George Washington University - Cherry Tree Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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G. W. U. The (912 Cherry Tree G. W. U. rapid succession. The first commencement took place on December I 5, 1 824, when three men were graduated, before President Monroe, General Lafayette, the Secretaries of State, War and Navy, and leading members of both houses of Congress. I he College showed a steady increase in the number of its students, and as early as 1 824 had on its rolls 1 50 students, representing twenty-one out of the twenty ' four Stales. This number has increased within the past few years to a maximum in the neighborhood of 1,500 students, representing every State and Territory in the Union, as well as a dozen or more foreign countries, Columbian College owed its life and prosperity to the continued and remitting efforts of Luther Rice, who before his death in I 836 secured for it nearly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars by subscriptions from practically every State in the Union. Later, John Withers, of Virginia, contributing from time to time, gave a total of nearly seventy thousand dollars. Congress, during the first administration of President Jackson, appro- priated lots worth twenty-five thousand dollars to Columbian and a like amount to Georgetown. This was the only money that the institution has ever received from the Government. As was the case in so many institutions, particularly in the South, the Civil War practically suspended classes in Columbian College. A large proportion of the students. Southern Baptists, went to fight in the armies of the Confederacy, and many fought in the armies of the Union. The College buildings were used by the Government for hos- pital purposes. When the war was over a few T students drifted back to take up their studies, and Columbian College resumed its task of educating the youth of the District. In this period of its fortunes Columbian College owed a deep debt of gratitude to the benefactions of Mr, W. W. Corcoran, who contributed liberally to the work of the institution. By act of Congress the name of the College was changed in 1873 to the Columbian University, and the Board of Trustees was made self-perpetuating. Begin- ning with 1879 the transformation of the institution from a suburban college to a city university began. The Trustees came tolhe conclusion that Columbian must be removed to the center of the city in order to hold the students, and the piecemeal sale of the College Hill property was commenced. Mr, Corcoran offered the University the lot on which the present Arlington Hotel is situated, but as the land in question was considered too small, Mr, Corcoran was induced to permit the sale of his gift and the reinvestment in cheaper lands. The Harris property, at Fifteenth and H streets, previously the site of a clubhouse, was purchased, and a building, considered at the time one of the most up-to-date college buildings, was begun in I 883. During the following school year the removal to the heart of the city was effected. In the Fifteenth street building were located the classical and law departments, and the newly-founded Corcoran Scientific School. The old Law Building was erected in I 898, and occupied by the departments of law and diplomacy. In 1 898 the Baptist denomination assumed control of the University by an act of Congress which provided that two-thirds of the Board of T rustees should be members of that denomination, J he non-sectarian character of the institution was restored, however, by an act of Congress in 1904. By act of Congress and with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior and the United States Commissioner of Education the name of the institution was changed to The George Washington University. This name was assumed on the promise of an en- dowment of half a million, a promise which has never as yet been realized, and to sym- bolize the new aspirations of the University to a national scope of education. A period of rapid expansion of the University followed. The new enterprises of the University did not obtain the financial backing that was 15

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G. V. U. The 1912 Cherry Tree C. W. U. The University |T IS a lit subject for regret that the historic past of the George Washington Uni- versity is so little known and appreciated. An urban university rarely has the conditions favorable to the growth of academic traditions. I hese generally cluster around some particular building or spot on the campus, and are commemorated by observances for which the privacy of the campus gives free opportunity ( or development. The college located in the city, and especially in the heart of the city, must be prepared to surrender much of its custom and tradition, from the very necessities of its situation. The freedom of a campus in the business section of a city is out of the question. I he concrete expressions of college spirit and undergraduate animation are apt to fall afoul of the Metropolitan Police. So George Washington has from its situation lost much of its student life, and much of the tradition and custom that serves to commemorate the history of an institution. [ he idea of a national university at the National Capital dales from the beginning of our country ' s history. George Washington in his will set aside a large sum of money for the founding of such an institution, and pictured his dream of the new city on the Potomac as a center of a broad, national culture. Thomas Jefferson, who drew up the first plan for the educational system of the District of Columbia, outlined three branches or stages of public education: the primary schools, the academy, and a university. Con- gress doubted its authority under the Constitution to establish such a university, and took no action at the time. To this day the bequest has not been fulfilled. The beginnings of the present George Washington University can be traced back to the year 1819, when Luther Rice, a Baptist minister, impressed by the splendid