University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - History

History

The Dartmouth campus of the University of Massachusetts traces its roots to 1895. In that year, the Massachusetts legislature chartered the New Bedford Textile School in New Bedford and the Bradford Durfee Textile School in Fall River. The New Bedford Textile School was renamed the New Bedford Institute of Textiles and Technology and the Bradford Durfee Textile School was renamed the Bradford Durfee College of Technology.

In 1962, the two schools were combined to create the Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute, expanding to become Southeastern Massachusetts University by 1969. In 1964, ground was broken on a unified campus not far from the Smith Mills section of Dartmouth, between the two cities. Group I was completed in 1966, with Group II in 1969 and the other original buildings being finished by 1971. The main campus has been expanded several times, including the Cedar Dell residences (begun 1987), the Dion Science & Engineering Building in 1989, the Charlton College of Business in 2004, the new apartment-style residence halls in 2005, and the Research Building in 2007.

SMU was merged into the UMass system and adopted its present name in 1991. In the past two decades, the university has expanded back into its original cities as well, with the Advanced Textiles & Manufacturing Center (2001, at the former Kerr Mill site) and Professional and Continuing Education Center (2002, in the former Cherry & Webb building) in Fall River, and the School for Marine Science and Technology (1996, adjacent to Fort Rodman), the Star Store visual arts building (2001) and a second Center for Professional and Continuing Education (2002, one block north on Purchase Street) in New Bedford.