New exhibit highlights transition from FSCW to FSU

By Vivian El-Salawy on December 7, 2016

A new exhibit will be opening at Special Collections Exhibition Hall at Florida State University’s Strozier Library on Friday, Dec. 9. This exhibit is produced by a group of history graduate students and it chronicles the transition from Florida State College for Women to Florida State University.

Exhibit flyer courtesy of Adam Moran

The Special Collections & Archives Division of the Florida State University Libraries strives to advance research by providing access and preserving original primary source materials. Additionally, they showcase a variety of exhibits each year. The newest exhibitition that will be featured this week is titled “All ends are beginnings: The Transformation of FSCW to FSU, 1930’s to 1965”.

In 1905, the Buckman Act restructured higher education and called for the reorganization of the college for white women, creating Florida State College for Women. However, after World War II, the school then transitioned to a coeducational system  in order to accommodate the influx of students entering college under the G.I. bill, renaming the school as “Florida State University”. The university later became racially integrated in 1963.

“The exhibit features the transition up until the ‘60’s because we did not want to summarize such an important part of Florida State’s history. The racial integration of Florida State deserves its own exhibit,” says James McAllister, curator of the exhibit.

Image of FSCW postcard via FSU Special Collections

“We are looking to highlight some of traditions at Florida State University. By focusing on Florida State College for Women before World War II and Florida State University after World War II when men began to attend the university, some of these academic traditions can be traced,” adds McAllister. “There are many ways in which some of these academic traditions have shifted and transitioned along with the changes within the university, but there are others that have remained throughout time.”

Exhibit poster courtesy of Adam Moran

The exhibit also emphasizes the role that Florida State College for Women played during World War II. It features items from FSU’s Special Collections & University Archives and the Institute on World War II and The Human Experience.

Additionally, this timeline marks a compilation of important historical events both within the realm of Florida State University’s history and the history of the United States. Within this timeframe, FSCW was the third largest women’s college in the United States., America entered World War II, Florida Flambeau reported that “Seminoles” will be the athletic team name, FSU’s “Flying High Circus” made a debut, and color television was introduced. These are just a few of the many historical events that marked this time period in Tallahassee.

All in all, students, faculty, and staff are highly encouraged to pay a visit to the exhibit. Take some time out of your day to learn about why our university is the way it is today and where some of your favorite FSU traditions come from. You would be surprised which traditions withered away and which traditions have carried on through time.

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