IUP History

IUP has a long history in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1875 as Indiana Normal School, the institution was later purchased by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1927, becoming Indiana State Teachers College, and subsequently Indiana State College in 1959. After achieving university status in 1965, the school became Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

IUP Libraries Special Collections and University Archives takes pride in maintaining a strong and extensive collection of materials covering the history of IUP, from the school’s founding figures and moments to the lives of individual students, faculty, and staff.

We’ve provided links to just a few of the resources we have below. In addition to those, make sure to look at our photographs and images and IUP publications.

History

From our beginnings as a small Normal School in the mid-1870’s, with an enrollment of just 225 students, IUP has grown into the large, modern doctoral institution we are today. Take a look at our timeline of major milestones in IUP history: where we’ve been, and where we’re going.

Books

Centennial Scrapbook: A Graphic History of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1875-1975 : Written to celebrate IUP’s centennial, the Centennial Scrapbook combines image clippings, newspaper articles, and historical background on IUP.

• Indiana University of Pennsylvania: Our Homage and Our Love : Professors Ron Juliette and Dale Landon wrote this pictorial history of IUP in 1991 to celebrate IUP’s commitment to excellence and support of the people of Western Pennsylvania.

Articles and Websites

• Principals and Presidents, 1875–present
• Student Enrollment
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania Buildings
• Indiana Normal School Board of Trustees
• Bibliography of articles about the history of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
• Growing up on a College Campus, 1913-1927: Elinor Gordon Blair and the Indiana Normal School
• The University School at IUP: A History of Excellence (1989)
  
• Western Pennsylvania History

Dissertations and Theses about Indiana and IUP

• Susan Drummond (1990) Indiana State Teachers College: A World War Two diary, 1942–1945
• John Edward Merryman (1972) Indiana University of Pennsylvania: From Private Normal School to Public University. Call Number: LD2485 .M47 1972 (Special Collections)
  
• Sonya Stewart (1990) Working Together: African American Migration and Settlement in Indiana County, Pennsylvania
• David F. Stemmler (1986) IUP student attitudes on the Vietnam War as reflected by the Penn, 1965–1973
• Diana D. Brandi (1987) Women’s Studies and the Women’s Movement: A Case Study of the IUP Women’s Studies Program
• Ralph Stone (1960) A Social Picture of Chevy Chase, Indiana County, Pennsylvania