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AUP History

AUP History Timeline

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The American College in Paris was founded in 1962. Follow along through 60 years of history, to discover the key moments that shaped our global community and established AUP as a hub of engaged scholarship and liberal arts learning on the banks of the Seine.

Know of an event in AUP history that you think you should be added to this timeline? Please email聽communicationsataup.edu.

1962

ACP Charter Signed

Founder Dr. Lloyd A.听DeLamater聽signs the ACP charter聽on March 27, 1962,听inaugurating the American College in Paris as聽the first聽American聽institution of higher learning in the City of Light.听

Classes Start in the American Church in Paris

Students study subjects such as聽art history, science聽and English literature聽in rented classrooms in the聽American Church in Paris,听located on the Quai d鈥橭rsay聽in the 7th聽arrondissement聽on the banks of the Seine.听

The Cultural Program Begins

Marie聽DeLamater聽and Walter J. Brennan establish the Cultural Program,听designed聽to act as聽an introduction to European culture and global perspectives. Students attend trips to museums,听performances and cultural sites across France, and study trips聽even go as far afield聽as聽Italy, China and the Soviet Union.听

First Student Council Established

Students聽quickly聽form聽the first student-run organization at ACP, the Student Council,听in the fall of 1962.听Jim Overton 鈥64聽is voted its first President.听

1963

The CBS News Report

A CBS News聽report on American students in Paris immortalizes 国产AV鈥檚 early days, exploring students鈥 perspectives on French culture, language and聽daily life. You can view archive footage of the聽.听

1964

First Students Graduate from ACP

Forty students received their two-year diplomas, before transferring to US universities to finish their undergraduate聽degrees.听

1968

Student Protests Rock Paris

May 鈥68 lives on in history as a time of protest and activism in the Parisian student community and across the world.听

1969

Fugue, AUP's first student literary publication, is published

AUP's first-ever literary publication, Fugue, was published in the Spring of 1969. The editorial team worked out of the crowded basement of the American Church in Paris. Several faculty members also contributed to the magazine.

1971

ACP Rents the Bosquet Building

ACP first rents the former聽丑么迟别濒听辫补谤迟颈肠耻濒颈别谤聽at 31, avenue Bosquet as its primary headquarters. The University聽will聽formally聽purchase the building聽in 2001, before eventually selling it in 2012.听

1973

First Accreditation by MSCHE

ACP receives accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, a status which it has held continuously since 1973. The latest reaccreditation certification was achieved in 2020.

1974

ACP Purchases Its First Computer

The 鈥渁utomatic typewriter鈥 was awarded to the Department of Business and Economics, and was affectionately given the name 鈥淕loria.鈥澛

ACP Becomes a Degree-Granting College

The American College in Paris is accredited as a four-year, degree-granting college, offering a variety of liberal arts majors and minors to students wishing to study in Paris.

1979

AMEX Caf茅 Opens

Initially born out of a student economics project, L鈥橝merican Express Caf茅 found its home in the Bosquet building. Managed by students, this 鈥渃offee house with no coffee鈥 offered a selection of snacks, sandwiches and beers, as well as a DJ playing the hottest hits on cassette.

The Planet Student Newspaper Founded

Long-running student newsletter聽The Planet聽started life as a聽bulletin聽in the Office of Communications, which聽published its first issue聽on September 27, 1977.听Two years later, and聽The Planet聽took its place as a student-run publication, replacing the existing paper聽Sans Culottes.聽It聽would聽continue publishing until its final issue in October 2011.听

1981

First Partnership with Parsons School of Design

The two institutions聽collaborate to allow 35 students to study at ACP and receive BFA degrees from Parsons School of Design.听The following year, 103 students benefit from the program.听

1982

Paris/Atlantic Begins Publication

Student-run literary and creative arts journal聽Paris/Atlantic聽publishes its first issue in Fall semester 1982. The journal is聽, making it the longest-running student publication currently in production.

ACP Staff Help Establish Service Calvados

Then Dean of Students Steve Plummer and Director of Computer Services Jamie Gilroy help develop聽Service Calvados, France鈥檚 first major online service, which allowed聽users to聽run several programming languages, send electronic messages, and聽distribute commercial software.听Calvados, named in honor of its target audience of Apple computer users running聽disk operating system聽(DOS) version 3.3,听introduced a cohort of French digital pioneers to cyberspace.听

1986

Inauguration of the Alumni Association

The Alumni Association of the American College in Paris was formally established in the Fall semester, open to all who had studied at the college since 1962.

