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Dating back to the 19th century, the earliest college unions were student debating societies in English universities. From their original primary concentration on debate and discussion and on independence of student thought and action, these unions gradually evolved into large and comprehensive clubs geared to the dining, meeting, social, and recreational needs of students. This emerging concept began influencing American colleges toward the end of the 1800's, leading to the nation's first student union building at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896.

The growth rate of the college union movement, moderate but steady during the succeeding fifty years, accelerated dramatically in the 1950's and 1960's, with the result that student union buildings are now common to most colleges and universities in this country.

The Marshall Center (originally called the University Center) was built in 1959 and opened in 1960. The University Center was one of the first five bui ...