FROM NORMAL SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY
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majority leader. Waddingham put the bill at the top of the calendar. After debate, it passed the senate, 25 to 0, and, led by Representative Harold Mitchell, it passed the house by unanimous voice vote. Section 1 created a state college known as the College of Southern Utah, and Section 2 transferred all property previous held by the school as a branch of USU to the College of Southern Utah. Known locally as the "csu Independence bill," it was signed by Governor Calvin Rampton on 11 March 1965. 19 This marked another turning point for Iron County. Just as establishment of the normal school in 1897 changed the community, the move to independent status opened the way for growth for the community and the institution that share a unique relationship. Under the direction of President Braithwaite, the institution developed bachelor's degree programs in more than thirty areas in addition to refining vocational programs and offering pre-professional training in dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacology, and veterinary science. An outstanding faculty known for teaching skills and personal interest in the students was assembled. The campus provided an educational environment surpassed by few others in the western United States. Eleven buildings were constructed and the two oldest buildings were renovated between 1965 and 1978. Landscaping including fountains, waterfalls, and native trees set in groves amid the structures and along pathways provides both seclusion and inspiration for students, faculty, and campus guests. In 1962, under the auspices of the college's theater department, the Utah Shakespearean Festival was born. Like most other campus and community ventures, it began as a volunteer production. From the first year, when a thousand-dollar budget produced three plays spanning three weeks, it has grown into a $20 million, summer-long enterprise which attracts over 100,000 visitors from the United States and abroad. In 1988, 60 percent of the college's entering freshman indicated that they first heard about the school through the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Ashcroft Observatory is another example of the college and community working together on a worthwhile project. Astronomy was an important part of the science curriculum from the first days of the BNS/BAC, and, by the 1960s, the college had three fine telescopes.