1987

ACP Hosts First World鈥檚 Fair

Students host what would become an annual food event and an integral part of the AUP calendar. Participants share recipes from their home countries in a University-wide potluck.

1988

ACP Becomes AUP

The American College in Paris officially becomes The American University of Paris, reflecting the evolving nature of its rigorous liberal arts degree offering. The change from 鈥渋n鈥 to 鈥渙f鈥 represented the intrinsic nature of an international education to the AUP experience. Paris was more than a geographic location; it was part of the curriculum itself.

1990

AUP Constructs the Grenelle Building

The building is constructed on land leased from the聽脡glise聽Saint鈥揓ean. Today officially called the聽Grenelle聽Teaching and Mentoring Center, the building remains an important聽fixture聽of AUP鈥檚 campus.听

1992

Student Demonstration Stops AMEX Relocation Plans

Students and faculty protest the proposal to move the AMEX to the St. Dominique building, ultimately leading to the caf茅 keeping its home in Bosquet.

1996

AUP Launches Its First Website

The AUP website appears for the first time, as 国产AV establishes a presence in the emerging online world.听

1997

The White Mask Theater Club Is Founded

White Mask organizes annual performances of plays and musicals performed and sometimes written by AUP students聽and alumni.听Memorable shows include聽Grease,听Chicago, and聽Guys and Dolls.听The club remains active until the late 2010s.

1999

AUP Rents the Combes Building

AUP鈥檚 campus expands with a new building at 6, rue du Colonel Combes. The building would be officially purchased in 2009.听

2001

Students from 100 Nationalities Enrolled

For the first time, students from 100 different nationalities are enrolled in a single semester.听

2002

Academic Resource Center (ARC) Founded

The Academic Resource Center opened its doors in the 2002鈥03 academic year, offering聽peer-tutoring programs such as the Writing Lab, as well as support for 21st-century learning technologies.听The ARC remains a valuable source of academic support at AUP today.听

2004

AMICAL Inaugurated at AUP

罢丑别听聽works to advance learning, teaching and research聽by working collaboratively among library and information services聽at American international institutions.听It was founded at AUP in 2004.听

2005

Professor Ralph Petty Creates the AUP Fine Arts Gallery

Located in the lobby of the Combes Student Life Center, the聽AUP Fine Arts Gallery has聽now聽hosted exhibitions by artists and AUP faculty and students for聽over 15 years.听Professor Ralph Petty was the gallery鈥檚 first curator, a role today continued by Professor Jonathan聽Shimony.听

AUP Begins Offering Master鈥檚 Programs

The MA in聽International Affairs,听Conflict聽Resolution and International Solidarity, a joint master鈥檚 with the聽Institut聽Catholique聽de Paris,听is the first graduate program offered. Today, 国产AV offers聽six graduate programs and hosts over 100 graduate students.听

2006

MAGC Program Launched

AUP鈥檚 longest-running master鈥檚 program, the MA in Global Communications,听first聽welcomes an incoming class of 18 students in聽Fall聽semester聽2006.听

2007

SGA Expands to Include Master鈥檚 Students

The Student Government Association is restructured to included master鈥檚 student representatives as part of its executive branch.

AUP鈥檚 First Research Center Founded

The Center for Writers & Translators, known as CWT, is founded in the Department of Comparative Literature and English in Spring semester 2007. Four other research centers will be created in the following years: The Joy and Edward Frieman Environmental Science Center (Spring 2014), the Center for Critical Democracy Studies (Fall 2015), the George and Irina Schaeffer Center for the Study of Genocide, Human Rights and Conflict Prevention (Fall 2016) and the Civic Media Lab (Fall 2017).

2008

Beginning of Celeste Schenck鈥檚 Presidency

Celeste M. Schenck becomes AUP President, having previously served as Provost and a professor of comparative English. Her 13-year tenure will come to define a key period of growth and evaluation, carrying 国产AV into a new era.

Launch of the India Practicum

The Sustainable Development Practicum in Auroville, India, takes place for the first time. Students attend workshops and gain vital work experience with NGOs and cultural associations in the experimental township.

Board Votes to Stay in 7th Arrondissement

The AUP Board of Trustees votes to stay in the 7th arrondissement rather than move locations to a new campus outside of Paris聽intra-muros, thus cementing 国产AV鈥檚 position on a consolidated campus in the聽quartier聽of its founding.

