Iowa State University, founded on March 22, 1858, marked the sesquicentennial anniversary (150th year) of its founding with a year-long, university-wide celebration. Starting with kick-off events held during VEISHEA 2007, the celebration continued throughout the following twelve months, culminating with concluding ceremonies held during VEISHEA 2008.

The planning for Iowa State University's Sesquicentennial Celebration was officially started in 2004 when President Gregory Geoffroy charged Tahira Hira, Executive Assistant to the President, with directing the planning of the university-wide celebration. That spring, the Initial Sesquicentennial Planning Committee was formed under the co-chairs of Roger Baer and Paul Lasley.

With initial planning underway and with the support of the administrative team of Tahira Hira, Carole Custer, and Breck Breitsprecher, members of the academic and administrative units of the university were invited to join in the formation of a new committee which would coordinate the upcoming celebration. The Sesquicentennial Implementation Committee, again chaired by Roger Baer and Paul Lasley, first met in January 2006 and began the task of organizing the university-wide celebration, coordinating the plans of the individual campus units, and providing leadership to the different units in the university's sesquicentennial kick-off at VEISHEA 2007.

One of the first events marking the upcoming celebration was the publication of a new book, A Sesquicentennial History of Iowa State University: Tradition and Transformation. The book, published in February 2007 and edited by Dorothy Schwieder and Gretchen Van Houten, was an anthology that explored in detail many of the exciting developments that took place at Iowa State University during the previous seven decades. The book had a lot of historical ground to cover as the only other book written on the institutional history of Iowa State was written by Earle Ross in 1942.

The year-long celebration was officially started during VEISHEA 2007. Following the parade, President Geoffroy presided over ceremonies on the steps of Beardshear Hall marking the beginning of the sesquicentennial festivities. Inside Beardshear Hall was a giant birthday cake and enough sheet cake to serve 20,000 people. Souvenirs and handouts with the sesquicentennial logo were passed out to guests as they explored the exhibits and displays set up all across campus and merchandise with the new logo was sold at various locations. The original 1858 act founding Iowa State was on display in the ISU Library Special Collections Department and many of the colleges and academic departments on campus celebrated their history through posters, displays, and open houses.

During the next twelve months, the sesquicentennial celebration kept rolling as more and more plans came to fruition. An historical timeline of Iowa State covering all 150 years of its history was prepared by Special Collections Department staff and reviewed by the Sesquicentennial History Committee. The information gathered for the timeline would be used in various formats including newspaper inserts, a 16-page spread in Visions magazine, and a large floor display unveiled at the Iowa State Fair. University Extension carried the celebration to every corner of the state by organizing community service projects. Sticks, a furniture and design studio in Des Moines, created commemorative artwork and objects for sale to honor the celebration. Special resolutions were passed by the Iowa statehouse and the U.S. Senate recognizing Iowa State's 150th year. Elwood Drive in Ames was rechristened University Boulevard. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra traveled to Ames and played at C. Y. Stephens Auditorium. The original Morrill Act of July 2, 1862 traveled from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington D.C. and was on display for five weeks in the Christian Petersen Art Museum in Morrill Hall. These are just some of the many events that took place throughout the year.

The closing ceremonies of the sesquicentennial celebration took place on a chilly, snow-covered Saturday during VEISHEA 2008. The ceremonies included a tribute to Iowa State students enlisted in the armed services who gave their life in service to the country; a military flyover of central campus; a speech by Clayton Anderson, the first Iowa State graduate to venture into space; and the presentation of a U.S. flag that flew over the nation's capitol on March 22, the anniversary date of Iowa State's founding. The ceremony concluded with the dedication of a newly landscaped area near the campanile which included a bench and a plaque commemorating the sesquicentennial.

The collection (2004-2009) contains committee minutes, correspondence, artifacts, printed materials, news clippings, posters, and reports. The committee minutes and correspondence details the work of the Sesquicentennial Implementation Committee. These documents document the planning that took place to make the celebration a success. News clippings contain items published about sesquicentennial activities and publicity for events. Materials related to various events affiliated with the sesquicentennial are included such as VEISHEA programs, Extension service project reports, Morrill Act exhibit information, and Morrill Hall rededication ceremony programs. Printed materials include the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences "150 Points of Pride" booklet, commemorative timeline booklets, and copies of the "Sesquicentennial Report."

The most complete collection of materials related to the sesquicentennial celebration are contained in the five notebooks titled, "Final Report of ISU's 150th Celebration." These notebooks were assembled by Tahira Hira, Carole Custer, and Breck Breitsprecher and document nearly every event and project carried out during the sesquicentennial celebration. Materials in the notebooks include copies of news articles about the celebration and related events, images and programs from events, copies of souvenirs and artifacts with the sesquicentennial logo, committee meeting minutes and correspondence, DVD videos and slideshows, and print outs of web pages publicizing sesquicentennial events. The notebooks also include short narratives and background information provided by Hira, Custer, and Breitsprecher to help identify and clarify some of the activities surrounding the planning of the celebration.

Copies of the book A Sesquicentennial History of Iowa State University: Tradition and Transformation (call no. LD2547 S47 2007) can be found by searching the Library catalog.

The collection is organized alphabetically with news clippings at the front.