Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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with tenure. A prugraiii of suininer visitations by de- partment heads and senior faculty members to other schools to appraise and compare curricula, methods of instruction, and facilities has assisted ])lanning and atlministrati on of curricula in these terms. The notable results — improvement in faculty qualifications, increases in research and publication, a gratifying change in the tone of the intellectual life of the Institute, the up-dating of programs in line with the best of similar systems — mark clearly advances in the professional competence and performance of the faculty, and delineate areas where future gains may be expected. In support of these basic achievements is an im- pressive array of accomplishments which reveal efforts to strengthen generally the Institute ' s academic offering. Among these are the Visiting Scholars Program, which provides a number of distinguished speakers each term, thus meeting the demand for a basis for vital inter- iiisci])linary liscussions on a broad range of subjects. To fill the intellectual void of the period between sessions, the Summer Reading Program has been instituted (com- mencing 1963). To improve antl to augment library services which are steadily growing in demand, appro- priations have been increased for acquisitions and for enlargement of the staff. Finally, further strengthening of the academic requirements for gratluation has been effected by raising the grade point average, for the entire four years, to 7.0, starting with the Class of 1966. In these and many other ways, the basic academic program has gained broad support in meaningful proportion. The Dean of the Faculty has many duties to perform and many activities and obligations to discharge, directly and indirectly. From heading the Academic Boanl and acting on its proposals and recommendations, to recog- nizing individual achievement in academic pursuits of those connected with the ' 1MI, from an active partici- pation in extra-curricular activities of an academic flavor, to a personal interest in an over-all betterment of the Institute, General Davidson leads a life of dedication to ideals which will cause the MI to increase in stature and in worth.

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During the past few jcurs, tlie Virginia fiiilan ' Institute has witnessed a series (if changes and nifidifi- cations which have advanced Ihc aca(h ' Miic life and Ihc intellectual atmosphere of the Institute. Certainly, change is inevitable; however, a steady progression of improve- ments is indicative of interest, ability, and determination. Since assuming his position as Dean of the Faculty in 1950, Brigadier General Lloyd J. Davidson has ]jlayed a leading role in sponsoring and supervising these changes which have left no department, curriculum, or academic field untouched. In this joint endeavor with the faculty and the Academic Board, which body he heads. General Davidson has striven with patience, foresight, and a keen awareness of the problems and promise of our system to bring to fuller fruition the intellectual life of the facultj ' and the Cadet Corps it serves. The progress of recent years is nowhere more evident than in the enlargement in degree and course offerings which have improved the symmetry and balance of the academic program. The addition of degree curricula in Physics (19o ' -2) and Mathematics (1956) have diversified studies in scientific fields, strengthened course offerings in service work supporting all curricula, and enlarged and improved the faculty representation in quarters which provide a ba iic underpinning for all enginw;ring ari ' J science studies. IJcyond these fundamental a ' Jjastmerib), constant rt.-aijjjrai.sal of acadernir: necLs, in the light of changing times and the Institute ' s capabilities to rneftt these needs, has led to further changes of sigriifirjanee: the increase in elective offerings in many curricula; the introduction of the first Honors Programs ' Kngli.ih; and coiisiilcralii ii (i( otlicrs; the review and evaluation of all degree curricula programs during the pa-st two years by committees of cfnisuitaiil coiii[josed of eminent .scholars and deans of other schools; and the current evaluation of additional curricula propo.sals — in Mwlem Languages and in Economies. By these means, the Dean and the Academic Board, through critical self-appraisal and positive action, have effected significant advances in the academic program. Aware that in the intellectual quality of the faculty rests the basis for improving the intellectual life of the Cadet Corps, the Administration has workefl unceasingly toward improving the professional calibre of its academic staff. Increases in salary scales have aided faculty re- cruitment; and fellowships, supported by the VMI Foundation together with matching state funds, have assisted the completion of graduate programs of the faculty Hack l{o,r: Colonel S. M, Heain, Colonel G. B. . x, Colonel .T. S. Jamison, Jr Colonel H. V Pillard. Lt. Colonel .J. b. ?mith. Colonel A. L. Lancaster, Colonel A. H. Morrison, Lt. Colonel C. E. Robbs Major B. D. Tate Bngadier GenenU L. J. P jpos- n; Front Row: Colonel R. P. Carroll, Colonel .T. D. P. Fuller, Colonel H. E. Ritchej , Mr. H. Patchm, Major General G. R. E. ?heU, Colonel F. R. Barksdale.

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CoLOJsEL Arthur M. LiPscoiiB, Jr. Director of Admissions No review of changes in the academic standards of the Institute would be complete without mention of the very able and highly successful efforts of the Director of Admissions, Colonel Arthur McLaurine Lipscomb, Jr. Colonel Lipscomb ' s record at the VMI reflects a sense of dedication and progress. He was graduated from the Institute in June 19.S4 with a B.A. and joined the faculty in September of that year. He holds a I.A. from Duke University which was conferred in 1941. From 1943-45, he served with the Army Air Corps. Rejoining the faculty in 1946, he was an assistant professor of English. He is now a full professor of English, holding membership in the Modern Language Association and in the College English Association. Colonel Lipscomb assumed the responsibility of directing the admissions program in 1955, leaving teaching and taking up full-time administrative work. Since making the transition from faculty to staff, he has had a more direct influence on the long-range academic im- provement. In the past seven years, apphcations for admission have more than doubled, now numbering ap- proximately 1,500 per year, while acceptances have increased by only twenty per cent. Careful screening and evaluation by the Admissions Board and by Colonel Lipscomb are, of necessity, demanded by the imbalance. Since 1956, the first year of significant change under Lipscomb, the mean percentiles of the entering cadets on the standardized achievement and placement tests have increased by forty per cent in verbal aptitude and by twenty-eight per cent in mathematic aptitude. The College Boartl Examination was made a requisite for application in 1959, and an increase in the scores of those accepted reflects an eight per cent improvement in verbal aptitude and a five per cent improvement in mathematic aptitude. The selectivity and rising ad- missions standards must and are keeping pace with the strides made toward academic improvement. Though the immediate significance of the more strin- gent admissions standards is not readily apparent, the worth of the program is reflected in the records ccmpiled by those graduates affected. In the past five years, to mention only a few of the more notable achievements. Institute graduates have won two Rhodes Scholarships, one Dan- forth Fellowship, three Woodrow Wilson Fellowships, three Fulbright Scholarships, and three English Speaking Union grants. The VMI is rated among the top 100 colleges and universities in the nation academically. based on the number of men activelv pursuins M.D. ' s and Ph.D. -s. The Institute, like any organism, must grow and progress, for to cease to grow is to die. The VMI is first and foremost an academic institution and must depend for its continued existence and excellence upon those individuals and agencies which advance its ends. It is, then, the support given the Dean, the Academic Board, and the Faculty which will cause valid and significant improvement.