Campus sustained heavy damage to landscaping, trees, and many buildings from the 1999 tornado. The F3 tornado was only on the ground for five minutes but created a path of destruction 4.3 miles long and 880 yards wide. With wind speeds ranging 158-206 mph, 22 buildings were damaged and more than 130 trees were uprooted. The property-damage estimate was $72.7 million.

During the 20 years after the tornado, the campus has transformed and grown. These image comparisons below illustrate this change.