1913 Delhi Founded

A State School of Agriculture and Domestic Science at Delhi was first proposed by Elizabeth MacDonald, and championed by her sister Amelia. The goal was to help stem the migration of young men and women from the area by preparing them for careers in farming.

The plan was initially rejected by governors in 1910, 1911, and 1912, but the determination of Delhi citizens culminated on May 24, 1913 when Governor Sulzer signed the bill into law.

“Church bells were rung and steam whistles blown…to commence the celebration. The band gave a concert from the pagoda, the park being profusely decorated with Chinese lanterns, while many business places and residences were brightly lighted.”

--The Delaware Republican

1915 First Director

Dr. Carl E. Ladd served as the school’s first director and took on the task of organizing the school in just under 10 weeks following his arrival.

A great deal of this (enthusiasm) was supplied by the director, Dr. Carl E. Ladd, who radiated confidence and created a spirit of zeal and loyalty that brought harmony out of an otherwise chaotic situation.

--1922 Fidelitas, Delhi’s first yearbook

First Class

It was October 14, 1915 when Delhi opened its doors to nine students, the college’s director, and two instructors. There was only one building, the Dairy Barn, now known as Thurston Hall. It was a cold place. As one student said, “Red noses were in vogue.”

The building was to serve as a model dairy plant; however, this proved to be impractical for class space, and the building’s platform for receiving milk cans was converted into a school library.

“…They were a good-natured lot and what was lacking in equipment was made up in enthusiasm.”

--from the 1922 Fidelitas

Athletic Beginnings

Men’s basketball, Delhi’s first athletic team, was organized only weeks after the school opened. Until just after World War II, basketball and cross country were Delhi’s only intercollegiate sports. Early on, Delhi had a small pool of candidates for its athletics teams, but the school spirit remained strong.

Through the years, Delhi’s reputation in intercollegiate sports has grown. Delhi’s 1982 wrestling team broke the national record for consecutive dual meet wins and its cross country teams have earned more than 10 national titles.

1918 First Commencement

Delhi’s first commencement took place at the end of April 1918 when 19 diplomas were awarded, four in Domestic Science and 15 in Agriculture. Six of the agriculture diplomas went to students who had completed their coursework the previous year when no graduation exercises were held.

The college now holds two commencement ceremonies, one in December and one in May, so that all graduates can participate in the celebration while they are on campus. At every ceremony, the college’s alma mater, Sheltered by the Catskill Mountains, is sung. The original lyrics are credited to Richard Kirwan, a Delhi student who enrolled at the college through a program that allowed disabled WWI veterans to pursue an education.

Earliest Recognized Student Group

Delhi’s earliest recognized student group, the Rural Community Club, later called Country Life Club, was open to all students and provided informal dramatic and musical programs, debates and social functions.

In the club’s heyday, students conducted enthusiastic elections for officers. Two political “parties,” the Rustic Rushers and the Rural Boosters, would vie for control of the club. The club faded from campus life following World War I.

1920 First Newspaper

The Oracle, Delhi’s first school newspaper, was published in November 1920. It originally appeared in a magazine format with more space devoted to literary works than to news accounts of school activities and athletics.

1921 First Teacher Training Class

Eighteen young women enrolled in the college’s first teacher training class. They studied rural sociology, psychology, principles of teaching, school management, and the methods of teaching all subjects taught at the elementary level.

Delhi’s training course came at a critical time when Upstate New York was dotted with one-room schools desperate for teachers trained to teach a wide range of grades.

The college continues to serve New York State’s need for educators with its three teacher education transfer programs.

1923 Oldest Greek Organization

Delhi’s oldest Greek organization was the Delta chapter of Theta Gamma, a society with representation at the six state agricultural schools.

Tri-Atelier, often considered a fraternity, belonged to the category of department clubs and was formed in 1938 for students in the construction division.

Other Greek organizations developed as the college grew. Pi Nu Epsilon was the first sorority, and a second fraternity, Psi Delta Omega, was chartered in 1958. Kappa Sigma Epsilon, another fraternity, and Alpha Beta Chi, a sorority, formed in the early 1960’s.

