What We're Celebrating

There are many noteworthy dates in Northeastern's history, but the turning point for our University was its transition from the Cherokee National Female Seminary to Northeastern Normal School nearly 100 years ago. This significance of this milestone is rooted in the institution's historic link to the Cherokee Nation. The story of NSU actually began in 1851 with the dedication of the Male and Female Cherokee National Seminaries at Park Hill. When the Female Seminary burned to the ground on Easter Sunday 1887, the Cherokee Council chose to rebuild on a 40-acre site north of Tahlequah. Two years later, on May 7, 1889, dedication ceremonies were held for the new Cherokee Female Seminary, the building that is the centerpiece of today's main campus. Classes were held at the Female Seminary until the Oklahoma legislature authorized the state to purchase the facility from the Cherokee tribal government on March 6, 1909. At the start of the next academic year, on September 14, the first classes convened at the newly created Northeastern State Normal School.

Sequoyah Sculpture Selected

The Centennial Sculpture Committee has selected Daniel HorseChief's sculpture of Sequoyah (George Guess), creator of the Cherokee syllabary.

Centennial Video