The academic Departments of universities have pasts, presents, and
futures that are a mix of the University in which they reside and their
faculty, students, and facilities. Their faculty are a mix of people of
various vintages with different degrees of connection to the fabric of the
Department. Their students frequently never become connected to the past,
although they experience the effects of the past since their courses and
curriculum reflect the past experiences of the Department. Their buildings
and facilities also reflect the past - opportunities met and overcome,
stumbled into blindly, or others still unfulfilled.
This history of the Department of Biology (that began as Biological
Sciences) is presented as a collection of material based on various
sources. Most important is the A History of Kansas State Teacher’s College; 1903-1949 written by William Thomas Bawden and published in 1952.
Others sources include the various early “announcements” (bulletins or catalogs) published
by the school and recollections of current and emeritus faculty. Archival
material (including Bawden and others) of Pittsburg State University were
made available by Randy Roberts, University Archivist.
Suggestions and comments from anyone reading this work in progress
should be sent to the webmaster link below.
