Celebrate! Commemorate! Connect!

Welcome to Kalamazoo College's "Time-Travel" website, an online celebration of our 175th Anniversary. Here you will learn more about the milestones and traditions that make up the history of Kalamazoo College.

It all started when a young minister named Thomas Merrill arrived in Michigan with $7.00 and a plan to establish a Baptist college on the frontier. In 1833, with the ambitious assistance of Judge Caleb Eldred, Merrill's dream became real, and the history of Kalamazoo College formally began.

In the more than 175 years that have followed, the College has gone through many eras of growth and change. Buildings, personalities, and academic programs have come and gone. Through it all, we have maintained a tradition of excellence second to none among liberal arts colleges.

As home to the most highly regarded international study program in higher education, a global orientation is a hallmark of a Kalamazoo College education. In Fall 2008, we marked 50 years of our Study Abroad program as part of the anniversary commemoration.

Happy 175th birthday, Kalamazoo College! We look forward to an exciting future.

Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran, President