Fifty years ago, hundreds of Arizona State College students stormed the state capitol in Phoenix, despite the sweltering desert heat.

Armed with picket signs and petitions, the students were rallying for change; they believed their college deserved to be renamed as a university.

Two exhibits in Hayden Library chronicle the events that led to the name change of Arizona State College to Arizona State University through the enactment of Proposition 200 in 1958, which was passed in large part because of the school’s student body.

Karrie Porter Brace, curatorial and museum specialist for Archives and Special Collections said student activism played a large part in the change.

“When considering the determination of the ASC students in 1958, I think today’s ASU student activism could make a huge difference in the outcome of a political battle,” Porter Brace said. “Student activism at the level of significant influence would require a considerable amount of organization and information distribution.”

Head Archivist Rob Spindler said that “A University in Fact: The Great Name Change Campaign,” in the Luhrs Gallery on the fourth floor of the library and “ASU Celebrates 50th Anniversary!” in the Hayden Library Rotunda serve to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASU’s name change.

“The election results represented a public affirmation of the need for higher education in central Arizona,” Spindler said. “Citizens throughout the state recognized the importance of expanding educational capacity and the role of universities in advancing economic development.”

Sponsored by Archives and Special Collections, the exhibits are comprised of images of picketing students, newspapers clippings and more.

In the Luhrs Gallery, a photo of a billboard advertising to vote in favor for Proposition 200 reads, “ASU. A new name … a true name.”

Both exhibits depict how the growth of the student body led to the eventual switch from college to university and how students were an instrumental part of the process.

“I think the efforts of the Arizona State College students greatly influenced the outcome of Proposition 200,” Porter Brace said.

The name change faced opposition from the Arizona Board of Regents, Porter Brace said, many of whom were UA alumni who did not think Arizona State College deserved the university title.

“What I find interesting is that out of all the colleges and universities in the United States, I have never heard of any other school facing opposition in regards to a name change,” Porter Brace said.

Both exhibits are on display through the fall semester, and Spindler said he hopes visitors of the exhibits take away the lesson that anything can be accomplished through hard work and determination.

“Back in 1958, thousands of students mobilized to help change their school’s name,” Spindler said. “Do you think students nowadays at ASU would have the same motivation for a cause as students did back then?”

Reach the reporter at whitneyclark@asu.edu.