Michigan State
Normal College
Eastern Michigan University was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School to educate future teachers. Michigan State Normal School was the first pedagogy institute west of the Allegheny Mountains, and was sixth in the United States. Under the leadership of Principal Richard Gause Boone, in 1897 the Michigan State Normal School became a four-year college. The same year it was accepted as such by the State Legislature, which changed the name from 'School' to 'College’, and was the second in the nation to receive such status. Before Michigan State Normal School was founded, the Board of Education met in 1849 to make arrangements to open a school for teachers, and at this meeting they discussed what land would be appropriated for the school and the location. Many areas proposed many amounts of land and money, including Jackson, Marshall and Niles. However, Ypsilanti was selected because the city “offered a cash subscription of $13,500, temporary rooms for the use of the school, and proposed to pay… the salary of the principal teacher of the model school, which salary might be $700 per year” (Putnam, 14), which seemed to be the best offer on the table. Now you may be asking, why did Michigan feel the importance to open a college mainly to train teachers? needed” (Isbell, vii) in the state of Michigan. And for that effective educational system they would need proficient teachers. Those men may not be the ones who founded Michigan State Normal College, but they started the need for it.
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In the early days, Isaac Crary and John D. Pierce realized if “tolerable life was to be made here and a viable society to arise, an effective educational system would be needed” (Isbell, vii) in the state of Michigan. And for that effective educational system they would need proficient teachers. Those men may not be the ones who founded Michigan State Normal College, but they started the need for it. The fundamentals from MSNC to EMU are drastically different to today. Like mentioned before, when opened Michigan State Normal College was sixth in the United States, and today there are roughly 385 institutes for obtaining a degree in teaching. In order to enter a normal school, students could not be under the age of sixteen and must have been “well versed in all the branches usually taught in common schools” (Putnam, 36). Compared to today, students must have certain GPAs and at least a score of 18 on the ACT. Also, characteristics and activities play into if the student is accepted, such as community service, team sports, playing instruments and other curricular activities done in or out of school is accounted for when submitting an application. These are just some of the vast differences between Michigan State Normal College and Eastern Michigan University today.