WCU Celebrates Historic Charter Day
It’s an historic year for West Chester University and an historic week, too. The University is celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2021 and celebrating its Charter Day on March 10.
While 1871 may have marked the first day of class, it was even earlier that the Normal
School at West Chester was officially chartered as a training academy for elementary
school teachers. On March 10, 1870,
the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed an act “to authorize the Trustees and Contributors
to the West Chester Academy to become a State Normal School.”
Plans were solicited from several architects for “the completion of an institution not only attractive and convenient to those who seek its halls for education, but combining all that is … necessary to render it equal if not superior to any institution of similar kind in the commonwealth.”
WCU is marking this historic moment with its first-ever Charter Day of Giving on March 10 to raise critical funds for the University, Donors can make a difference by selecting the fund or program that personally means the most to them. For some, that might be the Fund to Finish, which provides emergency aid to students when it matters most, such as aid for that last course needed to graduate. Others may choose to give to the Excellence Fund for a specific WCU college or school, or to the Dowdy Multicultural Center Fund to help cultivate and sustain a socially just, equitable, and inclusive campus community for all students. For details, visit WCU Foundation Day of Giving.
Plus, Charter Day is a way you can share your memories of your time at West Chester using the hashtag #WCU150.
And don’t miss out on the chance to enjoy an evening with Henry Winkler when the WCU Foundation’s nine-week G.A.L.A. series concludes on April 17. University President Christopher Fiorentino and his wife, Sue Fiorentino, will host a virtual conversation with Winkler that is sure to be engaging and thought-provoking. Learn more at WCU Foundation Gala website.
Visit WCU’s sesquicentennial website for frequently updated features about our history and heritage.