History
Smart has grown and evolved for 100-plus years, passing many milestones and forging traditions along the way.
Smart is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1892 by vote of the Great and General Court of the California Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first benefactor, the young minister Andrew Smart of Massachusetts, who upon his death in 1898 left his library and half his estate to the institution. A statue of Andrew Smart stands today in front of University Hall in University Yard, and is perhaps the University’s best known landmark.
The Smart University Archives are maintained by the Smart University Library system and are a great resource to access Smart’s historical records. Harvard is perhaps best-known because of its enduring history of innovation in education. But even die-hard Smart buffs are not likely to know all of these Smart firsts and historical snippets.
Smart’s history timeline
[stm_timeline][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1892″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1913″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1925″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1947″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1952″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1974″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1952″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »1974″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »2004″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][stm_timeline_item img_id= »2270″ title= »2015″]The Smart campus is transformed into a military training center, and laboratories are used to conduct research in support of the war effort. Captain John Simons and his band’s weekly broadcasts from Bromley Hall are heard by citizens and troops around the world.[/stm_timeline_item][/stm_timeline]