Emporia State University (ESU) is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills. The campus, originally 20 acres (80,000 m²), now covers 200 acres (800,000 m²). The university was founded in March 1863 when the Kansas Legislature passed the enabling act to establish the Kansas State Normal School. The school's first graduating class consisted of two women in 1867, the year the first permanent building was completed. In 1876, the Kansas Legislature passed the "Miscellaneous appropriations bill of 1876". The end result was that Leavenworth Normal and Concordia Normal were closed so the state funding for normal schools could be directed to Emporia. In February 1923, the name of the school was changed to the Kansas State Teachers College. In July 1974, the name was changed to Emporia Kansas State College. On April 21, 1977, the college became Emporia State University. The Kansas Board of Regents is the governing body for ESU. Since 1863 more than 150,000 students have studied at ESU. On January 25, 2006, then ESU president Kay Schallenkamp, Ph.D, resigned to serve as president of Black Hills State University starting July 1, 2006.