The Roots of the College
Buchtel College was founded in 1870 with financial support from John R. Buchtel, an Akron manufacturer of farm equipment. In 1913, under the leadership of President Parke R. Kolbe, the college became the Municipal University of Akron. That same year, the liberal arts department is renamed the Buchtel College of Liberal Arts (now the Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences). Over the next 50 years, University enrollment grew from 198 to nearly 10,000, paralleling the dramatic growth of the entire region during that period.
From 1910 to 1920, Akron was the fastest-growing city in the United States, and the home of innovation rooted in ongoing and productive collaborations between what was Buchtel College and the rapidly expanding rubber industry. The world’s first courses in rubber chemistry were offered by Professor Charles Knight through Buchtel College in 1909 and would provide a solid foundation for the emergence of The University of Akron with the Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences as its cornerstone.
As both the University and the Akron region grew throughout the 20th century, so did the college's programs, faculty and impact.
Buchtel College Today
Today, the Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences remains the University's largest and most academically diverse college. More than 150 years after its founding, the college brings together the disciplines that help students understand the world, solve complex problems and improve the communities they serve.
The college is organized into five academic divisions:
- Education
- Arts
- Humanities
- Natural Sciences
- Social Sciences
Across these divisions, students learn from dedicated faculty, participate in undergraduate research, creative activity and community engagement, and prepare for careers that make a lasting difference.
Learn more about the history of the University.