History of Indiana Tech

The Beginnings

The beginnings of what is now Indiana Tech were modest. John A. Kalbfleisch, a former president of International Business College, founded the college in June 1930. The college was incorporated as a proprietary school by the State of Indiana on Jan. 10, 1931.

The first students were recruited by members of the corporation, officially known as Indiana Technical College, using leads from high school principals in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. At the time, there were no classes, laboratories, or even school catalogs.

Tuition in that first year was $55 per quarter, much of which was paid using the barter system. Among the items exchanged for classes were a 1929 Chevrolet, honey, chickens, brooms, and 100-pound bags of popcorn.

The school first leased, and then purchased, a former mortuary located on East Washington Boulevard across from the YMCA (where many students lived). The first classes, held in the summer of 1931, had eight students. By fall there were 139, and the winter semester enrolled 179 students. In 24 months a male student could obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical, structural, civil, or radio engineering. In 1933, the first graduating class was composed of thirteen electrical engineers.

The year 1936 saw the passing of Mr. Kalbfleisch, who died in February 1936, and the appointment of Archie T. Keene as president.

The next year, fire struck Indiana Tech in late May. Although the fire caused extensive damage to the building, it was seen as a positive event because the college was able to use insurance money to upgrade the building, classrooms, and laboratories.

The school held its first formal commencement in 1937. The Indiana Tech library was started in 1939 in the basement of the downtown building, with $200 budgeted for books.

World War II and the 1940s

During the war years, enrollment fell from 472 to 86 by the fall of 1944. The five remaining faculty members took 50 percent pay cuts and worked evenings in local industries to support the war effort. The college also held special classes to meet the needs of the military, such as refresher courses for airmen and meteorologists and mechanical drafting classes for women.

The return of servicemen from the war and the G.I. Bill gave a large boost to Indiana Tech's enrollment. By the fall of 1948 there were 1,183 students enrolled, and the school went to three teaching shifts to keep up with the demand.

In August 1948, Indiana Tech was reorganized under state law as a not-for-profit, endowed college, and a $100,000 endowment was given to the school by its former board. A residential building next to the college was purchased and extensively remodeled into classrooms and laboratories.

The Move and the 1950s

A number of major changes were implemented in the '50s, the largest of which was a move to a new site. In 1953, Indiana Tech offered the Missouri Synod of Lutherans $1 million for 20 acres of Concordia College's campus. The official move to the new campus occurred July 1, 1957, although the first classes were held on the campus in September 1955 because of overflow enrollments at the downtown buildings.

In 1956, Charles Dana, founder of the Dana Corporation, offered a $300,000 grant for building an engineering and science facility for the campus. The Dana Engineering and Science Building was dedicated on June 14, 1958.

Indiana Tech's Alumni Association, first proposed in 1943, was incorporated in 1954. Enrollment reached its high-water mark in 1957, with nearly 2,000 full-time students. The first female graduate, Anna Reid, received a degree in chemistry in 1958.

Establishment and the 1960s

Several notable events occurred during the decade of the '60s. The college went to a four-year degree program in July 1960 and was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1962.

The name of the institution was changed from Indiana Technical College to Indiana Institute of Technology, effective January 1, 1963. Also that year, President Keene retired after 26 years at the helm, and Edward Thoma was appointed Indiana Tech's third president.

Construction boomed on Indiana Tech's campus during the 1960s. McMillen Library was dedicated May 19, 1962, with major funding for the project coming from Dale McMillen, founder of Central Soya. The parochial high school (now the Cunningham Business Center) and the Kroger supermarket (now the Fieldhouse) were bought in 1963 for $1 million.

The building now known as Kalbfleisch Hall was built in the summer of 1963 with funds donated by Mr. and Mrs. Carl Pierson. Mr. Pierson was a longtime Indiana Tech trustee, and Mrs. Pierson was the widow of Indiana Tech founder John Kalbfleisch. A wing was added to the Dana Building, and the Alumni Quadrangle dormitories and Student Center were built in 1965.

The '60s saw the advent of the computer on the Indiana Tech campus. The university obtained the first computer in Fort Wayne, an IBM 1620, in October 1960. The area's first computer science degree program was introduced in 1969.

Hard Times in the 1970s

The early 1970s were difficult times for Indiana Tech and then-President Charles Terrell, who took over in 1972 after the resignation of Indiana Tech's fourth president, Edward Dugan. A nationwide decline in the demand for engineers resulted in a downturn in engineering enrollments - a situation that had a major impact on the university's financial well-being.

The problems did not improve until the university's sixth president, Thomas F. Scully, took over in March 1977. President Scully initiated business and College of Professional Studies programs, after which the financial position of the school gradually improved. The university has not experienced a deficit year since 1978.

Improvement in the 1980s

The 1980s saw more progress. While strengthening the engineering programs, more emphasis was placed on developing the College of Business and Arts. In 1982, the Extended Studies Division, which is now the College of Professional Studies, began offering correspondence courses for adults.

During the 1980s, the facilities at Indiana Tech underwent continuous improvement. The interior of the Dana Science Center was extensively remodeled in 1983 and 1984. The McMillen Productivity and Design Center was dedicated in 1984. Research and Development moved to the Kroger Building (now the Fieldhouse) to meet record demand for Tech-built magnet wire test instruments. Dormitory space was renovated in the Alumni Quad, and Kalbfleisch Hall was remodeled into student suites.

Following the death of President Scully, Donald J. Andorfer was appointed the seventh president of Indiana Tech in July 1985. Mr. Andorfer had been chief financial officer of the university since 1977 and served as the first Dean of the College of Business and Arts.

