In 1899, Northern Illinois State Normal School (NISTC) first opened its doors. The Department of Biological Sciences was established in 1921. As the institution grew, NISTC was renamed Northern Illinois State College (NISC) in 1955, and just two years later, in 1957, it became Northern Illinois University (NIU). The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where the Department of Biological Sciences is located, was established in 1959. The department moved from Davis Hall (built in 1943) into Montgomery Hall in 1969, and Charles E. Montgomery Hall was formally dedicated on Oct. 16, 1970.