On November 9, 1891, students met for classes in the Edmond First Methodist Church and the oldest state higher education
institution in Oklahoma began its evolution toward what is today the University of Central Oklahoma.Construction of the first campus building, Old North Tower, began in the summer of 1892 and classes were first held in Old
North on January 2, 1893.In 1919, the institution’s name was changed from the Territorial Normal School to Central State Teachers College and the
training program expanded to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree in education. From 1901 until 1961, UCO housed a
laboratory school in which local elementary schoolchildren were schooled by UCO faculty and soon-to-be teaching graduates.Two decades later, Central State Teachers College became Central State College. In 1939 the Oklahoma Legislature authorized
the institution to grant both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.On March 11, 1941, Central State became part of a coordinated state system of post-secondary education overseen by the
Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education, and joined institutions with similar missions as a “regional institution.”On July 1, 1991, Oklahoma lawmakers gave the institution its current name – the University of Central Oklahoma, which
more appropriately represents the school’s status as the third largest university in the state and its unique role in
serving the people of central Oklahoma.