Research, teaching, and outreach were key college programs when Charles Lory began a 31-year tenure as president in 1909. A former ditch rider whose family had a homestead in Colorado, Lory committed the school to practical education and service to the state. During his presidency, enrollments grew from 217 to 2,048 and the college developed into a well-rounded technical institution.

By 1940, degrees were available in agriculture, engineering, home economics, veterinary medicine, forestry, vocational education, agricultural economics, and rural sociology.

America's involvement in World War II threw normal college routines into chaos. Although enrollments plummeted as students and faculty left Fort Collins for military service, President Roy Green was successful in bringing military training programs to campus to support national defense.

The post-war years saw many veterans attending college on the G.I. Bill, and Cold War tensions led to increased federal support for scientific research and training. William Morgan, who became president in 1949, led the school's emergence as a modern educational institution. A prudent planner, he saw the need for major campus expansion and energetically changed the face of education over the course of his 20-year tenure. Improvements in the liberal arts, library acquisitions and international programs solidified the University as a major educational force. In 1957, the college changed its name to Colorado State University.

During the 1960s, enrollments soared from 6,131 to nearly 17,000 and in the face of such a growth trends over the next few decades, CSU faced questions of how to balance traditional commitments to agriculture and rural Colorado with escalating urban needs and international involvement. During Albert Yates' tenure as president in the 1990s, the quality of research, undergraduate and graduate education and opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities steadily improved.

The strong foundation built by past leaders continues to this day under the leadership of President Tony Frank, who joins the campus community in providing students with access to outstanding competitive education; in conduction research to improve quality of life for humanity; and in meeting the practical and economic needs of Colorado through community outreach.

Different Names for Different Eras

• When the first class began in September 1879, the school was officially known as the State Agricultural College of Colorado and unofficially as Colorado Agricultural College and the State Agricultural College.
• In 1935, the college was renamed Colorado State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, and in 1944, Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College. Also in the 1940s, the student body adopted a new college nickname and mascot, the Rams.
• In 1957, under President William Morgan, the institution became Colorado State University by an act of the General Assembly.