Bennett College - Belle Yearbook (Greensboro, NC)

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acuiia an ■- ' is ' ttejr Jonn Ji. J ace noministration Jjuiloing

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Sinnie Jllerner Jyeiffer G iapef (Jar Historical JjacAqround Bennett College has had a rapid and dramatic growth. In 1926, under the leadership of David D. Jones, a residential col- lege for women was created from the historic fabric of a co- educational institution founded in 1873. At a very early period in its history, the College achieved the A rating from the South- ern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Annually about 550 young women are attracted to Bennett College because of its vibrant and creative approach to women ' s education. The College plant is repeatedly referred to as a campus of singular quality. Through the benevolence of Foundations and friends of the College, the physical plant has grown from four buildings in 1926, to thirty- four at the present time. The entire campus lends itself to the perpetuation of an atmosphere of cul- ture and refinement which is our heritage.

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The educational program of Bennett College represents a structured whole. Three prin- cipal areas of campus life, namely the curricular or instructional, co-curricular, and residential, are brought to focus in a single effort to unify the educational experience of the student. The theory behind this attempt is that unity in organization when experienced by the student leads to a fuller understanding of the necessity to strive for completeness in personal growth and de- velopment. On the Bennett campus, it is felt that the need for pointing up relationships in many areas of learning is less demanding when the student is automatically situated in this type of academic setting. There is a deliberate attempt to provide varied learning experiences in each of the three central areas, so that every student in planning her program may be selective without running the risk of discovering serious gaps in her education along the way. A young woman may be helped to develop social responsibility through participation in a field studies project growing out of class instruction, by acting as co-chairman with an instructor in planning a college and community wide activity, or by serving as student assistant in a residence hall. Any one of these activities is designed to aid in the development of greater sensitivity to social situations as well as in creating a healthy attitude toward the responsibilities of citizenship in a democracy. With this educational design the college is better able to take specific account of the total well-being of the individual student. A young woman entering Bennett College finds this plan of education different and exciting. A part of the Freshman Orientation program serves as as introduction to the College. It generally takes the form of an explanation of the philosophy of the college, its general character and de- sign. Later on the faculty advisor helps the student to a larger and more complete understand- ing of the Bennett plan as it reveals itself in the development of the individual student ' s schedule. For, unlike many college schedules, it will contain more than the names of courses and semester hours credit to be earned. These are taken into account first, because the remainder of the schedule will be built around this core. All parts of the program are significantly interwoven. The choice of subjects is definitely related to the student ' s responsibility as a member of the Bennett family. The intention is essentially to have the student ' s plan of work represent an or- ganic whole to which she in turn strives to dedicate her total self.