Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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Head, DepartmenI of Ili. lnri The Department hopes to expand this curriciihim in depth in the next few years to inelnde ancient and medieval liistoiy, and in breadth to inehi k ' history of the Far East and possibly Latin America. Recent changes in the history curricidum have included the addition of six hours of economics in place of social psychoh)gy anil i)ublic s])eaking, and the replacement five years ago of R jnian history with Civil War and l e- construction. The V.] r.I. History Department was one of the first American undergraduate departments to oiler geopolitics, which, begun during World War II, has served as a guide for the developnieiil of similar courses in otljer colleges. At preseid, ' .M.I. is one of the few undergraduate schools to offer military history. Three graduates of this dej)artment have studied in foreign countries on Fulbright Scholarships, the only V.M.I. graduates to be awarded grants under this program. Other fine scholarshi])s obtained by recently graduated history majors include a $6,600 National Defense Fellowship for study in foreign aft ' airs at the University of Virginia, and a DuPont Fellowship for study in economics. The history curriculum is designed to provide cadets with a broad and sound preparation for many fields of en- deavor and, in particular, to develop the citizen part of the DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND ECONOMICS TuE History Dep. rtment THE History Department, V.JNI.I. ' s second largest degree-granting department, has in the past decade under- gone an extremely rapid expansion and development, so that it now contains about two hundred students from all four classes, or about one-fifth of the present Corps. The History Department has long been an essential part of the V.M.I, academic system, but it was not until relatively recent years, around 1950, that this curriculum obtained the status of a degree-granting department, thus enabling the V.M.I, cadet to major in the field of history. When Colonel John D. P. Fuller, present head of the History Department, came to V.M.I, in 1935, there were only three instructors in history, and this was the case as late as 1948. In contrast, there are now nine men in the History Department and four more in the Department of Economics, which is under the jurisdiction of the History Department. Of the nine instructors in history, six have doctor ' s degrees and the other three have master ' s degrees. The History Department constantly seeks to provide a broader, better curriculum, one designed to best prepare the history major for an immediate career, or for further study in a variety of fields. At present, the history major receives a total of 139 semester hours of instruction, of which 39 hours arc in history or political science and 15 are in economics, often referred to citizen soldier. Yet the curriculum is not so broad that it fails to fit men for particular careers, and the prospective historj major should have a rather definite idea of his occupational goal before enrolling in this course of study. Because of its faculty, its curriculum, and its students, the V.M.I. History Department is considered one of the leading undergraduate le])arti nents in the South. : S. A. Clement The Economics Department The courses offered by the Economics Department, under the auspices of the History Department, are a rel- atively new and growing field of stud.y at V. I.I. This may be seen by the addition of nine more hours of courses since Colonel Morrison ' s return in 1956. Previously, only two semesters of Principles of Erdnomics were offered, but now Comparative Economic S lini-, N ilional Income and Fi- nance, and International Ecoiii.niics are taught. Principles of Economics is a required course for all cadets, regardless of their major, and V.M.I, is one of the few schools in the country that makes such a course mandatory. It is felt that a course such as this, giving the student a broad understanding of the economic system as a whole, is extremely important, for any well informed citizen today should know a good deal about the economic institutions and economic functioning of the society in which he lives. The history and English majors may elect the remaining courses that the Department

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1 IImIk Nash Dillard, Lieutenant Colonel Scuird: l.iciilciiaiit ( ' ..li.ii.l . i.iii M lii ' lig, Jr., Colonel Carringtou C. Tutwiln- George L. Kotli, Majur Williiuii I ' . Uycrs. Standing: Mr. William H. Williams, Mr. Robert F. Calhoun, Captain Joseph C. Pearce, Major .lames VV. Pence, Major Thomas B. Gentry, Major William W. Kelly, Mr. Robert R. Ratcliffe, Mr. WiUiam Truesdale. Nut in Picture: Major Robert K. Turner. And indeed there will be time For the i ellow smoke that slides aloin the street. Rnhliiiuj its hark upon the irindoir-iiancs; There will he time, there will he time To pre [Hire a fare to meet t he faces that yon meet; Tliere u-ill he time to murder and create. And time for all the works and dai s of hands That lift and drop a question on your plate; Time for you and time for me. And time yet fu- a hundred indecisions. And for (I hiinilred visions and revisions. Before the taking of a toast and tea. In the room instructors come and go Talking of Michelangelo. M .it The cognoscenti liurn willi a liaril gem-like flai

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Seated: Lieutenant ,, I ,,.i,, l l i i , l l ' .i.,Mk,-, .li ., (mI-.n, I .Inlm 1 ). I ' I ' H. Morrison, J,iciiU-naiil ( ..lonri Ki.IktI i ' . Ilnnlrr. Slaiicliiig: Mr. James R. Connor, Mr. James L. Wright, Mr. Brinton P. Thompson, Mr. Hnlicrt . K :iiicl( i ot in Picture: Lieutenant Colonel John G. Barrett, Major B. McCluer Gilliam. oft ' ei ' .s, ami tliu.s ])riiviclc llicriisclvcs willi a goiid fduiidalinii for the busiiR ' .s.s world ov fur graduate .study in hu.sine.ss ailministratioii. Colonel lorrison, who IkjIiLs a I ' ll. I), in eeonoinie.s, and I. .staff of three professors aid the sludent with all the latest ) ailable material, includinii ' hanking and government lieriodicals and survexs in I lie study of eurrent eeonomie ])roblems. Colonel Drunnn, willi a I ' li.D. in history, teaches Principles of Economics along with Colonel Morrison. Ir. Brinton Thompson has been teaching Comparative Economic Systems and plans to take a leave of absence next winter to do work for his Ph.D. Robert Alexander, a lecturer in eco- nomics, is a new addition to the Department this year. For- merly, he was an economic consultant for both private firms and the U. S. Government. The Economies Department is a mendjer of the visiting Thrr,. , n.iTH nl lllstuln M. Mun i ( innk. n..! S , ip i .ill •| ' all li...,iii(.n lh hlthH.H.i ot S( ott shipp H.ill tosohi tlic pm tlie«..rl.l. lecture program and is addin aid from the Letcher Fun l. Separation of the econoi Department into an indepn is being planned for nr l y given toward developnicnl of a dcgr economies in the next few years. intinuousK- to its librarv with curriculum from the History t Department of Economics and consideration is being granting curriculum in V. J. KiTcniE