History of Indiana Tech

John A. Kalbfleisch founded the college in June 1930.

The first students were recruited by members of the corporation, officially known as Indiana Technical College, using leads from high school principals in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. At the time, there were no classes, laboratories, or even school catalogs.

The first classes, held in the summer of 1931, had eight students. By the fall of 1931, there were 139, and the winter semester enrolled 179 students. In 24 months a male student could obtain a bachelor of science in electrical, structural, civil, or radio engineering. In 1933, the first graduating class was composed of 13 electrical engineers.

During the war years, enrollment fell from 472 to 86 by the fall of 1944. The five remaining faculty members took 50 percent pay cuts and worked evenings in local industries to support the war effort. The college also held special classes to meet the needs of the military, such as refresher courses for airmen and meteorologists along with mechanical drafting classes for women.

The return of servicemen from the war and the G.I. Bill gave a large boost to Indiana Tech’s enrollment. By the fall of 1948 there were 1,183 students enrolled, and the school went to three teaching shifts to keep up with the demand. In August 1948, Indiana Tech was reorganized under state law as a not-for-profit, endowed college, and a $100,000 endowment was given to the school by its former board.

A number of major changes were implemented in the ‘50s, the largest of which was a move to a new site. In 1953, Indiana Tech offered the Missouri Synod of Lutherans $1 million for 20 acres of Concordia College’s campus. The official move to the new campus occurred July 1, 1957, although the first classes were held on the campus in September 1955 because of overflow enrollments at the downtown buildings. In 1956, Charles Dana, founder of the Dana Corporation, offered a $300,000 grant for building an engineering and science facility for the campus. The Dana Engineering and Science Building (now known as the Zollner Engineering Center after a 2002 expansion) was dedicated on June 14, 1958.

The college went to a four-year degree program in July 1960 and was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1962. The name of the institution was changed from Indiana Technical College to Indiana Institute of Technology, effective January 1, 1963. Although that remains the official name, the university is more widely known today as Indiana Tech.

The 1970s were a difficult time for the university due to declining enrollment, but that began to change when President Thomas Scully added business degree programs. In 1982, the Extended Studies Division, which is now the College of Professional Studies, began offering correspondence courses for adults. In the late 1980s, the College of Professional Studies developed innovative accelerated degree programs and began opening satellite campuses throughout the state, enabling thousands of non-traditional learners to enroll.

In 1999 Indiana Tech received the esteemed ABET accreditation of the mechanical and electrical engineering programs as well as the beginnings of an MBA program. On July 1, 2003, the Board of Trustees appointed Arthur E. Snyder, Ed.D., as the eighth president of Indiana Tech. With an eye toward becoming a more comprehensive, quality university, Snyder  opened doors for unprecedented programs such as criminal justice, elementary education, physical education, biomedical engineering, energy engineering, organizational leadership, and a Ph.D. program in global leadership.

Indiana Tech has seen continuous growth, both on the physical campus and in its student population. The Fort Wayne campus has expanded, adding administrative buildings, athletic facilities, academic laboratories and residence halls, while increasing its traditional student enrollment to more than 1,000 students. The development of online degree programs and continued growth in the number of College of Professional Studies locations have boosted non-traditional enrollment to more than 4,000.