Synopses of the Exhibits

The year 2004 marked the bicentennial of Ohio University. As part of the yearlong celebration, the Mahn Center constructed a series of five exhibits, each running for three months, from June of 2003 until November of 2004. The exhibit series tied together in an overall theme of changes at the university, with different treatments that explored changes over time.

The Changing Curriculum
The current curriculum has many majors, disciplines and general education requirements, in contrast to the heavy emphasis on classical learning in the early decades. The exhibit will focus on the classical learning of the early period.

The Changing Campus Landscape
The exhibit will look at the evolution of the campus's built environment from three buildings of the mid-19th century through the expansion around the College Green, into the river valley and the move to incorporate The Ridges, while also personalizing the story with details about some of the people for whom buildings are named.

Present at the Creation
The exhibit will explore the concept, foundation, and the formative years of Ohio University. Focusing, as much as possible, upon anecdotes from the mouths of the people involved, the exhibit will trace the planning for the University, the reality of what it was--a male-only religious academy/college constantly in financial crisis--in the first seventy years, and the seeds of change to a state supported institution of higher education open to all.

The Seasons of the (Academic) Year
The Bicentennial of Ohio University can be illustrated in an exhibit whose theme is a chronology of 200 years within the context of the recurring academic year. The backdrop of this passage of time is the seasons of the year. The exhibit will display objects, illustrations, and explanations of the people, events, and scholastic activities that occur (and reoccur) during each quarter of academic life. Students enter the university in the fall and graduate in the spring. The University has moved forward 200 years in a framework of recurrent academic years.

Range, Revolution, and the River: Changing Times at Ohio University during the Volatile 1960s and 1970s
An exhibit focusing on the physical expansion of the University, the dramatic increase-and the subsequent dramatic decrease-in enrollment, student reactions to national issues, trends and fashions, and the recurring problem of the flooding Hocking River.