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

Page 23 text:

Columbian College owed its life and prosperity to the continued and unremitting efforts of Luther Rice who before his death in 1 836 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 appropriated 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 prac- tically suspended classes in Columbian College, A large proportion of the students South- ern Baptists went to fight in the Army of the Confederacy and many fought in the Armies of the Union, I he College buildings were used by the Government for hospital services. 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 to the conclusion that Columbian must be removed to the center of the city in order to hold the students, and the piece- meal sale of the College Hill property was commenced, Mr, Corcoran offered the University the lot on which the Arlington Hotel was situated but as the land in question was considered too small Mr, Corcoran was induced to permit the sale of his gifts and the reinvestment in cheaper lands. The Harris property at Fifteenth and H Streets previously the site of the Club House, was purchased and a building, considered at the time one of the most up-to-date college buildings was begun in 1 883. 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, In I 898 the Baptist denomination assumed control of the University by an Act of Congress which provided that two-thirds of the Board of Trustees should be members of that denomination. The non-sectarian character of the institution was restored however, by an Act of Congress in 1 904. By an 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 endowment of half a million a promise which has never as yet been realized, A period of rapid expansion of the University followed. The temporary failure of the University ' s petition for the benefits of the Morrill Fund helps 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. li

Page 22 text:

®be HniurrsUu HE history of the George Washington University has been that of the struggle of perseverance and determination. We are fitly proud of those who have bestowed upon the University such assistance as was in their power in overcoming its apparently insurmountable difficulty. I hat the institution has attained efficiency is the result of the indefatigable efforts of those interested in promulgating the dream of George Wash- ington. The idea of a National University at the National Capital dates 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. I homas 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. Congress doubted its authority under the Constitution to establish a university, and took no action at the time. To this day the bequest has not been fulfilled. I he 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 all 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 “The Columbian College in the District of Columbia,” for the sole and exclusive purchase of educating youth in the English, learned, and foreign languages, the liberal arts, sciences, and literature, and with power to confer all degrees usually conferred by institutions of collegiate rank. The 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 elected trustees, nor shall any person , either as president, professor, tutor, or pupil, be refused admittance into said college or denied any of the privileges, immunities, or advan- tages thereof, for or on account of his sentiments in matters of religion. A tract of land on what is known now as Columbia Heights was purchased with the money raised by Luther Rice through subscription, 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. Crawford, John C. Calhoun, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Bishop of Durham, Lord Ashburton, Sir James McIntosh, as well as a number of members of Congress and other distinguished people. The formal opening of the College took place on January 9, 1822, 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 rapid succession. The first commencement took place on December 15, 1824, 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. The College showed a steady increase in the number of its students, and as early as 1824 had on its rolls one hundred and fifty students, representing twenty-one out of the twenty- four States, 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. IB

Page 24 text:

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 Teachers College were removed to a row of six buildings on I Street between Fifteenth and Sixteenth Streets, occupied by ihe University, and the Division of Architecture was dropped, I he money from the sale of the University property was applied to the indebtedness 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 eco- nomical 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. The 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 February, 1912, 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 first. Shortly afterward the University leased the former home of the St, Rose Industrial School at 2023 G Street, N, W. That the University is on the progressive path is evident from the steadily increasing registration and the interesting changes reported this year. Approximately 1,500 students are enrolled with a faculty of 200. The building on G Street is now adequately meeting the requirements of the Department of Arts and Sciences, 1 he mortgage debt upon this building is being gradually liquidated. An addition of a new and well-equipped laboratory to and the amalgamation of the Division of Architecture with the College of Engineering are vital factors in promoting the efficiency of this College, Increase in service rendered by the Hospital made it advisable to secure a Home for the Nurses, A suitable building was purchased for that purpose at I 3th and L Streets for the consideration of $8,000. Under the Department oT Arts and Sciences are now conducted, the Columbian College, the College of Engineering, the Teachers College, and courses leading to the Master’s Degrees, the Engineering Degrees and the Degrees of Doctor of Jurisprudence and Doctor of Philosophy, The other departments comprising the University are the Law School, the Medical School, the Dental School, and the two associated colleges, the National College of Pharmacy and the College of Veterinary Medicine, The spirit which should permeate all college life has perhaps lacked expression at George Washington. An urban university rarely has the conditions favorable to the growth of academic traditions. These generally cluster around some particular building or spot on the campus, and are commemorated by observances which the privacy of the campus gives free opportunity for development. The college located in the city, and especially in the heart of the city, must be prepared to surrender many of its customs and traditions, from ihe very necessities of the situation. The freedom of a campus in the business section of a city is out of the question. 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. 20