oppor- tunities afforded to a college in the National Capital, set about energetically soliciting subscriptions from atl classes of people all over the United States for the foundation of a college. By the aid of President Monroe a charter was secured from Congress in 1821 for the establishment of “ 1 he C olumbian College in the District of Columbia, for the sole and exclusive purpose of educating youth in the English, learned, and foreign lan- guages, the liberal arts, sciences, and literature, ' and with power to confer all degrees usually conferred by institutions of collegiate rank, 1 he broad principles on which our University was founded are sufficiently indicated by a provision in our original charter to the effect that “persons of all religious denominations shall be capable of being ejected trustees, nor shall any person, either as president, professor, tutor, or pupil, be refused ad- mittance into said college or denied any of the privileges, immunities, or advantages thereof, for or on account of his sentiments in matters of religion. A tract of land on what is now ' known as Columbia Heights was purchased with the money raised by Luther Rice through subscriptions, and a college building was com- pleted in 1822. Among the noted Americans and Britons who contributed to the fund were John Quincy Adams, William F. Crawfford, John C. Calhoun, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Bishop of Durham, Lord Ashburton, Sir fames Mackintosh, as well as a number of members of Congress and other distinguished people. The formal opening of the College took place on January 9, 1 822, with the Rev, William Staughton as president, and thirty-nine students in attendance. Only the theo- logical and classical departments were opened at this time. Within the next five years, however, the law, medical, philosophical, and preparatory departments were opened in 14

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G. W. U. The 1912 Cherry Tree G. W. U. expected. The endowment fell below the requirements of the Carnegie Foundation, and the institution was barred from the benefits of the pension fund of the Foundation. I he temporary failure of the University’s petition for the benefits of the Morrill Fund helped to increase our financial difficulties. The Morrill Act provides for the dis- tribution of revenue from public lands among the States to institutions offering courses in agriculture and the mechanic arts. The District of Columbia has never had its share of the benefits of this fund, and George Washington, as the only non-sectarian university in the District, made its petition for the endowment In spite of bitter opposition, both open and secret, from interested parties, the bill granting George Washington the benefits of the Morrill Act was favorably reported by the committees of both Houses, but in the absorbing political developments of that year the measure was lost sight of. It became evident that the property at Fifteenth and H streets was too valuable a piece of land to be utilized economically for college purposes, and it was sold to S. W. Woodward for $450,000. The Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Mechanic Arts, and the I eachers College were removed to a row of six buildings on 1 street between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, occupied by the University, and the Division of Architecture was dropped. The money from the sale of the University property was applied to the indebted- ness of the institution with such results that the University was soon freed from debt and steps were taken to restore the endowment to its former figure. Under the wise and economical management of President Charles Herbert Stockton, Rear Admiral U. S. N„ retired, the expenses of the University have been reduced to a minimum, and it is due to his efforts that the University is now on its feet. I he University is now free from debt, and its income for the next five years has been fully assured. Formal notice was served on the first of hebruary, this year, by the Arlington Hotel Company that the I street building would be torn down to make room for a larger hotel, and must be vacated by May !, Shortly after it was announced that the University had leased the former home of the St. Rose Industrial School at 2023 G street W. W. Preparations were made to move the Department of Arts and Sciences and the Univer- sity offices during the academic term, and by granting a week of extra holiday at Easter the removal was effected so smoothly that classwork was resumed without interruption on April 15. [he building has been thoroughly remodeled and renovated for college purposes, and has proved remarkably well suited to our needs. Since 1902 the former College, the Corcoran Scientific School, and the School oi Graduate Studies have been merged into the Department of Arts and Sciences. Under this department are now conducted the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Mechanical Arts, the College of Political Sciences, and the Teachers College, under the Faculty of Undergraduate Studies; and under the Faculty of Gradu- ate Studies graduate seminary, laboratory and lecture courses leading to the master’s degrees, the engineering degrees, and the degrees of doctor of jurisprudence and doctor of philosophy. I he other departments comprising the University are the Department of Law, the Department of Medicine, the Department of Dentistry, and the two associ- ated colleges the National College of Pharmacy and the College of Veterinary Medicine. I he total registration this year has exceeded thirteen hundred, and the faculty numbers approximately two hundred. Ail departments of the University are well equipped to give thorough training, and the opportunities for original research cannot be surpassed. In addition to the well-stocked University Library, the student has at his command the Library of Congress, comprising more than two million volumes, and Con- gress has by special enactment made the various scientific libraries and collections of the Government open to him for special research. 16