The convocation was held at 2:30 PM on May 1, 1968 in the Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium.
The first page of the program contains a short historical narrative that reads as follows:
Clarion State College 1867-1967. In 1867, Seminary Hall, whose twin towers would for a century overlook the town, was being constructed in an open area of some seven acres now bordered by Wood Street and Eighth Avenue. The institution that was to become Clarion State College was being founded as Carrier Seminary by the Erie Conference of the Methodist Church. Clarion, Forest, Jefferson, McKean, and Warren counties purchased Seminary Hall and adjacent land in 1886 for the establishment of a normal school. Two additional buildings, Stevens and Navarre Halls, were quickly constructed to provide dormitories, and with recognition by the Commonwealth, the new school opened in 1887 as Clarion State Normal School. The Commonwealth purchased outstanding stock owned by Clarion State Normal in February, 1916, and formally assumed control of the institution. Twelve years later the State Council of Education granted authority to confer the degree of Bachelor of Science in Education and in 1929 changed the institutional name from Clarion State Normal to Clarion State Teachers College. The word "Teachers" was removed from the title in 1960, and the school became Clarion State College, suggesting that it was to assume a new role in the education of Pennsylvania citizens. As evidence that it was ready to do so, the College established a liberal arts curriculum in 1962, leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Clarion has experienced a remarkable metamorphosis since the days of Carrier Seminary. The campus now comprises approximately fifty-three acres and twenty-three buildings, of which ten have been constructed in the past decade. Fourteen additional buildings are in various stages of planning or construction. Enrollment is more than 3100 full-time students and is expected to reach 5000 by the early 1970's. In addition to the teacher education and liberal arts programs, curricula now include business administration, library science, music education, and special education. Three graduate programs were implemented in September, 1967, and others will be added in the fall of 1968 and in subsequent years. Clarion is deeply gratified that it is the first of the state colleges authorized to offer the Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees. As it observes its Centennial Year, Clarion State College finds strength in its loyal and well qualified students, in its excellent faculty, and in a past that has established a tradition of progress. It looks to the future with resolution and confidence.
