Cook College Timeline

1766 – A Royal Charter Issued for Queen’s College now Rutgers.

1825 - Named Rutgers College after Col. Henry Rutgers.

1862 - Morrill Act passed -- provided grants of federal lands to states and territories agreeing to establish a public institution for teaching of agriculture and mechanical arts.

1864 - Rutgers College named land-grant college with departments in agriculture, engineering, and chemistry. Rutgers was in competition with Princeton and state Normal School at Trenton. George H. Cook led the fight to have Rutgers named as the land-grant college.

• George H. Cook promoted to state geologist.
• New name given to the land-grant college -- Rutgers Scientific School.
• Rutgers College bought 98 acres of land just outside New Brunswick for use as an experimental farm.

1880 - State of New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station formed -- Van Nest Hall became the first headquarters of the state experiment station.

1887 - Hatch Act passed -- established federal agricultural
experiment stations at land-grant institutions.

1889 - New Jersey Hall completed, first experiment station laboratory building.
George H. Cook dies.

1906 - Short Course Building completed -- now Waller Hall.
Round House, a stock judging pavilion built near College Pond (now Passion Puddle.) In 1923 it was moved to present location on College Farm Road.

1911 - Jacob Lipman succeeds Dr. Edward B. Voorhees as director of the experiment station.
Lipman becomes first dean of agriculture in 1915, serves until 1939.

1912 - The Cook family farm on Ryders Lane was purchased.
A fireproof horse barn is built on College Farm.

1914 - Smith-Lever Act is passed -- established the Cooperative Extension Service at each land-grant institution.

1914 - Administration Building built -- now Martin Hall.

1917 – New Jersey legislature designates the Rutgers Scientific School, also called the State College of Agriculture, as the State University of New Jersey.

1917- Frank Helyar served as director of short courses until 1929.

1921 - Horticulture Building is finished -- now ‘old Blake Hall.’
Poultry Building built -- now Thompson Hall.
The Trustees formally creates the College of Agriculture and established a board of managers to oversee operations.

1922 - Dairy and Animal Husbandry Building built -- now Bartlett Hall.
32nd National Chapter of Alpha Zeta fraternity was established.

1924 – Rutgers College assumes the name of Rutgers University. The College of Agriculture remains a distinct unit.

1929 - Frank Helyar was made director of resident instruction, served in that capacity until 1953.

1933-35 - Civilian Conservation Camp (CCC) was built and opened on College Farm Road, on the site of the existing Bioresource Engineering Campus. Many of the existing wooden buildings were part of that complex.

1933 - College of Agriculture Acquires Reckitts Blueing Factory, now J.B. Smith Hall, on Georges Road.

• NJAES was incorporated into the New Jersey State University.
• Legislature appropriated funds for Soil Sciences Building, now Lipman Hall.

1936 - The Log Cabin was built by WPA labor (an FDR era welfare program). Plans were brought from Maine by William Martin -- a Maine fishing lodge.

1939 - William H. Martin became dean.

1940's to 1960's - All programs at the College of Agriculture required 150-160 or more credits for graduation.

1945 - Rutgers University, not just the College of Agriculture, achieves gains state university status.

1952 - Soil Science Building -- Lipman Hall, finally dedicated.

1956 - Rutgers gains full status as the State University of New Jersey.

1959 - Blake Hall and addition to Poultry Building, now Thompson Hall dedicated.

• William Martin steps down as dean.
• Ordway Starnes named as acting dean.
• Mason Gross becomes Rutgers’ 16th president.

1961 - Leland G. Merrill, Jr. became third dean.

1962 - Richard H. Merritt named as director of resident instruction and associate dean.

1963 -- Five hundred acres of federal land at the former Camp Kilmer was given to Rutgers. The idea of the federated college system was born -- a number of “multipurpose” liberal arts colleges would comprise Rutgers’ undergraduate teaching system in New Brunswick. The Rutgers College of Arts and Science, Douglass College, and University Colleges already existed. The university proposed a new college, Livingston College, emphasizing people and their urban environments on the Kilmer site in Piscataway, plus two other future colleges.

1964 - The Green Print is first published as the official news magazine of the College of Agriculture, producing four issues per year. In 1973 it became the official Cook College newspaper and begins publishing weekly.

1965 - Name changed from College of Agriculture to College of Agriculture and Environmental Science (C.A.E.S.) C.A.E.S. was the first land-grant institution to use the word “environment (al)” in its title -- later to be followed by many land-grant institutions in the country.

1965-1981 - The Federated College System: There were now five colleges in the federated system, Rutgers, Douglass, Livingston, Cook, and University Colleges.

1967-1970 - Evolution of Cook College.

1968 - Helyar House cooperative living group opens.

