On September 7, 1999, CSHL opened its doors for the first class of the Watson School of Biological Sciences to six excellent candidates. One hundred thirty students had submitted applications, and twenty applicants were invited for interviews.

Start-up challenges included the unfinished Knight House renovations, causing some students to be placed in temporary housing, including cabins in the CSHL woods. True pioneers!

2019 marked the twentieth anniversary of the founding of the graduate school.