Skip to Main Content

A Storied University

Miami History

Over Two Centuries and Five Eras of Quality Education

Pulley Tower with a tree's flowers in the foreground.Miami University is one of the oldest public universities in the country, made possible by an ordinance signed by President George Washington in 1795.

Chartered in 1809, Miami welcomed its first students in 1824, and its reputation grew as quickly as its enrollment.

Miami became known as the "Yale of the West" for its ambitious liberal arts curriculum, and today, it consistently ranks among the nation's top public universities for the quality of teaching and overall student experience.

"Great Lives Never Go Out; They Go On."

Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States from March 1889 to March 1893, was one of Miami University's most famous graduates. Prior to serving as the country's president, Harrison also served as president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Miami Union Literary Society. He graduated from Miami in June 1852. One of his notable quotes is: "Great lives never go out; they go on."
Read More about Benjamin Harrison
Portrait of Benjamin Harrison

McGuffey and His Readers

Professor William Holmes McGuffey, who taught at Miami from 1826 to 1836. revolutionized education with his Eclectic Readers' series, also known as the McGuffey Readers. They were first published in 1836 and used as textbooks across the United States for about 100 years. By the end of the 19th century, more than 100 million copies were printed and sold.

William Holmes McGuffey McGuffey Hall, home to the College of Education, Health and Society
Front cover of the first McGuffey Reader.

Inspiring Future Generations

Nellie Craig was a trailblazer who broke new ground both at Miami University and in her community. Miami's first Black graduate has a building named in her honor on the university's Oxford campus. Miami's Board of Trustees approved renaming the Campus Avenue Building after Craig, who graduated from Miami in 1905. (It is now named Nellie Craig Walker Hall.)
Walker Hall Dedication
Nellie Craig in the center of her class during a group photo
Craig was one of 20 women enrolled in Miami’s Ohio State Normal College (now the College of Education, Health and Society), where she earned her two-year teaching certificate and was the first Black educator to student teach in the Oxford Public School system to a mixed-race classroom.

NEEPWAANTIINKI

("Learning from each other") Since 1972, Miami University and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma have developed a mutually beneficial relationship – one sharing a name, a place, and commitment to education and learning. The Myaamia Center, located on campus, is the Miami Tribe initiative that serves as the research arm of the Tribe's language and cultural revitalization efforts.
Miami Tribe Relations
Workshop held by Jim Oris, showing how to create Myaamia ribbonwork
Myaamia ribbonwork is an art form based on the layering, cutting, folding, and sewing of ribbons to produce beautiful and complex geometric designs.
Front cover image of book Miami University 1809 - 2009: Bicentennial Perspectives

A Model of Public Higher Education for Over Two Centuries

From our start in the early 19th century as a small midwestern college to our transformation into a 21st century international university, Miami University has stood for two centuries as a model of public higher education.

Miami University 1809-2009, Bicentennial Perspectives, a historical timeline spanning five different eras of campus life, shows how national social forces and academic culture interacted in the college town of Oxford, Ohio.

Historical Timeline

Traditions That Make Miami Unique

Some fun, some serious. All built to last forever.

Rub the turtle's heads and get a healthy dose of good luck, or walk on the seal and you're going to fail your next exam.

Discover more about Miami Traditions.

Tri-delt sundial in evening sunlight.