Historic Milestones

Year

Milestone

1884 Drawing and applied mechanics offered for the first time.
1891 Machine shop added to shop building at southwest corner.
1897 Four-year professional course organized in the shops.
1899 Electrical Engineering curriculum added.
1902 Denison Hall built for chemistry, physics and electrical engineering.
1907 Civil engineering curriculum established.
1908 South wing of mechanics hall added.
1908 Position of Dean of Mechanics Arts created; E.B. McCormick named first dean.
1910 Engineering Experiment Station established.
1911 East wing of mechanical engineering hall (Seaton) completed.
1912 College organized into divisions including Division of Engineering.
1915 Farm machinery courses transferred from Agronomy to Engineering to form beginnings of an agricultural engineering department.
1920 Engineer's Day held, forerunner of Open House.
1921 Central and west wing of mechanics arts building (Seaton Hall) completed
1921 "K" constructed on Prospect Hill.
1923 Dairy department building reassigned and renamed Chemical Engineering Hall.
1924 Chemical engineering curricula added.
1930 "S" added to Prospect Hill.
1937 Industrial arts program established.
1953 Extension of west wing of engineering building.
1954 Shop practice converted to industrial engineering and industrial arts.
1955 Engineering building named "Seaton Hall' by President McCain.
1958 Nuclear engineering established.
1960 Industrial engineering and industrial arts shortened to "industrial engineering."
1962 K-State's TRIGA Mark II reactor first achieved criticality Nov. 16 at 8:27 p.m.
1963 Institute for Environmental Research completed; Ralph Nevins named first director.
1963 College of Architecture and Design is formed. Architectural engineering and construction join the new college.
1972 Ward Hall dedicated.
1974 Architectural engineering and construction science rejoin the college of engineering.
1974 College names first Company of the Year.
1975 Engineering technology added.
1983 Durland Hall, Phase I completed.
1985 Electrical engineering name changed to electrical and computer engineering.
1989 College inducts inaugural Hall of Fame class.
1991 Engineering technology programs merged with the Kansas College of Technology in Salina, creating the K-State at Salina College of Technology and Aviation.
1993 Computing and information sciences join the college.
1994 Manufacturing engineering started and named changed to industrial and manufacturing systems engineering.
1994 Agricultural engineering named changed to biological and agricultural engineering.
1997 Durland Hall, Phase II renamed Rathbone Hall.
1997 Undergraduate programs of mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering merged to become the department of mechanical engineering with a nuclear engineering option.
2000 Fiedler Hall completed, a 75,000-square-foot addition to the Engineering Complex.
2000 Professional Progress Award established.
2006 Scholars Assisting Scholars tutoring program launched (funding received in 2005).
2011 University Engineering Initiative Act, or UEIA, was passed by the Kansas Legislature and signed into law.
2016 Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the official opening of Engineering Hall (Durland Phase IV).
2018 Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering added.
2018 Ike, EE ’65, and Letty Evans name the Ike and Letty Evans Academic Success Center.
2018 Tim, CHE ’75, and Sharon Taylor name the Tim Taylor Department of Chemical Engineering; and Jim, CNS ’84, and Laura Johnson establish the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science in honor of Jim’s father, Gil, CE ’55.
2018 Carl, IE ’79, and Mary Ice name the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering – the first named academic college at K-State.
2019 Alan, ME ’69, and Jan Levin name the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.
2019 Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering added.
2020 Carl and Melinda Helwig invest in naming the biological and agricultural engineering department.
2022 Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity added.
2025 Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering added back.