History

Ganon History

• Gannon College of Arts and Sciences, founded as Cathedral College under the 1925 charter of Villa Maria College, was established by then-Bishop John Mark Gannon, who in 1941 purchased one of the most elegant buildings in downtown Erie—the Strong Mansion (now known as Gannon’s “Old Main”)—as the current campus’ central site. Renamed Gannon College in 1944, it received its own charter as a four-year men’s college. In 1964, Gannon became co-educational and established a graduate school. In 1979, the college attained University status.
• A private, Catholic, comprehensive co-educational institution with a total enrollment of 3,400 full- and part-time students, Gannon has emerged as Northwestern Pennsylvania’s premier Catholic university and is a valuable community and regional resource.

TSU History

• Organized as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School in 1909; began serving students on June 19, 1912; raised to the status of a four-year teachers' college in 1922; elevated to full-fledged land-grant university status by the Tennessee State Board of Education in 1958.