Norwich University

Norwich University is the first private institution in the United States to offer formal courses in civil engineering, which have been taught there continuously since its founding.

Based on reports of western explorers, in particular the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 to 1806, Captain Alden Partridge, a former superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, saw that the new nation needed a technical institution where students could be trained in engineering to aid in developing the country.  He was disappointed that other educational institutions were not sufficiently practical to meet the needs of an expanding nation.

To meet this need Partridge founded the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy (ALSMA) in Norwich, Vermont in 1819. Funded primarily by the private subscriptions of like-minded individuals, construction began in 1819 and was completed the following summer.  ALSMA opened on September 4, 1820 with an initial enrollment of 100 students.  It was the first private institution in the United States to offer formal courses in civil engineering providing education on the construction of roads, canals, locks, and bridges.

The institution moved to Middletown, Connecticut in 1825 and returned to Norwich four years later.  It was renamed Norwich University in 1834 after receiving a charter from the Vermont Legislature. The campus moved to its present location in Northfield, Vermont in 1866 after a fire destroyed its main building. Civil engineering courses have been taught at the institution continuously since its founding.

Note: The United States Military Academy at West Point is recognized by ASCE to be the oldest educational institution in the nation to offer formal instruction in civil engineering; however, it was only for those accepted into the United States Army.  Norwich University admitted students without that restriction.