Ohio University College of Arts and Sciences

Transcription

♪ Thanks for joining us. As we were saying, we're going to watch that video today of Ohio University. You can keep your pencils out so that you can make notes, because guess what, there'll be a quiz right after. (sighing) Ohio University is a great institution with a history that goes back more than 200 years, so you're part of something that's very important. (film rolling) Ohio University, your new home away from home. What you may not know about our university is that its roots run deep in the history of our country. Ohio University has been around almost as long as the United States itself. Some of the men we look to as the founding fathers of our nation, Washington and Jefferson, were connected to the founding fathers of Ohio University, Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam. Cutler served as a chaplain in Washington's army. Putnam served as a general under Washington. Later, Cutler served two terms in the House of Representatives under President Jefferson. In 1786, 11 men, mostly veterans from the war, gathered at the Bunch-of-Grapes Tavern in Boston to propose development of the area north of the Ohio River and west of the Allegheny Mountains known then as the Ohio Country. Led by Manasseh Cutler and Rufus Putnam, the Ohio Company petitioned Congress to take action on the proposed settlement. Cutler's efforts contributed to the enactment of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 which provided for settlement and government of the territory. A key passage from the Northwest Ordinance highlighting the important connection between education and the new democratic form of government is inscribed in Ohio University's Class Gateway: "Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged." If Manasseh Cutler was our visionary, then Rufus Putnam was our pioneer. He led the first group of settlers from Boston to Marietta in 1788. In 1796, he continued to Athens. He wrote back to Cutler about plans for the university and said they were ready. In 1803, Ohio became a state. And on February 18th, 1804, the Ohio General Assembly passed an act establishing the Ohio University. The university opened in 1808 with one building, three students, and its one professor, Jacob Lindley, who came from Princeton to serve as Ohio University's first president. One of the first two graduates of the university, Thomas Ewing, later became a United States senator and distinguished himself as cabinet member or advisor to four U.S. presidents. Ohio University has not only been an intellectual leader in this part of the country, but also a multicultural leader as well. The first African American, John Newton Templeton, graduated in 1828 and the first woman, Margaret Boyd, graduated from Ohio University in 1873. OHIO also has a strong international student population. In 1895, Saki Taro Murayama of Japan became a graduate of Ohio University. You're joining a diverse group of scholars studying to achieve the more than 200 majors and minors available. As you explore your new home and wander across the college green, remember the history that came before you. You are now part of a legacy that includes not only the history of our university, but also the history of the founding fathers of our great nation. You are now part of the over 200-year-old tradition. Carry on your days at old OHIO as a proud bobcat. ♪