Gallaudet History
The first 50 years
In 1856, Amos Kendall, a wealthy business man who also had served as postmaster general during two presidential administrations, donated two acres of his estate in northeast Washington, D.C. to establish housing and a school for 12 deaf and six blind students. The following year Kendall persuaded Congress to incorporate the new school, which was called the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind. From such modest beginnings evolved Gallaudet, a prestigious University of international importance.
Edward Miner Gallaudet-son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, founder of the first school for deaf students in the United States-became the new school's first superintendent. Gallaudet's deaf mother, Sophia Fowler Gallaudet, who was the widow of the Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, became the school's matron.
By 1864, Congress authorized the Institution to confer college degrees, and President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill into law. Gallaudet was made president of the entire corporation, including the college, which that year had eight students enrolled.
President Gallaudet presided over the first commencement in June, 1869 when three young men received diplomas for having completed the entire four-year course of studies. Their diplomas were signed by President Ulysses S. Grant and to this day the diplomas of all Gallaudet graduates are signed by the current U.S. President.
The 20th Century
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the college flourished. One survey of former students from the years 1931-1941 showed them engaged in 82 different occupations, including teaching, educational administration, and scientific research.
Through an act of Congress in 1954, the name of the institution was changed to Gallaudet College in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. By that time the college was thriving as student enrollment soared and the institution experienced significant growth both physically and institutionally.
A Time of Expansion
In 1969, the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare agreed with the college's administration to establish the Model Secondary School for the Deaf on the Gallaudet campus. A year later, President Richard Nixon signed the bill that authorized the establishment of Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. Today, the two schools and several other programs devoted to the creation and the nation-wide dissemination of outstanding educational opportunities for deaf students are part of Gallaudet's Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center.
The college's "growth spurt" continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, peaking in October 1986 with the announcement that, by an act of the U.S. Congress, the 122 year-old college had been granted university status. That fall, the student body totaled almost 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and preparatory students. Gallaudet counted among its alumni successful lawyers, investment bankers, scholars, entrepreneurs and many other professionals.
A Watershed Moment: Deaf President Now
When President Jerry C. Lee announced his resignation as president of the University in 1987, leaders in the national deaf community joined with Gallaudet alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends in urging the Board of Trustees to select a deaf person as the University's next president. By February 1988, the Board had narrowed the field of candidates to six-three deaf, three hearing; then down to three candidates, on of whom was a hearing woman, Dr. Elisabeth Zinser. The two deaf candidates were Dr. Harvey Corson and Dr. I. King Jordan.
On March 6, 1988, the Board announced the appointment of Zinser as Gallaudet's next president. Students and their supporters reacted swiftly. They refused to accept the board's decision and instead, launched the historic Deaf President Now [DPN] protest.
DPN united faculty, students, staff, alumni and members of deaf communities across the country and abroad in support of the notion that it was time that Gallaudet was led by a deaf person. The week-long protest captured worldwide attention and created great awareness of deaf people, and their language and culture. Two days after being appointed the new president, and under pressure from DPN, Zinser resigned. Gallaudet's eighth-and first deaf-president, I. King Jordan, '70, was selected. Philip Bravin, '66 became the first deaf chair of the Board of Trustees, and the board began the process that would fulfill a demand of the student protesters that 51 percent of the members of the Board of Trustees be deaf.
Growth Continues
In 1990, a generous contribution from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation enabled the University to construct the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, which has become a popular venue for meetings, seminars, wedding reception, and other events for both on-and off-campus groups. Since then, three additional buildings have been constructed, including the technology-rich Student Academic Center. The newest addition to campus is the James Lee Sorenson Language and Communication Center, a unique facility that provides an inclusive learning environment totally compatible with the "Deaf Way of Being."
The International Community
Gallaudet organized and hosted two major week-long international gatherings, Deaf Way I in 1989 and Deaf Way II in 2002, to celebrate the history, language, art, culture, and empowerment of deaf people in the United States and throughout the world. The first Deaf Way showcased the eloquence of sign language, how promises of emerging technologies would improved deaf peoples' quality of life, and the power and joy of the shared experiences of deaf people the world over. Deaf Way II occurred on an even grander scale than its predecessor, with over 10,000 people from 120 countries participating.
Positioned for the Future
Today, Gallaudet is not only one of the Washington area's largest businesses in terms of salaries and benefits paid to employees and money spent on goods and services, it also is viewed by deaf and hearing people alike as a primary resource for all things related to deaf people, including educational and career opportunities, communication access, Deaf History, Language and Culture, and the impact of technology on the deaf community.
The University's undergraduate students can choose from more than 40 majors leading to Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees. A small number of hearing undergraduate students-up to five percent of an entering class-are also admitted to the University each year.
Graduate programs at Gallaudet are open to deaf, hard of hearing and hearing students and offer a master of arts or a Master of Science degree, specialist degree, certificates, and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields involving professional service provision to deaf and hard of hearing people.
Through the University Career center, students receive internships that provide a wealth of experiential learning opportunities. Recent internships were offered at Merrill Lynch, National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA], National Institutes of Health, and the World Bank. Students also benefit from an array of services provided by such campus units as the Hearing and Speech Center, Career Center, Cochlear Implant Education Center, Gallaudet Leadership Institute, Center for ASL Literacy, and Office of International Programs and Services.