1971 - Leland Merrill resigned as dean of C.A.E.S.
Dr. Charles Hess was appointed acting dean.

1971 - Dr. Mason Gross stepped down as president, and
Dr. Edward Bloustein was named the new president. Dean Charles Hess, Dick Merritt and John Gerwig from C.A.E.S. met with the new president before he ever arrived on campus to discuss the new Cook College. Cook College was approved by the Provost’s cabinet and the President’s cabinet on November 8, 1971, and by the Board of Governors on November 19, 1971.

1972 - Dr. Charles Hess is selected as the first dean of Cook College.
Richard Merritt continues as director of resident instruction and associate dean; plus for 1973-74 dean of operations; and 1974 named as dean of instruction.

1972 - Food Science Building dedicated.

1973 - The first class of Cook College students matriculated in the fall.
New departments in human ecology and social science, and the humanities and communications were added to the college.

1973 - Roger Locandro named to head the student life programs at Cook College.

• Cook acquires Woodbury Hall as a freshman dorm.
• Newell Apartments built for upperclassmen.
• Cook Office Building on Dudley Road built.

1974 - First Cook College Commencement -- previously Rutgers held a single university commencement encompassing all colleges and campuses in a R.U. Stadium event.

• Cook / Douglass Gym built.
• Cook/C.A.E.S. Alumni Association established, George Van Der Noot named president.
• Cook Parent’s Association formed.

1975 - Grant Walton becomes Dean.
Richard Merritt continues as Dean of Instruction.

1976 - “Save the Puddle” campaign -- Students initiated a campaign to restore the eroding shore-line of Passion Puddle -- raised $75,000 that was used to drain, re-contour the shoreline, and place rip-rap along the embankments. In the long run, it was not a successful solution.

1977 - Voorhees Hall built -- part of “housing ’76.”

1978 - Cook Campus Center opens.

1979 - Starkey Apartments built.

1980 - N.J. Agricultural Experiment Station celebrates centennial.

1981 - Rutgers move towards centralization.

• Cook College becomes a professional school and continued as a complete educational unit.
• Roger Locandro named dean of students of Cook College.
• Cook acquires Nicholas Hall as a freshman dorm in place of Woodbury.

1983 - George Nieswand named acting dean and director.

1985 - Steve Kleinschuster becomes dean and director.
Ian Maw named dean of instruction.

1986 - Official title of the “Dean” changed from Dean and Director to Executive Dean for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Executive Director of NJAES and Dean of Cook College.”

• Perry Hall dormitory is dedicated.
• Passion Puddle was saved again. It was drained, totally re-contoured, and the shoreline stabilized mainly with aquatic plantings. Geese and duck activities have threatened the success of these plantings.

1986 - Cook College Threatened
Vision 21 / Strategic Plan was developed and adopted. Resulted in $100 million in new buildings, including: the Natural Resources building, CAFT addition, Foran Hall, Marine and Coastal Sciences, and the NJAES Research Greenhouse Complex.

1987 - Mark Schulman named dean of instruction.

1988 - Lee Schneider becomes dean of students.

1988 - Addition to Cook Campus Center, multipurpose room, etc., built.

1989 - Natural Resource building built.

• Nabisco wing – Center for Advance Food Technology (CAFT) -- added to Food Science.
• Daryl Lund named acting executive dean.

1990 - Daryl Lund appointed executive dean.

• Arthur Edwards becomes dean of instruction.
• Recreation Center addition, including a pool and racquet -ball courts, built.

1992 - Louis Iozzi named dean of instruction.

1992 - Ian Maw named dean of academic and student affairs.

1992 – NJAES Greenhouse complex on College Farm Road built.

1993 – Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences building dedicated.

1994 - Log Cabin Alumni Pavilion built by Cook/C.A.E.S. Alumni Association.

1995 - Foran Hall is dedicated and Chang Library is named.
Tim Casey becomes acting executive dean.

1996 - Bruce Carlton appointed executive dean.

2000 - Expansion of Foran Hall completed.
Final renovations of Newell Apartments completed.

2001 - Ian Maw appointed acting executive dean.

2002 - Soji Adelaja becomes executive dean.
Mike Hamm and later, Tim Casey, named as dean of academic and student programs. Karyn Malinowsky named dean of outreach and extension. Keith Cooper named dean of research and graduate programs.

2003 - Keith Cooper named acting executive dean.

2003 - Cook College celebrates its 30th anniversary!!!!!

This timeline is a work in progress. Additions or corrections are requested. Contact:
Roy H. DeBoer
deboer@aesop.rutgers.edu
Fax: 1-732-932-1940

Updated November 10, 2003

Credits.

For more information, contact Cook History Project.
Last Updated: 3/1/05

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