James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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HISTORICAL IN the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, with the Shenandoah and Massanutten mountains on either hand, lies the City of Harrisonburg, the home of our Alma Mater. When we look at Blue-Stone Hill with its blue limestone bui ldings, fitted as they are into an orderly pattern, it seems as if they must have always existed; but when we come to read its life history, we find that it is really very young, as institutions go, being only in its twenty-sixth year. What has been the story of these twenty-six years? Let us first take a back- ward glance, and then look at our college as it is today so that we may see how much it has progressed. The college was established March 14, 1908, by an act of the General Assem- bly, as the Normal and Industrial School for Women. This name it retained until 1916, when it was officially renamed the State Normal School for Women. It was not until 1924 that it received its present title, the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg. The school was first opened to students September 28, 1909. During this first session the total enrollment amounted to 209 students, while the faculty numbered fourteen. Dr. Julian Ashby Burruss, now president of V. P. I., was president at that time; he retained this position until 1920, when he was succeeded by the present incumbent, Dr. Samuel Page Duke. The physical equipment of the college on that opening day consisted of three buildings, the present Maury Hall, Jackson Hall, and the Infirmary. At present the physical plant consists of sixteen buildings, the most recently constructed being Senior Hall, a splendid dormitory of the most modern type. It was completed this year as a Public Work Administration project. The college now has a faculty of about sixty members and an enrollment of around 800 during the winter session. During the summer the work is co-educa- tional, and the enrollment last summer was approximately 450. The college faculty members in cooperation with the University of Virginia also conduct extension courses at various points in the Valley, in which a number of students enroll. At present the college grants the Professional Diploma and the Bachelor of Science Degree. The former is awarded upon the completion of the two-year cur- riculum for either grammar grade or primary-kindergarten teachers, and the latter is awarded to those who take a four-year course in preparation for either elementary or high school teaching or for specialization in home economics. A pre-nursing course of two years is also offered. In addition, the State Board of Education has just this year authorized the granting of the Bachelor of Arts Degree. Having given instruction to over 12.000 different persons in its history, it is today the largest college for women in the state. When we consider these note- worthy accomplishments during the first quarter of a century of its history, we realize how rapidly our college has advanced both materially and academically, ever striving toward an even greater degree of service. 26

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- e President