Elizabethtown College entered the first decade of the 21st century fresh off of its extensive centennial celebration and in a position of unprecedented strength. Throughout the decade, the College made key academic changes with the Class of 2007 serving as the first graduates under the new core curriculum and four-credit course system. A host of new majors, including Criminal Justice, Actuarial Science, and Japanese were established and Etown began awarding its first master’s degrees.

The ’00s also saw the largest period of capital construction in the College’s history with the approval of a $58 million master plan for new construction and campus-wide improvements were carried out in seven phases over the decade. A fundraising campaign exceeded its goal and raised more than $47 million for construction.

A Look Through the Decade

  • 2000 – Founders Day is designated as Feb. 2. The Centennial medal is awarded to 13 people who made history at Elizabethtown College.
  • 2000 – Desmond M. Tutu, recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the triumph over apartheid in South Africa, visits the College to lecture to an audience of over 3,000 people on March 17.
  • 2000 – The College begins its Master’s in Occupational Therapy program
  • 2001 – The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks shook the campus community. Nearly 500 people gathered in Leffler Chapel for a vigil, and as a response, campus leaders developed a special lecture series, the People Educating and Advocating for Compassion at Elizabethtown College (PEACE) Talks.
  • 2002 – The Baugher Student Center and Annenberg Center are connected by the addition of Brossman Commons, establishing the central student hub on campus as it is today.
  • 2003 – The Center for Civic Engagement is established to encourage student service projects. The center continues to thrive as the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE).
  • 2005 – The College establishes the Center for Global Citizenship, now the Center for Global Understanding and Peacebuilding, to create a sense of global responsibility among the Etown community.
  • 2006 – Hundreds gather on Sept. 14 to celebrate the dedication of Etown’s newest academic building, the $5.2 million James B. Hoover Center for Business, named after esteemed alumnus James B. Hoover ’75.
  • 2007 – A multiphase 83,000-square-foot renovation that joined together Musser and Esbenshade Halls was officially completed with the dedication of the Masters Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering on Oct. 20.
  • 2007 – Kevin Clark ’08 becomes the College’s first Track & Field National Champion when he cleared 17′ 1-½” (5.22m) at the 2007 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. to win gold for the Blue Jays in the pole vault.
  • 2008 – The College hosts the first Scholarship and Creative Arts Day (SCAD) on April 22, an initiative designed to encourage collaboration between students and faculty and showcase students’ talents.

Snapshots of the Decade

 

 

Throughout Elizabethtown College’s 125th anniversary year, follow along as we share 125 compelling stories about the College’s defining moments, alumni stories, and fun facts since our founding in 1899 at etown.edu.