Baruch College—A Brief History
Compiled by Chris Rowan
Background: In 1846, Townsend Harris, the self-educated President of the Board of Education for New York City, proposed the establishment of a free institution for higher education. At that time, the city was confined to Manhattan and there were only two colleges in the city, Columbia University and The University of the City of New York. The electorate voted to set up a "Free Academy" in 1847. Two years later, it moved into a small building at the corner of 23d street and Lexington Avenue—which was then a remote and largely rural area of the city. (Initially, 149 male students were enrolled.) The Free Academy changed its name to the City College of New York in 1866.
A school within the College: In 1919, the Lexington Avenue location became home to the School of Business and Civic Administration and in September 1929, a new structure opened its doors on the original site of the Free Academy—it was called the "Commerce Building."
The Business School becomes Baruch: In 1953, the School of Business was named after Bernard M. Baruch, financier, philanthropist and City College alumnus, (class of 1889). In1968, it became a separate institution within the City University.
Firsts: In 1930, the first women enrolled in the School of Business, making the ancestor of Baruch College the first coeducational division of the City University. Over 15, 000 students now attend Baruch, and over half of the undergraduates are women. In 1932 (on May 7) The Ticker, the Baruch College newspaper, appeared for the first
