Oxford Tutors

About Oxford

First came the university, then came the town. Oxford, OH would not exist today if it weren’t for President George Washington signing an Act of Congress to build a foundation for Miami University. In 1809, Miami University was chartered and the plans for Oxford were laid out one year later. It was an Act of Congress which stated an academy needs to be built Northwest of the Ohio River, in Miami Valley. The land was located and purchased to build the university. Contact a tutor in your area for additional help studying and get into your choice of university. Oxford itself was solely built to accommodate the students who would attend and work for the university. In fact, the original name of the town was “College Township” but was renamed Oxford in 1810. But the university’s construction came to a halt shortly after they began to build.

The War of 1812 temporarily stopped construction of the Miami University. Cincinnati then tried to divert the universities construction to be moved to their own city in 1822. Unfortunately for them, they failed and the college continued to build a Miami grammar school in 1818 to teach frontier youth. After five years the grammar school was closed. The university officially opened its doors on November 1, 1824, with 20 students and three faculty members. Several courses were offered but when completed, students earned a completion of coursework, not an official diploma. This did not stop students from growing their college in all aspects. In 1827, students purchased a printing press which eventually led to the current newspaper, Miami Student, being founded in 1867. The paper is currently the oldest college newspaper in the United States. Oxford and its surrounding towns were still greatly involved in agriculture. Farmers were not inclined to go to college until the Miami University introduced a farmer's college in 1829. The new department was not an agricultural school but instead a three-year educational program for farm boys wanting an education that was not within their reach before.

After reaching their peak enrollment with 250 students in 1839, Miami’s student enrollment began to decline. Enrollment fell to 137 students by 1847 which led to the “Snowball Rebellion” in 1848. Miami’s faculty’s stance against fraternities at the university caused many students to retaliate by packing Miami’s buildings with snow. More than half of students participated in the rebellion and were expelled by the school in response to their protest. Unfortunately, enrollment fell to 87 students in 1873 and the university closed its doors. But, after paying all of its debts and repairing its buildings, the university re-opened in 1885. The university began to grow from that moment on. Women were welcomed into the university after coeducation was mandated by the state of Ohio in 1902. In 1905, Miami’s first African American student, Nelly Craig, graduated from the university. Enrollment in the school continued to grow, leading them to expand their campus for more departments and more student housing. Miami University continues to progress with their students.