1930 FDR Speaks

Farm and Home Days were important events on campus in the 1920’s. Regular school work was suspended to give time to a series of lectures and demonstrations for the benefit of students and the community. These events attracted notable speakers, including Governor Roosevelt in 1930.

1933 First Construction Program in U.S.

A building construction program, the first of its kind in the United States, was introduced to meet the growing demand for carpenters and builders. This program marked the beginning of Delhi’s technology programs.

Students put what they learned to good use by designing and building a house for a Delhi resident. Many of the houses on Park Place and Sheldon Drive in the Village of Delhi were the result of Delhi construction students’ hard work.

The tradition continues with Delhi construction students building homes, as well as facilities for non-profit organizations, to gain hands-on experience.

1941 New Name

Campus expansion and an increasingly diversified curriculum, combined with the growing stature of New York’s six agricultural schools, culminated in 1941 when the official name was changed to the New York State Agricultural and Technical Institute at Delhi.

1947 Hospitality Roots

Food technology was added to the curriculum in 1945, which marked the beginning of what is now Delhi’s Hospitality Management program.

Later program developments included hotel technology in 1958, restaurant management in 1961, travel and tourism management in 1987, culinary arts in 1994, and in 1998, the college’s first bachelor’s degree—the BBA in Hospitality Management.

1948 Charter Member of SUNY

Thousands of G.I.s returning from war took advantage of incentives to attend college, and Delhi, like other colleges around the state and the country, were bursting to capacity. Governor Dewey appointed a commission to assess the need for state-supported facilities for higher education. Delhi was one of the original 14 state colleges and agricultural institutes that were included when the State University of New York system was created. It’s new name was the State University of New York Agricultural and Technical Institute at Delhi. In 1964, its institute designation was replaced by “College”.

Construction students built a sign of two brick columns proudly displaying the college’s new designation at the entrance of the campus.

1952 First Associate Degree

As a unit of the State University of New York, Delhi was authorized in 1952 to grant the degree of Associate in Applied Science to anyone completing a two-year course. The new diplomas now included the signature of the President of the State University.

1956 Business Division Emerges, Construction Curriculum Expands

Delhi’s dairy commercial department, which had offered a one-year course to students who learned typing, shorthand and office practice, became the secretarial department in 1948. The department expanded to become the Division of Business Technology in 1956, offering separate programs in business administration, accounting, and marketing.

That same year, the Construction Division expanded to include civil technology and mechanical equipment.

CADI Begins

Organized by President William R. Kunsela, the Faculty-Student Association, now known as College Association at Delhi, Inc. (CADI), was formed to help meet the needs of Delhi’s growing student population.

The non-profit corporation provided services that included the dining hall, campus store, student union, alumni council and financial aid for students.

1960 Delhi Campus Expands

Dr. William R. Kunsela immediately took up the fight for better facilities for Delhi’s growing student population. A massive construction project to modernize the campus began with virtually every structure torn down to make way for new facilities.

In his message to the 1963 graduating class, he wrote, “It is unlikely that any class in the past or future will have the same opportunity you have had in observing and experiencing the physical transformation of Delhi…”

1961 First in Veterinary Science Technology

Wilbur M. Farnsworth, then a Division Chairman, is credited with founding the college’s veterinary science technology program, the first of its kind in the United States.

Today Farnsworth Hall serves as the program’s home on the Delhi campus. This unique complex was dedicated in 1980 as one of the country’s most sophisticated laboratory facilities in the animal science field.

1962 First Residence Halls

Gerry and DuBois Halls were completed as part of an extensive building plan to modernize the Delhi campus.

Gerry Hall was originally an all-female residence and was dedicated in the memory of Miss Angelica Livingston Gerry, one of the area’s great philanthropists.

DuBois Hall received its name from Charles O. DuBois who served as director from 1917 to 1929.

