On Jan. 20, 1858, Corvallis academy (Oregon State University) was founded and maintained by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In 1865, college-level courses are introduced into the curriculum.

The school experienced several additional renaming events, including Oregon State Agricultural College (1882), State Agricultural College of Oregon (1886), Oregon Agricultural College (1890), Oregon State Agricultural College (1927), Oregon State College (1937), and then finally Oregon State University in 1961.