Our founder, Edward Austin Sheldon, is more of a campus celebrity than one would think. Without him, we wouldn’t have our beloved college.
Oswego celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2011. That means Oswego has been around for 150 years.
Founded in 1861 as the Oswego Normal School, Sheldon served as the school’s president until 1897.
Sheldon was born in 1823 and died in 1897. During his life, he was influential on the teaching system. He introduced the Oswego Movement, which was based on the methods of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. The movement was use of objects, such as models and blocks, in elementary schools; a new way to teach students.
Sheldon was so influential that students at more than 3,000 schools gave penny donations so a bronze statue could be created. The statue was unveiled in Albany in 1900. Teddy Roosevelt was in attendance at the ceremony, as he was the governor of New York at that time. If you happen to walk by Sheldon Hall, stop and take a look at the statue of our great founder.