1964 College Foundation Formed

The College Foundation at Delhi, Inc. was established in 1964. This private, non-profit corporation solicits and accepts gifts to support student scholarships and priority programs at the college. It also operates The College Golf Course at Delhi and led efforts to build the Riverview Townhouses apartment complex adjacent to the campus in 2008

1965 New Buildings Dedicated

Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller visited the campus to dedicate four new buildings: MacDonald Hall, a new dining center; Smith Hall, a new construction technology building; Farrell Hall, a student union; and Sanford Hall, a library-science building.

At the dedication, Governor Rockefeller honored the building namesakes—Delhi Founder Amelia MacDonald, former Director Harlond Smith, Board of Visitors (now the College Council) member Jerome J. Farrell, and civic leader and publisher of the Catskill Mountain News, Clarke A. Sanford.

1968 Yearbook Dedicated to Fidelitones Director

Delhi’s Yearbook recognized Director Donald O. Shaver for bringing state and national acclaim to Delhi’s concert choir and the Fidelitones, a special group of the choir. He and his wife Bev, who served as accompanist, led the music groups from 1956 to 1983.

1976 Evenden Tower Dedicated

Evenden Tower, known as Delaware County’s tallest building, was formally dedicated in memory of Corey C. Evenden. Evenden, a faculty member from 1920-1952, was well-known for his adages such as “It’s a blessing to have on paper what you don’t have in your head.”

1977 Bill Pullman Makes Directorial Debut

Actor Bill Pullman, who had performed in the College Players as a Delhi student, returned to the campus to serve as the group’s director in 1977. Pullman has starred in a wide range of movie roles including the President of the United States in Independence Day, a private detective in Zero Effect and a troubled musician in David Lynch’s Lost Highway. Other film credits include The Thin Red Line, While You Were Sleeping, Sleepless in Seattle, A League of Their Own, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and The Accidental Tourist.

1981 Links to China

An unprecedented internship program for two-year college educators from the People’s Republic of China brought seven Chinese professors to the U.S. for study at Delhi and four other SUNY campuses in 1981.

In 2008, Delhi participated in the SUNY China 150 exchange. The program brought 4 of the 150 student displaced from the Sichuan Province to study at Delhi for a year.

1982 National Record

Delhi’s wrestling team, ranked number one in the country, set a new all-time collegiate record for consecutive dual meet wins. A three year winning streak stretched to 77 consecutive dual meets, beating a previous all-time college record of 76 held by Oklahoma State, an NCAA Division I institution.

1983 First Primate Colony

Delhi became the first two-year college program in the U.S. to establish an on-campus primate colony as part of its veterinary science technology program. Two years following, Chulalongkorn, a 12-ounce monkey, was delivered on the Delhi campus, making her the first primate in the U.S. born at a two-year college.

1989 Reaching Out

In 1989, building trades students traveled to Charleston, SC, to spend two weeks helping repair homes of low income families devastated by Hurricane Hugo. This was a precursor to Delhi’s Alternative Break. Students now travel during the winter and spring breaks to assist Habitat for Humanity with the rebuilding of devastated areas.

That same year, Delhi received approval to introduce New York State’s first landscape contracting technology program, now known as Landscape Design and Management.

1990 Alumni Hall Renovated

The Alumni Hospitality Center formally re-opened following a $1.2 million renovation project supported by hospitality alumni that transformed the building into a contemporary education and conference center.

Five years later, the Alumni Hall beverage laboratory was named Kennedy Lounge in honor of Jack Kennedy, a 1964 hospitality graduate who arranged for a major donation to support the construction of the lab.

1991 National Championship Site

The National Junior College Athletic Association named Delhi host of the first NJCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship.

In 1999, the college hosted the NJCAA Division III National Cross Country Championships for the first time.

1997 Community Service Grant

Delhi was awarded over $199,000 in an AmeriCorps grant to develop a 50-acre outdoor recreation park. The park provides the college and community opportunities to participate in recreational activities such as snowshoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and a site for the outdoor recreation programs to host educational activities.

1998 First Bachelor’s Degree

Delhi received official approval to offer a bachelor of business administration in hospitality in 1998.

