EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- East Stroudsburg University students, both past and present, filled the lawn outside the Science and Technology Center for a party to celebrate the 125th birthday of the school.
"You can see the progression between how it was all those years ago to now. It's still a family bond. It's grown here with all the students on campus, but it still has that close-knit family feeling," said Cassie Reeke, ESU graduate student.
At the Founder's Day celebration, we found lots of people from the university taking pictures, playing games, and eating cake.
Displays showing what the campus looked like back in 1893 to now filled the hallways inside the Science Center.
University President Marcia Welsh says in the beginning, the school only offered one major.
"When the school was founded, it was founded only for education. Elementary ed and physical education and now, we reach a broad range of programs," said President Welsh.
Frank Johnson was a student at East Stroudsburg in the mid-1970s and is now on the alumni board.
"In '74, we only had 3,500 kids on campus and now they are up to like 6,500. A lot of buildings weren't here, of course. Sports teams, we were about as competitive as we could be. I loved coming to school here. It was a great experience," said Frank Johnson, ESU Alumni.
One big change that both past and current students have noticed on campus is the amount of residence halls that have been built.
Cassie Reek says when she first came to ESU, there were only dorms, not suites.
"They are nice. I never got to live in them, but they look beautiful. They do," said Reek.
Other events to celebrate ESU's 125th birthday will be scheduled throughout the semester.