an East Carolina University Pirate.
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