| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1928 | Pennsylvania State College offers classes at the Altoona Evening Class Center. |
| 1933-1939 | Juniata College holds a Freshman College Center for 6 years. Due to financial constraints and community interest in an expanded program, discontinues their program. |
| 1939 | A Citizens Committee is established. Led by Ted Holtzinger and Colonel John S. Fair, they request Pennsylvania State College to start an undergraduate center at Altoona. The College agrees to a trial program. |
| Jul-39 | The Citizens Committee kicks off an “AUC Fund Drive” to renovate the former Webster elementary school located at Lexington and 10th street. |
| 17 Jul 1939 | Classes held in YMCA (Lexington Ave and Nine Street) while Webster is renovated. |
| 10 Sep 1939 | Webster opens 119 students and 9 faculty participate in the beginnings of the Altoona Undergraduate Center. |
| 1940 | The Citizen Advisory Board is established. Funds are raised to purchase and remodel the Madison school (Sixth Ave and seventh street) for science laboratories. |
| 16 Sep 1940 | Madison building opens 187 students. |
| 1944-1947 | During World War II the Citizen’s Advisory Board purchases and operates a woman’s dormitory, Annie C. Wolf, for women from “out-of-town” to take courses. |
| 1944 | Servicemen’s readjustment act of 1944. Commonly referred to as the “G.I. bill of rights." |
| 1946 | February, close to 300 students are enrolled. |
| 1946 | Ivyside Amusement Park is purchased (38 acres). |
| 1947 | The era of “Bathhouse U.” Buildings are renovated; the two block long bathhouse becomes a classroom building, the shooting gallery becomes the chemistry labs, the refreshment stand becomes the steam plant; and the roller skating rink becomes the student union. |
| 1947 | Foreign film showings start. ROTC starts. |
| 1948 | AUC at Ivyside park opens to an enrollment of 700 freshmen and sophomores. Bathhouse U” 1948-1958. The move was also referred to as “Holtzinger’s Folly”. |
| 1949 | Evening classes are offered as the AUC serves as a focal point for Penn State Extension and continuing education opportunities for Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Huntingdon, Fulton, and Somerset counties. |
| 1949 | AUC wins Pennsylvania Junior College Basketball Championship. |
| 1950 | Steven Adler is hired as Registrar. |
| 1953 | Two year associate degree programs “Each spring members of the faculty and the student body participate in the Combined Arts Festival.” |
| 1953 | Pennsylvania State College became Pennsylvania State University Conferring of associate degrees at all Penn State locations. [mission change] |
| 1955 | The position of Dean of Faculty is created. |
| 1957-1958 | Faculty have increased to 27 full time, 10 part-time. Administrative staff to 3, as well as a nurse and librarian. Other personal include 5 clerical staff and 3 full time custodians. Full time day students total 457. |
| 1959 | We are Penn State! The Pennsylvania State University creates the System of Commonwealth Campuses is established and Continuing Education is reorganized. Fundraiser for a classroom/ administrative building named the Raymond E. Smith. |
| 1959 | Gifted students program starts. |
| 1963 | More buildings. Slep center and two resident halls. new dormitory is contracted, leading to labor dispute, picketing, restraining orders, damage to dorm, Protests on campus and in the community. |
| 1964 | Altoona celebrates its silver anniversary May 10-16. |
| 1966 | Enrollment surpasses 2,000. |
| Holtzinger Science Complex, Eiche Library, and the Adler gymnasium is built. | |
| 1967 | Edith Davis Chapel is built. |
| 1968 | Robert E. Eiche retires in July, John Leathers succeeds him. |
| 1968 | The Heald report is released, hearings follow. |
| 1968 | Steven Alder dies in May. |
| 1973 | Robert E. Eiche dies on May 2. |
| 1980 | The Commonwealth Campus system and Continuing Education services are integrated to form the Commonwealth Education System (CES). |