San Jose State College - La Torre Yearbook (San Jose, CA)

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LIBRARY-MISS JOYCE BACKUS. The library was established in 1872 by an appropriation of 351,000 lts collections survived the destruction of the Normal School buildings in 1880, and 1906. Between 1.906 and 1912 the library occupied a temporary building in the quadrangle. The present reserved book room served library needs until 1925. ln ten years the library expanded into five additional rooms. The present building is one wing of the planned college library. The collection grew from 2,000 volumes in 1879 to 110,000 in 1949. MATHEMATICS-DR. W. HOWARD MYERS. The Mathematics Depart- ment is an academic department with strength unequalled in any other of the state colleges and in few of the universities of the state. In function the department has outgrown its original purpose of train- ing prospective elementary teachers although this service still is provided. The programs leading to the M.A. degree and the general secondary teach- ing credential are now in operation, and in addition there are curricula in pure and applied mathematics leading to the A.B. degree in mathe- matics. MODERN LANGUAGES-MR. L. C. NEWBY. The Modern Language Department was organized in 1923. The first year there were 49 students in four classes of Spanish and French-one instructor. The next year Ger- man was added-still one instructor. Since that period the department has grown until at present there arc 13 instructors and a thousand students taking courses in French, German, Spanish, Latin, and Russian. The de- partment has always emphasized thc development of the students' ability to speak the foreign language.

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HOME ECONOMICS-DR. M. C. ,I ONES. For over thirty years the home economics department has held a place of importance among Cali- fornia colleges for its training of homemaking teachers and dietitians. Courses are planned to satisfy several different objectives: professional, vocational and avocational. Our faculty is looking forward to the develop- ment of graduate courses, the first of which will be offered in the l950 summer session. Ways are being studied to strengthen the graduate pro- gram and benefit students interested in attaining the master's degree. INDUSTRIAL ARTS-DR. H. A. SOTZIN. Industrial Arts had its in- ception on this campus in 1887, seven years after the first Manual Train- ing School was established. Initially a room was fitted with tools to do simple woodwork and the work was optional. ln 1912, the first students were certiied to teach Industrial Arts. Today, the department is the largest on the Pacific Coast. Six hundred majors, minors, technical and graduate students are enrolled. The demands for the graduates has always exceeded the supply. JOURNALISM-MR. DWIGHT BENTEL. Since its establishment in 1935 the Journalism Department has grown to one of the largest in the West. Its 275 majors swarm in and out of the barracks, where six full-time and seven part-time instructors teach the who, what, when, where, and why of editorial and advertising practice. Spartan Daily, La Torre, and Lyke emerge from department typewriters, darkrooms, and drawing boards. The training of young men and women who will contribute to the progress of the American press is the department's chief objective.

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MUSIC-DR. LYLE DOWNEY. A staff of 20, with more than 600 students in music courses, constitutes one of the busiest departments on the cam- pus. Major organizations supported by the department include the A Cappella Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Concert Band, Marching Band, and Choral Ensemble. Housed in a small, inadequate building, the depart- ment looks forward to a happier day when the new building will become a reality, and there will be ample facilities to carry on the many activities of the department. NATURAL SClENCEfDR. CARL D. DUNCAN. From modest beginnings, the Natural Science Department has grown to its present size of 46 full and 13 part-time teachers and well over 200 courses planned to meet gen- eral education needs for all students and provide vocational training for nearly 500 majors. Future offerings will emphasize the SHIIIC functionally sound lecture, laboratory, and field programs that already have won nation-wide recognition through the demonstrated competence of gradu- ates in industrial, educational, civil service and professional Helds. NURSING EljllczxTllllv-PAULINE E. DAVIS. The Nursing Education Department organized in l946 b1'ougl1t opportunity for the local nursing students to register for their entire classroom curriculum at San .lose State. Other majors include the pre-nursing students prepa1'ing for en- trance to nursing schools and the degree people whose program has re- cently devevloped new horizons. Plans are in progress for the furtherance of specialization fields as well as the continued local nursing school affilia- tion and the Clll'lClllIlCIll ol' that program with additional instruction and experience. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY-lllARY D. BOOTH, OTR. The Occupa- tional Therapy coursc opened in the winter of 1943, and was accredited by the American Medical Association in June, 194-4. The demand for oc- cupational therapists has increased since that time. Uur graduates are finding excellent positions throughout California as well as in the East. During the current year we are increasing the medical content of the course and are looking forward to the time when we can offer graduate work in specialized fields of medicine.