Carnegie Mellon University - Thistle Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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Dormer Hall Macl.achlin

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A message from President Warner Carnegie Institute of Technology has been educating young men and women for fifty years. Although this is a relatively short period in the history of an enduring institution, it is long enough for substantial changes to take place both in the institution itself and in the society which it serves. I should like to give a very brief resume of how the educational program at Carnegie has evolved up to now and perhaps hazard a guess or two about the future. On October 16. 1905, a new educational institution in Pittsburgh first opened its doors. It was named the Carnegie Technical Schools, and comprised the School of Applied Science, School of Applied Design, School of Apprentices and Journeymen, and Margaret Morrison Carnegie School for Women. At the start these schools gave three-year programs of sub-collegiate level leading to a diploma. Courses were given to prepare men for work in the various branches of engineering, in architecture, and in the building and manufacturing trades, and to prepare women in such vocations as clothing design, foods, and office work. And evening courses were offered so that those who held jobs in the daytime could further their training. These programs were well suited to the needs of the community at the time. In five years enrollment jumped from 120 to 2224, and demand for education on a higher level became more insistent. To meet this need the three-year curricula were soon revamped into the standard four-year programs of college level. In 1912 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania approved the charter authorizing the institution to grant degrees and approving its new name, Carnegie Institute of Technology. From this point on, the stages in the development of education at Carnegie are less sharply distinguishable. A few milestones in the forward progress might be mentioned. As the bachelor's programs became more firmly established, graduate work was begun. The first master's degree was conferred in 1914, the first doctor's degree in 1920. Along with the development of graduate studies came the encouragement of research as an essential part of the school's activity. As advancing technology changed the industrial and social world, professional education at C.arnegie was adjusted to suit the changing times. The objective was shifted from giving the students the maximum of details and know-how, to developing an understanding of basic principles and experience in using them. And liberal studies, which had had a place in the programs from the beginning, were given an increased importance. They were organized into the four-year curricula in order to develop the humane values and a sense of social responsibility. The combination of liberal and technical studies in the several colleges is directed toward the education of the whole man and woman. It seeks to prepare our graduates to continue to learn throughout their lives, to rise in their professions according to their talents, to become active and responsible citizens in their community and nation—in short, to live full lives and to serve society. What is my prediction for the future of education at Carnegie Institute of I echnology ? Rather than attempt to forecast what will come, I prefer to suggest what in my opinion seems desirable. I believe that our educational objectives are sound and well conceived to fulfill the needs of students themselves and of society. I see no substantial revision of them in the future. But achieving them ever more effec- tively will continue to challenge the best efforts of faculty and administration. There will be a modest growth in the size of the enrollment, but I would hope for a continuing emphasis on quality, not on bigness. This institution has the potehtialities to become one of the greatest of its kind in the world, and it will do so if adequate resources are provided. Whatever else the future may bring about, one thing seems certain on the basis of the past. As the needs of the community and the nation change, our educational objectives will be adjusted to meet those needs. Just as the institution expects its graduates to serve society, so will Carnegie Institute of Technology serve. The past is prelude to tomorrow. 5

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Donner Hall Donner Hall is an ultra-modern aluminum, steel, and glass structure which serves as the focal point of the dormitory residents of Carnegie Tech. Its attractive yet utilitarian design exemplifies the spirit behind the present and proposed expansion of Carnegie Tech’s physical plant, expansion which will eventually include entirely new fraternity housing, a new student union providing sufficient extracurricular facilities for all the students, and a complete stadium and athletic plant in the Tech Bowl. Donner Hall was dedicated in the spring of 1955 to the late William H. Donner, the noted philanthropist who contributed greatly to its construction in his will. The four living levels in Donner Hall provide housing for approximately two hundred fifty male students of Carnegie Tech. In the first floor lounge are two television sets, accommodating the varied preferences of the residents, as well as ample room for the weekly movies sponsored by the Men's Dormitory Council. The basement recreation room contains billiard and table tennis equipment, and even card tables for the inevitable bridge games and problem-working sessions. Also located in the basement is a snack bar which is a non-profit convenience for all the dormitory residents. Another facility for the use of all dorm residents is the basement laundry room, complete with automatic washing machines and dryers. A sub-basement is to be used as a field house for the proposed new Tech Bowl. Designed to meet optimum conditions of living comfort and operational efficiency, Donner Hal! is both practical and pleasant in its appearance. The attractive pastel walls in the rooms are actually cement block, and the furnishings and paneling are of solid pine, handsomely veneered and varnished. These adequately lighted surroundings arc those intended to be the most conducive to study, and certainly seem to fulfill their purpose. Aside from the actual physical facilities themselves, Donner Hall provides maximum opportunity for the individual student to adjust to group living. Although this is a little-recognized facet of the purposes of a dormitory, it is one of the most highly important. All college students must eventually learn to adapt their actions or behavior to the interests of society, and a good dormitory will provide an excellent training ground for this vital part of every education. Donner Hall, both in its design and operation, offers a great opportunity for college men to develop not only as competent members of their profession, but also as responsible and able members of society. 7