The exact date of the beginning of a department dealing with livestock and animal agriculture at Colorado Agricultural College is unclear. The official graduation list for the current Department shows William Marshall as the first graduate in 1900. The date of appointment of William Carlyle as the first department head was in 1903. The program for the Colorado A & M College 75th Anniversary Celebration in 1945 indicates that the Agronomy and Animal Husbandry Departments became separate entities in 1909. In reality the Department as we know it today evolved over a period of time, and 1903 appears to be the time when the Department was organized.

The early years of the Department were concerned with the training of students in practical agriculture. Courses and curricula were developed to meet this goal. Because CAC was a Land grant school, experimentation and development of new concepts as well as outreach programs were developed to serve agriculture. Early in the Department’s history livestock enterprises, student clubs, judging teams and other programs were initiated that remain in some form today. Majors that include Dairy Industry, Animal Nutrition, Avian Science, Equine Science and Animal Science have been or continue to be a part of what is now the Department of Animal Sciences. Some general changes that have occurred during the first century include (1) the location of faculty offices; (2) change in animal species for teaching and research; (3) increased course offerings; (4) increased undergraduate and graduate student enrollment; (5) increases in clientele interaction; (6) a shift to a higher percentage of female students; (7) changes in departmental majors and (8) increases in international programs.

Changes in breadth and focus of programs during the past century have resulted in several name changes. The Department has changed from Agriculture to Animal Agriculture to Animal Husbandry to Animal Science and currently to Animal Sciences. Focus on science and technology as well as inclusion of dairy, poultry and horses at different times has influenced changes in name. Interestingly, there is talk nationally for “Animal Science” to return to “Animal Husbandry” because this name reflects the new era of concern for animal care and well-being.
Colorado’s livestock industry currently contributes over $3+ billion in cash receipts annually to the state’s economy. The Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University supports this effort through research, teaching and outreach. The Department’s current mission is:

“The Department of Animal Sciences has the unique mission of serving Colorado’s large and diverse livestock industries. Research, teaching and extension/outreach activities in the Department of Animal Sciences focus on developing industry leaders and improving profitable production of horses and food animals through the application of science and technology, resource management and food product enhancement, with emphasis on addressing societal issues concerning food safety, product quality and value, animal care and management, and environmental impacts of animal agriculture”.

In 2003, the Department of Animal Sciences celebrated its 100 year anniversary and created a 100 page leather bound record of the department. The record can be ordered by calling Cheryl Miller @ 970.491.1442