The College at Brockport

In 1835 village leaders partnered with a Baptist group to build an institution of higher learning. This "academy," or "collegiate institute," was a common institution at the time. Public schooling ended with the 8th grade, and there were no high schools. Colleges were very few in number, and generally did not admit women or minorities.

Academies were a transitional form, that included elements of the modern high school, prep school, and college, but were a unique form all their own. Brockport's academy flourished academically, but like many such institutions often struggled financially.

In the Civil War era Malcolm MacVicar, the principal, was a visionary educator who saw the need for better education for teachers in New York and he led a campaign to get the state to establish a system of "Normal" schools across the state. The effort was a success, and in 1867 the Brockport Collegiate Institute became one of the new Normal schools.