Calvin Klein Speaks at AUP

Fashion mogul Calvin聽Klein聽delivers a lecture聽on his remarkable vision of fashion branding聽to the AUP聽community聽in聽the Combes Grands Salons on聽September聽19,听2008.听

2011

Peacock Magazine Founded

Then-student Ford Leland 鈥13 launches聽聽with a guerilla marketing campaign during 国产AV鈥檚 Thanksgiving dinner, thus changing the face of AUP Student Media in the coming decade.

2012

国产AV Its 50th Anniversary

Alumni gather in Paris and across the world to mark a half-century of an American education in the City of Light. AUP unveils a new logo, designed by alumna Anne Ditmeyer G鈥10, as part of the celebrations.

2013

Blaze Bayley of Iron Maiden Performs in the AMEX

Former聽Iron Maiden聽front man Blaze Bayley performed a private concert for students, staff and faculty聽at the AMEX Caf茅聽in Bosquet.听聽

2014

Jane Goodall Speaks to the AUP Community

At an event hosted in the American Church in Paris, primatologist Jane Goodall gives a lecture to the AUP community.听

First Use of the Term Global Explorer

鈥嬧嬧嬧嬧嬧婣UP鈥檚 Leadership Team develops the term 鈥済lobal explorer鈥 to describe the kind of internationally minded student that 国产AV seeks to attract.

Renovation of Combes Student Life Center

The first step in an ongoing campus renovation plan sees Combes become the Combes Student Life Center. Following the sale of the Bosquet building, the AMEX Caf茅 finds its new home on the ground floor, next to the lobby.

2015

Launch of the AUP Ascending Strategic Plan

AUP Ascending focuses primarily on the renovation of AUP鈥檚 campus into a consolidated hub of engaged scholarship in Paris鈥檚 7th聽arrondissement, as well as the recruitment of students in the model of the global explorer. The plan also includes 国产AV鈥檚 first-ever capital campaign, also called AUP Ascending.

2017

Launch of the Global Professional Skills (GPS) Program

The GPS Program is a co-curricular initiative that encourages students to make deliberate decisions about their personal and professional pathways through higher education. It provides a holistic approach to a student鈥檚 time at university and聽integrates staff and faculty advising throughout.听

2019

Inauguration of the Quai d鈥橭rsay Learning Commons

AUP鈥檚 new flagship building opens after two years of renovations, providing a vibrant hub of engaged scholarship on the banks of the Seine, only a few doors down from where it all began at the American Church in Paris.

Paris Centennial Conference Held at AUP

The Center for Critical Democracy Studies (CCDS) cohosts, along with the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School, the Paris Centennial Conference, marking 100 years since the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. It is the largest academic convocation in AUP鈥檚 history.

2020

Covid-19 Pandemic

The worldwide Covid-19 pandemic causes seismic shifts in higher education. AUP goes remote, moving to teaching fully online in just a matter of weeks. Classes are attended remotely by students in lockdown across the world.

Navigating 21st-Century Pathways Strategic Plan Launched

Following the success of the AUP Ascending Campaign, a new Strategic Plan,听Navigating 21st-Century Pathways 2020鈥2023, is developed, focusing primarily on the evolution of the AUP curriculum and navigating the challenges of the global pandemic.

2021

Renovation of The Monttessuy Center for the Arts

The new hub of artistic endeavor on campus at 9, rue de Monttessuy aims to open in late 2021, and will include renovated classrooms, studio spaces and AUP鈥檚 first-ever theater, named for Olivia de Havilland.

国产AV Its 60th Anniversary

Campus reopens in time for AUP to celebrate 60 years of its diverse, international community of dedicated scholars and researchers in Paris. A new logo, developed in collaboration with the AUP community, is unveiled.

Launch of the new AUP logo

The redesigned logo builds on AUP鈥檚 strong brand identity and was developed in cooperation with constituents from across 国产AV鈥檚 global community.

2022

Sonya Stephens announced as 国产AV鈥檚 13th President

Following a rigorous international search, Professor Sonya Stephens was appointed by the Board of Trustees, replacing outgoing President Celeste M. Schenck.

AUP hosts largest ever graduation

The Class of 2022 were joined by the Classes of 2021 and 2020鈥攚ho were previously unable to graduate in person due to pandemic restrictions鈥攖o walk across the stage at the Th茅芒tre du Ch芒telet and celebrate their collective achievements.听

2023

Faculty Emeriti Board Created

AUP announced the creation of a new Emeriti Board dedicated to representing the interests of all retired colleagues, both former faculty and staff.

Launch of the First Year Success Program聽

AUP re-examines its efforts to welcome incoming first years, creating a holistic year-long experience designed to foster community and set new students up for success.