The BBA traces its roots to Richard Seguare, who headed the hospitality program from 1974 to 1988. Robert Seibert, who followed Professor Seguare as chair, continued the program development process after Seguare’s retirement. When Mary Ellen Duncan became president in 1991, she embraced the concept and worked with department faculty to see it through the approval process.

1999 Community Service Center Established

The O’Connor Center for Community Service was established in January 1999 to match the needs of area non-profit organizations with student, faculty and staff volunteers. The Center has been generously supported by grant funds from the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation since its inception.

Today more than 70% of students participate annually in community service, leading to three consecutive years of recognition on the national President’s Honor Roll for Community Service.

New Leadership

Dr. Candace S. Vancko became SUNY Delhi’s president in 1999. She brought a new focus to Delhi as a nationally recognized expert in higher education management by introducing baccalaureate degrees and strengthening Delhi’s niche two-year programs.

President Vancko was honored for her 10 years of leadership in 2009 when the SUNY Delhi Alumni Association presented her with a $10,000 check to bolster the scholarship endowment she had established.

2000 Culinary Emerges

SUNY Delhi’s culinary team wins the American Culinary Federation’s New York State competition for the first time. Delhi goes on to win nine consecutive state titles.

That same year the team is featured in the National Culinary Review as New York’s finest. In 2003, the team earns a gold medal at the ACF National Championship.

2001 Hillary Rodham Clinton Speaks at Commencement

Hillary Rodham Clinton made her first official commencement address as New York State Senator at SUNY Delhi in May 2001.

She personally congratulated each graduate as they received their degrees. Clinton agreed to speak at commencement after receiving a special invitation from President Candace Vancko. Clinton returned to Delhi in 2005 to launch the Delhi Cyber community with the help of Microsoft, and again in 2006 to help highlight the Center of Excellence in WATER, which was established in 2004.

2004 Revival of Alumni Association

SUNY Delhi’s Alumni Association was revived in 2004 with the establishment of an Alumni Advisory Board. The board’s mission was established to provide guidance on initiatives and programming and stimulate alumni engagement and support.

COE Established

Through a partnership with SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, Delhi is developing a national model for economic development in watershed regions with its Center of Excellence in WATER. With over $2 million in funding, the college began four initiatives: a water quality testing lab; a subsurface irrigation project to spur economic development in the Village of Delhi and irrigate the Valley Campus; growth of willow as a cash crop for alternative energy use for farmers; and a pilot program to use biogassification as sustainable energy source.

2006 National Recognition

An article in the New York Times ranked SUNY Delhi eighth among colleges and universities for the best baccalaureate graduation rate in the U.S.

In 2008, SUNY Delhi was ranked among top baccalaureate colleges in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s Guide to America’s Best Colleges and the college’s Golf/Turf Management programs were ranked Top 15 in the U.S. and best in New York State by a leading industry trade publication.

2009 Great College to Work For

SUNY Delhi was recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education as a “Great Colleges to Work For.” SUNY Delhi was among the four-year colleges across the nation that were recognized for specific best practices and policies, such as compensation and benefits, faculty-administration relations, and confidence in senior leadership

Student Opinion

According to the 2009 Student Opinion Survey, Delhi was ranked among the top 10 SUNY campuses in 28 categories, including quality of instruction, acquiring knowledge and skills needed for a career, advising, and mentoring relationships with faculty and staff.

2010 Looking Ahead

A major renovation project was launched in 2009 to transform Farrell Hall into a modern student and community center.

Farrell Hall has been the hub of student activities since its construction in 1965. Through the years it has seen record-setting athletic achievements, blood drives, convocation and commencement ceremonies, and performances by comedians ranging from Jay Leno to Carrot Top and rock legends ranging from the Beach Boys to the Byrds to the Grateful Dead to U2.

2013 Delhi Will Celebrate its 100th Birthday

2018 Time Capsule to be Opened

A time capsule buried on campus in 1993 by Delhi’s Phi Theta Kappa Leadership class is due to be unsealed in 2018.