American International College - Taper Yearbook (Springfield, MA)

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. . ' l .,, . ,I 3 , 2 . A ,, . Q r , wr, 1 . r . r at 4 . ii .f ' X ' N ' J fr, f W ,,L, . viii ,,,.,1 organizations, seeking funds with which to enlarge the College. As his purpose became more and more widely known, these organizations began directing to the Col- lege young foreign men and women who showed lead- ership ability. The Daughters of the American Revolu- tion, particularly, took an active interest in the school, both in contributing funds and in directing students here. Through the interest of Mrs. Edith Scott Magna, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, now Vice-President of the College, a building fund for a second dormitory for girls was raised. Accordingly, D.A.R. Dormitory was erected in 1925 on the site where the old Cottage had formerly stood. A second notable instance of the sustained interest in the College had been shown the previous year, when, through the will of Mr. Frank Adams, there was erected and equipped the Frank Adams Memorial Library. Emphasis for the first fifteen years of Dr. McGown's administration had been placed mainly upon the work of the Academy and the Citzenship Departments, Be- tween 1911 and 1916, the number of degrees conferred from the College totalled only ten, and in the ten years that followed there were no graduates from the College division. Numerical limitations put upon immigration quotas in 1924 made necessary a drastic change in the purpose I 3 ,.,, .1 Laying of lhe cornerstone of the Adamf Memorial Library in 1924. of the college and Dr. McGown was a man equal to the challenge. He at once took steps to adapt the College to a new purpose, that of giving the College facilities over to American students. A new era opened at American International College, when, in 1926, fifty American students were enrolled. Low tuition rates and opportunities for self-help began gradually to attract a greater number of students from Springfield and its vicinity. The rapidity with which the change took place may be seen from the enrollment figures in 1933-34, which were 521, a number twice that of only the preceding year! A steady progress, under Dr. McGown's influence, now began. From the meager beginnings and these later limitations, the College expanded to include in 1948 over 1400 students in the regular sessions alone, with some 200 different courses in twenty-three departments. Added to this are the Evening Division, opened in 1940 to provide college opportunities to those employed dur- ing the day, and the Summer Sessions, started in 1942. All three divisions maintain the same high standards. With the addition of the summer and evening divi- sions came the opportunity for the regular students of the College to accelerate their programs in training for wartime service. Each summer, many persons other than the regular students have availed themselves of the courses offered, and, like the Evening Division, this program, in 1949, is considered one of the integral divi-

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STUDENTS AND FACULTY 1924 AIC, In vm GJ 4.1 6.1 040 rn O U-4 V7 V5 E rn 'U s.. G! .-C1 .2 an 5 2 J 2 S Q QC m 5 LL 55 oward, Mrs. Eld- DH cGown, DM oreaux, Am L, s.I m.I E G, O vm CI 15 o Q6 E 2 2 'U TE cd E an O cn C1 GJ C-'J rn 2 2 0. O0 'U GJ a-4 -I YU B H4 I-1 1. O o 3 .x U o P-I Q 2 G. .-1 .4.a x.4 68 2 Robinson, Mrs

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sions of the College organization. For the last decade, eighty per cent of the total student enrollment has been from Springfield and the Connecticut Valley. In contribution to the wartime training programs, the College responded with the same will and spirit that has earmarked the growth of the institution to this day. In conjunction with the Civil Aeronautics Authority, the College in 1939 began offering government-spon- sored courses in pilot training. More than three hun- dred men were trained in the field. Also, in the same line of endeavor, American Inter- national College was one of two colleges in the country which were selected to render service under the Inter- American Trainee Program. In this program, seventy- two Latin-American men, representing twelve differ- ent countries, studied English at the College, and Avia- tion Mechanics at the Springfield Trade School. This program, sponsored by the United States Department of Commerce, was a part of our national Good Neigh- bor Policy. The years saw an undeniable growth in the student enrollment, in the number of faculty, and in the curric- ula offered. Wright House was established as a recrea- tional center for the students, and with the purchase of McGown Hall, more space was made available for class room use. The prestige of the college was steadily grow- ing, not only in its immediate environment, but in an everwidening radius. It was with saddened hearts that the trustees, the fac- ulty, andithe students of AIC witnessed Dr.. McGown's resignation from the Presidency in 1946. From that time, until his death in the summer of 1948, he re- mained in Springfield in close proximity to the institu- tion that he had so brilliantly guided for 35 years. An interim, with Mrs. Edith Scott Magna as Acting President followed, until Dr. William Gellerman, an outstanding member of the faculty, was chosen as AIC's sixth president. Although his term of office was brief, it was of great importance to AIC's future. Through the efforts of this man, specific plans for the construction of a new 3S300,000 library were formulated, and construc- tion was actually started. Upon Dr. Gellerman's resignation in 1948, Dr. john Homer Miller was appointed Acting President of the College. Although he has only been in office for a short period of time, his administration has already distin- guished itself by the purchase of 36 acres of land, on which stands a large mansion suitable for dormitory purposes. And that, as much as any chronological fac- tual report can, brings the history of American Inter- national up to its present day. In the new library, and the additional property, we have another step forward. The former aids us in intellectual expansion, the latter in physical expansion. These past few years have proved to be a beginning, a beginning of a new era of growth and progress on the part of our Alma Mater. We are beginning to realize the conviction which backed up the dream of Calvin E. Amaron. The Taper Staff ir indebted to Dr. Garrett V. Stryker for pernziffion to ure df a hafir for thir artirle hir Brief History of The American International College. . ,. if . , 1949: AIC .rtill growff Reed mansion, rtanding on the 36-acre athletic ranzpar recently purrhared.