Augusta College - White Columns Yearbook (Augusta, GA)

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Gerald Robins, Hardy ' s succes- sor as president, sought to make capital improvements on the cam- pus. Legal problems barred the use of state funds for such im- provements. In fact, the Board of Education had turned $457,000 over to the state and that was the only source of funds to re- furbish the five large brick ware- houses. Work was begun on the library building and student center classroom building in 1959, but much more money was needed to finish the job. It was a rude jolt to Robins to dis- cover that no funds were avail- able. Governor Vandiver, refused the use of any special funds to re- model the warehouses into an auditorium and gymnasium. President Robins, commented, During four years, assemblies have been held outside under the trees. For four years we ' ve had to pray it didn ' t rain. Because of its lack of facilities, Robins feared that accreditation might be lost. The AUGUSTA- HERALD editorially bade fare- well to the will-of-the-wisp idea , of a four year college. In 1962, things started to look up for the college. The Junior College de- sired four-year college status, and Carl Sanders promised the four- year college to Augusta if he were elected Governor. In September, Governor Vandiver saw fit to ap- propriate $ 1 50,000 for the build- ing, or re-furbishing, of a gym- nasium. Construction began in April, incidentally the same month that Marvin Vanover joined the faculty. Sanders was elected, and on November 8, 1 962, the Junior College made its bid for four year status. In February, the Regents alloted $ 1 5,000 for the library develop- ment and the Federal Office of Education issued a grant to sup- plement the appropriation.

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It was at the time of greatest hardship that the Fine Arts De- partment was created. It was composed of Miss Louisa Martin and Miss Louise Dyess. In 1934 the teachers saw their salaries re- duced to a new low of $2, 1 00 forcing many of them to seek outside work. After Skinner left in 1938, Eric Hardy became president. Hardy tried to bring the services of the Junior College more in touch with the needs of the community. He explained his goals, The Jun- ior College will no longer func- tion as an ivory-towered retreat, an appendage of remote and un- responsive senior colleges. It will take cognizance of the unique educational needs of the com- munity. A civil aviation unit was estab- lished in 1939 with William Hardy as director and Leconte Tally as instructor. Flying lessons were given at Daniel Field in Augusta. Also in 1 939, a Sec- retarial Science course was de- vised. Later, in 1944, a program for nurses was established in co- operation with the United States Cadet Nurses Corps. After two quarters of classroom work the students started nursing at Uni- versity Hospital, Oliver General Hospital, and Lenwood Hospital. In 1946, an evening division was established to take care of the in- creasing numbers of veterans re- turning from the war. The growth of the school continued until Hardy, in 1949, told con- cerned citizens that they must erect a new building or shut down. On November 10, the Board of Education in structed Roy Rollins to apply for the land at the Augusta Arsenal, which was being vacated by the Army. The transaction having been made, the Arsenal was trans- ferred to the College on Feburary 12,1957.

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