Adams State College

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Adams State University is a small state-supported liberal arts university in Alamosa, Colorado, U.S., in the San Luis Valley. ASU is in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and its mascot is the Grizzly Bear.

History

Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college but now offers a variety of programs including masters degrees in many fields. Billy Adams, a Colorado legislator who would later become governor, worked for three decades before obtaining the authorization to found Adams State Normal School in 1921. His goal was to educate teachers for remote, rural areas, such as the San Luis Valley. The University's first graduate, [1] in 1926, was Harriett Dalzell Hester, who went on to become the school's librarian and Alamosa County's schools superintendent. With only a grade school education himself, Adams came to the SLV in 1879 at the age of 17 to begin ranching. Within three years, he was mayor of Alamosa. Alamosa was a rough-hewn town in those days. The Rio Grande typically flooded each spring, turning Main Street to mud. Once the university was built, a hedge of Russian olives had to be planted along the campus edge to keep out herds of horses. Then, as now, potatoes were the area’s primary cash crop. But grain and vegetables were also raised, as well as cattle, sheep and pigs. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad shipped them east. The perseverance demonstrated by Billy Adams in founding his teachers college also characterized those who took over the task of making Adams State more than a dream. The communities of Alamosa and the San Luis Valley faithfully supported the efforts of individuals such as Dr. Ira Richardson, the University’s first president. Billy Adams died in 1954, just shy of his 93rd birthday. He left the school $10,000.

Campus

Alamosa, Colorado, is a small city with a population of about 9,133. The United Airlines affiliate serves the San Luis Valley Regional Airport from Denver International Airport. Adams State University is located in the heart of the San Luis Valley. All of the university's academic and residential buildings are located on its contiguous 90-acre (360,000-m²) campus. It is the most economical major public university in Colorado. The main administration building is Richardson Hall, named after the school's first president, Dr. Ira Richardson. The William Porter Math and Science Hall is named for alumnus, William Porter, the creator of E-Trade and a major benefactor of the school. Notable Campus edifices for the performing arts include a theater, newly erected in 2001, and the Leon Memorial Concert Hall. McDaniel Hall building is the main venue for English, Psychology, Sociology, and Teacher-Education classes. The academic staff at Adams State is extremely accessible. There is a high interactivity between students and faculty. There is also a strong partnership and sense of community between the university and the city inhabitants. There are two gyms: one for student recreation, and Plachy Hall, used mainly by the Athletics Department. The stadium has undergone major renovation; the new complex includes suites for game viewing, and a new residence hall. The new residence hall provides one of the most impressive views, with a view of Mt. Blanca to the east and overlooking the beautiful track and football field to the west. A new $750,000 video-tron screen displays action and replays at one end of the field. There are currently five on-campus apartment^{[clarification needed]} complexes, in addition to three traditional dormitory halls. Most entering freshmen are housed in Coronado and Girault Halls. The main cafeteria is newly renovated.

Athletics

The school's sports teams are now called the Grizzlies.(Formally nown as the Indians). They participate in the NCAA's Division II, and in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. This is a current list of all athletic groups: Basketball: Men’s NCAA Division II, Women’s NCAA Division II, Men’s Intramural, Women’s Intramural Cross-Country: Men's NCAA Division II, Women's NCAA Division II Football: Men's NCAA Division II Golf: Women's NCAA Division II Wrestling: Men's NCAA Division II Softball: Women's NCAA Division II, co-ed Intramural Soccer: Women's NCAA Division II, co-ed Intramural Indoor Track & Field: Women's NCAA Division II, Men's NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field: Women's NCAA Division II, Men's NCAA Division II Volleyball: Women's NCAA Division II, co-ed Intramural Lacrosse: Men's NCAA Division II Swimming: Men's NCAA Division II, Women's NCAA Division II

ASU's Men's cross country team is most notably known for becoming the first team in cross country history to record a perfect score at the National Championships in 1992, the first year Adams competed in NCAA Division II after competing in the NAIA previously. The women's cross country team has won the past four National Championships dating back to 2003 and have won 15 National Championships in all, including three during the NAIA era. The Grizzly track and cross country teams are coached by Damon Martin, a winner of 20 National Coach of the Year awards. The football team under the leadership of Head Coach Marty Heaton runs a very aggressive defense that allowed only 10 passing touchdowns in 2010. The football locker room is state of the art with electronic displays for film viewing and visual management of team roles and positions. The weight room is available for all Grizzly sports team athletes and was custom designed for use in national advertising campaigns by the company that donated the weightlifting equipment.

Presidents

Presidents have been:^[1]

• Ira Richardson (1925–1950)
• William Newson (1950–1952)
• Fred J. Plachy (1952–1966)
• John A. Marvel (1966–1977)
• Milton Byrd (1978–1980)
• Marv Motz (interim) (1980)
• William M. Fulkerson, Jr. (1981–1993)
• Marv Motz (interim) (1993–1994)
• J. Thomas Gilmore (1995–2002)
• Lee Halgren (interim) (2002–2004)
• Richard A. Wueste (2004–2005)
• David Svaldi (2005–present)

References

External links

• Adams State University website
  • Grizzly Athletics website

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