Shortly after the close of the Civil War, residents of upper Berks County were able to turn their thoughts from mere survival on the frontier toward building a modern society. One of their first concerns was the preparation of young people to take their places in the developing industrial economy.
Before any of these dreams could be realized the inadequate number of school teachers had to be bolstered. To that end, on September 15, 1866, the Keystone Normal School was established on what is now the site of Old Main.
The depth and sophistication of teacher training continued to increase with the complexity of industrialized society, however, and the needs of a burgeoning industrialization in the region placed more and more demands on teacher preparation. Kutztown University moved to fill this need and, in 1928, the institution was designated Kutztown State Teacher's College and authorized to confer the Bachelor's degree.
Eventually, the area's need for liberally educated personnel to staff its industries outstripped the need for teachers. In 1960, the Department of Education changed the institution's name to Kutztown State College and diversified its goals toward "A center for learning for the best possible education of the youth of Pennsylvania in the arts and sciences and preparation of able and dedicated teachers."
Since 1960 the school has grown, teaching a student body of more than 8,200 with more than 365 faculty members. Bachelor of Arts degrees are offered in 23 subjects, Bachelor of Science in 13, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in seven, Bachelor of Science in Education in four, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Fine Arts in four, while master's degrees are offered in 21 subjects. In addition, the university reaches out to the community with credit and non-credit Lifelong Learning courses. On July 1, 1983, the institution became Kutztown University of Pennsylvania of the State System of Higher Education. Since that time the institution has continued to grow and diversify in facilities, research and staff toward the future.
During the 1991-92 academic year, Kutztown University celebrated its 125th year of service to the region and community.
