Lewis-Clark Normal School (1955–1971) Northern Idaho College of Education (1947–1951) North Idaho Teachers College (1943–1947) Lewiston State Normal School (1893–1943)
Lewis–Clark State College is a public college in Lewiston, Idaho, United States. It was founded 133 years ago in 1893 and has an approximate annual enrollment of 3,600. The college offers more than 130 degrees.
History
In 1893, Governor William J. McConnell signed an act on January27 authorizing the establishment of the "Lewiston State Normal School" in Lewiston, "provided the mayor and common council of that city on or before May 1, 1893, donate ten acres, within the city limits and known as part of the city park, and authorizing the said mayor and council to convey to the trustees of said normal school the said tract of land," etc.[citation needed]
The first trustees on the school's board were former congressman James W. Reid, former governor N. B. Willey, Lewiston mayor J. Morris Howe, and C. W. Schaff, a local physician. Reid was elected president of the board, a position he held until his death in 1902.
Lewis State Normal School c. 1904
Lewiston residents quickly obtained the required space for the school. However, the legislature acted slowly in providing construction funds, causing delays. George E. Knepper had been hired as first president of the school. Frustrated by the delays in developing his building, Knepper leased space in downtown Lewiston and opened for classes on January 6, 1896. The building itself was not ready until May. Over the next several years, more structures were added to the campus, including dormitories and a gymnasium.
Administration building, ca. 1910
In keeping with the normal school philosophy, Lewiston Normal focused on practical, hands-on training for new teachers, including vocational education. The school also ran an on-campus training school.[citation needed]
Until the 1920s, one-room schools served well over half of Idaho's primary students.
World War II impacted the nation's normal schools, but not as much as it did conventional institutions. Generally, male students were in the majority at regular colleges, many of which experienced enrollment losses. Normal schools attracted a predominantly female student body, so the declines were much smaller, about 15% at Lewiston Normal.
The school experienced a crisis on December 5, 1917, when the Administration Building suffered severe damage in a fire,
later determined to be arson by a student. Its cupola collapsed into the gutted interior of the main structure and the older east wing was totally destroyed.
Lewiston Normal continued to grow, as the demand for pre-college teachers increased. By the late 1920s, the "normal school" concept was being supplanted by a "teachers college" approach. Such colleges still focused on teacher education, but students could earn a bachelor's degree, more and more often required for certification. Recognizing this trend, school supporters began a campaign to change Lewiston Normal's status. They also began the process of upgrading[clarification needed] the faculty.
Supporters also fought an ongoing battle to keep the school open; some legislators wanted to close the normal schools to save money. During World War II, the school continued to train teachers while expanding its nurse-training program and producing a large numbers of fliers in its Navy Air School. In 1943, the Board of Education raised the school to full four-year status and became "North Idaho Teachers College" (NITC). Now with the ability to grant a Bachelor of Education degree, school leaders took it upon themselves to use the name "Northern Idaho College of Education" (NICE), and the legislature approved the name change in 1947.
The school got another temporary reprieve from cost-cutting when a deluge of veterans, funded by the G.I. Bill, enrolled after the war. In 1951, budget hawks succeeded in closing the school, as well as its counterpart, the "Southern Idaho College of Education" (SICE), which had previously been called Albion State Normal School, located in Albion, Idaho. The state's other colleges had assured legislators that they could supply all the teachers needed. In three years, the state found itself issuing nearly 40% more provisional teaching certificates than it had in 1951.
The legislature re-opened the school as "Lewis-Clark Normal School" in 1955 as a two-year school under the administration of the University of Idaho, thirty miles (50km) north in Moscow. The first dean of the school was appointed in 1957, and enrollment was 319 in the fall of 1961. The arrangement with the university proved difficult and ended abruptly in 1963.
Talkington Hall (left) and Reid Centennial Hall Clock Tower at the LC State campus
The ongoing need for teachers, a developing shortage of nurses, and a new push for vocational education from the federal government combined to rescue the school from another closure. The state legislature voted to elevate it to four-year status in 1963 but did not approve funding until two years later. Enrollment of the now-independent, four-year school grew, from 465 in 1964 to 1,033 in the fall of 1968. It continued to grow and in July 1971 the name was officially changed to "Lewis-Clark State College", and was the last normal school in the country to make the change.
In April 2025, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a request to rebrand the school as Lewis-Clark State University to better reflect the institution’s offerings, which extend beyond two-year degrees. During the 2026 Legislative Session, Lewis-Clark President Cynthia Pemberton lobbied the legislature to pass Senate Bill 1234, which would codify the name change. Despite passing successfully through the Idaho Senate, the bill was opposed by House Speaker Mike Moyle and did not receive a hearing.
LC State competes in twelve intercollegiate varsity sports: men's sports are baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track & field; women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. The school colors are navy blue, white, and red. The nickname "Warriors" was adopted after the school reopened in 1955; earlier nicknames include "Pioneers" in the 1930s, "Loggers" was adopted through a contest in October 1938, and continued until the 1951 closure.
Baseball
Absent for a decade (1952–1961), baseball returned as an intercollegiate sport in 1962. Since 1984, the team has won nineteen NAIA national championships; sixteen were under head coach Ed Cheff, who retired after 34 years in 2010. LC State has hosted the NAIA World Series at Harris Field since 2000, and also from 1984 through 1991.
.jpg)
