BVU History 

● Buena Vista College (now Buena Vista University) was founded by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1891.

● The first college building, known as “Old Main,” was opened in 1892 and was the primary building on campus until it was destroyed by fire in 1956.

● In the 1950s and 1960s, a major expansion program was initiated with construction of three residence halls, a science building, a physical education complex, a library, a campus center, an auditorium and a classroom-administration building during these decades.

● The college was first granted accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1952.

● The 1970s and 1980s focused on program and faculty development, adding new majors and enhancing academic requirements.

● The first of BVU’s 14 satellite Centers across Iowa was established in the mid-70s to serve the needs of non-traditional students who can not relocate to the Storm Lake campus to complete a bachelor's degree.

● A new era began for Buena Vista College in May 1980 with an anonymous $18 million gift. In October of 1985, the anonymous donor was revealed as the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business/Siebens Forum was dedicated in the name of the benefactor. This gift started the creation of a competitive college endowment, supported physical construction and renovation, as well as further development of regionally recognized academic programs. It made possible such distinctive programs as the William W. Siebens American Heritage Lecture Series and the Academic & Cultural Events Series (ACES).

● Record enrollments in the late 1980s led to construction of three new residence halls in the early 1990s. An institutional self-study indicated the need to strengthen the college library and information resources, leading to construction of the Library and Information Technology Center in 1994-95.

● A graduate program in education received accreditation in March 1995, and Buena Vista College became Buena Vista University on May 12, 1995.

● BVU became the nation’s first “wireless community” in August 2000, giving all
full-time students and faculty at the Storm Lake campus their own laptop computers to connect to the campus-wide wireless network.

● In 2001, the $9.5 million Lamberti Recreation Center opened, featuring three multipurpose courts and a six-lane, 200-meter indoor track.

● In 2004, BVU dedicated the Estelle Siebens Science Center. The 70,000-square foot building features 24 offices, 18 laboratories, seven classrooms and three research areas.  The old science center is being renovated to serve as the new home for the Art Department and the School of Social Science, Philosophy and Religion.  Work on this project and a new adjacent building for three-dimensional art will be completed in 2008 with the facilities open for classes for the 2008-09 school year.