The late 1980s brought improvement for the College of Professional Studies with the development of innovative accelerated classes in 1987. In 1988, the College of Professional Studies established its presence in Indianapolis when it began a program for adult students there.

Expansion and growth of the 1990s

The historic Administration Building, built in 1857 at a cost of $7,000 to house a Lutheran seminary, is the oldest building in Fort Wayne still being used for its original purpose - education. The building was renamed the Seitz Center, and the formal dedication was held June 23, 1994 in honor of Indiana Tech Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Paul W. Seitz.

A centerpiece of the campus is the Schaefer Center for Student Life, dedicated in 1990, which houses the university's dining hall and gymnasium. The Schaefer Center was named in honor of the late Edward J. Schaefer, a prolific inventor and engineer who invented the submersible motor. He was the founder of Franklin Electric Company in Bluffton, Indiana. Mr. Schaefer was a trustee who awarded the university a $5 million challenge grant following his death to be used for endowment and campus renovations. As part of that bequest, a major renovation project to upgrade the Anthony Building (now known as Cunningham Business Center) was completed in the fall of 1994.

A third campus, in South Bend, was created in 1995 to meet the needs of prospective adult students for the College of Professional Studies in north-central Indiana.

The year 1999 brought the esteemed ABET accreditation of the mechanical and electrical engineering programs as well as the beginnings of an MBA program, offered in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis through the College of Professional Studies. Also, in August 1999, a College of Professional Studies office was opened in Warsaw, Indiana.

Indiana Tech, Today

As the new millennium dawned, Indiana Tech's future continued to look bright.

A residence hall was dedicated on April 18, 2001 as the Pierson Center, named for the Pierson family. A new administration center was dedicated on May 23, 2001. It was christened the Abbott Center after alumnus Steven R. Abbott, B.S. '69. Additionally, the Engineering and Science Center was doubled in size and renovated in time for students arriving on campus in the fall of 2001. In fall 2002 it was rededicated as the Zollner Engineering Center.

Andorfer Commons, the university's largest building project to date, was begun in spring 2003 and completed during the summer of 2004. The 70,000-square-foot student center houses McMillen Library, the cafeteria, a student union, a theater, a bowling alley, Tech Treasures gift shop, the Wegener Worship Center and conference rooms.

In addition to the building project, two city blocks were added to the Fort Wayne campus. The land is home to a lighted soccer field, which the university began using in fall 2004. The campus also grew north, across Washington Boulevard, with the construction of an apartment-style dorm in 2004. The Labor of Love for Learning (L3) amphitheater was dedicated in summer of 2005.  Additional enhancements included an outdoor basketball court and sand volleyball court, and tennis courts wll be ready for fall 2006.  The Cunningham Business Center received a makeover during the summer of 2006, when the heating ventilation and air conditioning systems were upgraded.

Growth is not limited to the Fort Wayne Campus, however. In 2000, Indiana Tech moved to its current Indianapolis campus in the well-known Pyramids on the northwest side. Expansion continued with an office in Huntington in 2001 and an annex to the Indianapolis campus in Greenwood in 2002. Summer 2003 brought the creation of the Elkhart Campus, although the South Bend site also remains open. Indiana Tech built a new building to house the Warsaw site in 2004. Another Indianapolis annex opened in Plainfield in 2006.  The university continues to add class locations with the additions of Muncie and Merrillville in 2006.

In addition to new buildings and locations, the university has also welcomed a new president in recent years. Dr. Arthur Snyder was inaugurated as president in October 2003. Dr. Snyder's tenure has been marked by expansion of academic programs to meet the needs of society and interests of students. From a small engineering college, Indiana Tech has grown into a university with a wide range of programs in engineering, computer studies, and business. The newest offerings include criminal justice, organizational leadership, biomedical engineering, software engineering, health care administration, and elementary education.

The History of Indiana Tech Warrior Sports

Indiana Tech started its first intramural sports program in 1932 and intercollegiate sports began the next year. Indiana Tech athletic teams, first known as the Engineers, took their present name of Warriors in 1954. The first sports were softball, football and water polo. A fencing team was started in the late thirties and basketball, which has become an Indiana Tech tradition, began in the 1940s. The men's basketball team earned its first NAIA National Tournament berth in 1965. The Warriors reached the final four of the NAIA District and Conference Tournaments four years straight (1992/93/94/95). In 1995, the Warriors gained a berth in the national tourney in Boise, Idaho for the second time in 30 years. The Warriors gained another berth in the NAIA National Tournament in 1998 after winning the Great Lakes Region Div. II Tournament. Indiana Tech again earned a tournament appearance in 2004 after being ranked eighth in the nation. The women's basketball team, known as the Lady Warriors, has become a traditional powerhouse. The team won NAIA District championships in 1981 and 1982, the 1984-85 team was the first in Indiana to play in the NAIA National Tournament, and the Lady Warriors have since played in four NAIA National Tournaments (1992/93/94/95). Soccer started at the school in 1952 and a team reached the NAIA National Soccer Tournament in 1981. Baseball was re instituted in 1991. After eight years, the Warrior baseball team won the Great Lakes sectional and regional tournaments (14 games) to earn a berth in the NAIA National Tournament where they finished as runner-up. The Warriors returned to the NAIA World Series in 1999 to finish fourth in the tournament, and then solidified their reputation as a national baseball powerhouse when they returned a third year in a row in 2000 to finish third in the tourney. They increased their NAIA World Series streak to six consecutive appearances by earning berths in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Women's volleyball marked its return to Indiana Tech in 2005.  Men's and Women's Tennis were introduced in 2006 with future plans to add cross country, track and field, and golf.