Adams State College
Encyclopedia
Adams State College is a small state-supported liberal arts
college
in Alamosa
, Colorado
, U.S.
, in the San Luis Valley
.
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 college's first graduate, http://www.adams.edu/about/asc_history.pdf 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 college 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 college’s first president. Billy Adams died in 1954, just shy of his 93rd birthday. He left the school $10,000.
Adams State College is located in the heart of the San Luis Valley. All of the college’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.
The ESS (Educational and Social Studies) 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 in all of college, overlooking the beautiful track and football field. A new $750,000 video screen displays action and replays at one end of the field.
There are currently five on-campus apartment complexes, in addition to three traditional dormitory halls.
Most entering freshmen are housed in Coronado and Girault Halls. The main cafeteria is newly renovated.
'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
ASC'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.
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
in Alamosa
Alamosa, Colorado
The city of Alamosa is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 8,682 in 2005...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in the San Luis Valley
San Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan...
.
History
Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's collegeNormal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
but now offers a variety of programs including masters degrees in many fields. Billy Adams, a Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
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
San Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan...
. The college's first graduate, http://www.adams.edu/about/asc_history.pdf 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 college 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
Ira Richardson
Ira Richardson was a president of Northwest Missouri State University and founding president of Adams State College.-Early life:Richardson was a native of northern Missouri and received a degree from Central Methodist University in 1897....
, the college’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 College is located in the heart of the San Luis Valley. All of the college’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.
The ESS (Educational and Social Studies) 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 in all of college, overlooking the beautiful track and football field. A new $750,000 video screen displays action and replays at one end of the field.
There are currently five on-campus apartment 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 called the Grizzlies. They participate in the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division II, and in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
. 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
ASC'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:- Ira RichardsonIra RichardsonIra Richardson was a president of Northwest Missouri State University and founding president of Adams State College.-Early life:Richardson was a native of northern Missouri and received a degree from Central Methodist University in 1897....
(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)