York College of Pennsylvania - History

History

The basis of what is today York College of Pennsylvania was started in 1776 in downtown York, Pennsylvania by Rev. John Andrews, D.D. In 1787, the school was established and incorporated as the York County Academy. The academy held a close connection with St. John's Church in York from that time until 1799. Thaddeus Stevens taught at the academy in 1815-1816, prior to establishing his law practice and serving as a U.S. congressman.

Today's York College of Pennsylvania also has roots in a second institution, the York Collegiate Institute (YCI), which was founded around 1872. The building that housed the institute on the corner of College Avenue and Duke Street was destroyed by fire in December 1885. A new four-story building designed by architects J.A. and Reinhardt Dempwolf was completed at the same location in late 1886. The building was demolished in 1969 after being sold.

In 1929, the York County Academy and the York Collegiate Institute entered into a teaching agreement, then in 1941 merged to become York Junior College. Under its new charter, the combined institution shifted its focus from elementary and secondary education to post-secondary education. At this point, the school began to outgrow its campus, forcing a move outside of downtown York. In 1965, the current campus, located in Spring Garden Township, was dedicated. The former occupier of these lands was the Outdoor Country Club and golf course that moved north of the city after selling its property. The campus is located about 100 miles west of Philadelphia and 52 miles north of Baltimore. By 1968, York College established an accredited four-year bachelor's degree program, and officially became York College of Pennsylvania.

In 1975 York College absorbed York Country Day School (YCDS), thereby expanding its mission to again encompass K-12 education. YCDS was founded in 1953 by former YCI faculty after YCI phased out the elementary and secondary programs. Today the college sits near the historic center of the city and has some residence halls located in the city, which is known as the first national capital of the United States of America and the birthplace of the Articles of Confederation. York College has students from 31 states and 34 countries.

Robert Iosue (/ˈjɑːz.weɪ/ YAHZ-way), the college's president from 1976 to 1991, drew national attention for his controversial criticisms of what he regarded as the run-away expense of higher education, At York College he was noted for paying faculty well but expecting them to spend more time teaching than they might be required to elsewhere. He himself worked weekends and took no vacations for eight years.