Bluefield State University

the institute's sponsoring legislation.
In 1906, Hatter was succeeded by Robert P. Sims, who would lead the institute, then college, for three decades. In 1909, the institute became a normal school, adding the training of teachers to its curriculum. By 1920, enrollment climbed to 235, with summer sessions for teacher certification adding hundreds more. Campus growth followed enrollment gains, expanding to 23 acres and the addition of Payne and Conley Halls. Enrollment grew to more than six hundred on its "terraced hills."
The President's House, later renamed Hatter Hall, was built in 1930 and added to the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1932, the State of West Virginia recognized the institute's success, accredited its education curriculum, and changed its name to Bluefield State Teachers College.
Sims' successor, Henry Dickason, was an institute alumnus and president from 1936 to 1952. In 1943, the state again accredited an expanded curriculum and renamed the school Bluefield State College.
Neither …