The Plant Biology Department started in 1859 and was called Plant and Vegetable Physiology. In 1870 William J. Beal became the first professor of Botany at MSU. In 1880 the first Botanical Laboratory was built and then burned to the ground in 1890. The second Botanical Laboratory was built in 1893 on Circle Drive and is now referred to as the "Old Botany Building." In 1932 the department changed its name to Botany and Plant Pathology. In 1949 the Natural Science building was finished and the department was located there. In 1968 the Plant Pathology building was completed as an addition to the MSU/DOE (U.S Department of Energy) Plant Research Laboratory. On July 1, 2001 the Board of Trustees approved a reorganization and name change. The name changed to Plant Biology and a seperate Department of Plant Pathology which was a joint departmen with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.