History

Henry G. Williams was
our first dean,
serving 1902-1914.

The College of Education has a long and rich history dating back to May 11, 1886, with the founding of a Normal Department at Ohio University. The Normal Department – the predecessor to today’s College of Education – was the first state-supported teacher preparation program in Ohio.

Under the leadership of John Gordy, two courses of study were established. One prepared the secondary academy teacher, while the other prepared the elementary teacher. The curriculum included courses such as the Science of Education, the National Perspective on Education, Theory of Concentration, Education Reforms and Philosophy of Mind. Thirteen individuals earned the first degrees and certificates offered in 1891.

The curricula for teacher education at Ohio University dates back to earlier days, with OHIO’s beginnings as an academy. Academies – common in the 19th century as bridges between common schools and colleges – typically offered three curricula: Classical, for college preparation; English, as a finishing/vocational school; and Normal, for teacher education. The first Normal course at OHIO was created in 1831, with a Model School being added in 1837. According to Robert Wynn Frey, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the history of the Ohio University College of Education, the Normal course and Model School comprised the first teacher preparation program of its kind at a collegiate institution in the United States.

The Normal courses and Model School reached their peak in the 1840s, with more than 20 students enrolled in Normal courses and 60 students involved in the Model School. It was at this same time, however, that the University hit hard financial times and was forced to shut its doors for a period. By the time OHIO reopened, interest in Normal education had waned and was phased out of the curriculum altogether by the 1860s. Interestingly, this also was around the same time that the Ohio School Law of 1853 set up a system of public schools throughout the state, but the law did not provide for teacher training. Private schools stepped into the breach to run institutes or short courses to train teachers.

In the years following the Civil War, OHIO was struggling with increasing debt, which was compounded by state-mandated free tuition for veterans and decreasing paid enrollment. In an effort to bring in more students, the University instituted Teachers' Classes. After some initial success, enrollments again flagged. The content-based focus of the Teachers' Classes did not appeal to practicing teachers and students. With the help of former school superintendent and OHIO trustee John Hancock, it was determined that a focus should be placed on pedagogy and psychology. Hancock and Ohio University President Charles Super enlisted the help of OHIO alumni and state House member William Matthews to have funds voted by the state in 1886 to establish a Normal Department at Ohio University.

The Normal Department progressed to what is now the Ohio University College of Education.