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

Page 33 text:

COLUMBIAN COLLEGE The Reverend Luther Rice, a Baptist missionary, in 1819 organized a group of friends to buy land upon which to establish a college in the City of Washington. Among the early patrons of this institution were Secretary of Treasury William H. Crawford, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun, the Attorney General William Wirt, the Postmaster General R. F. Meigs, and 32 members of Congress. Columbian College was chartered during the presidency of James Mon- roe by an act of Congress dated February 9, 1821. The next year the first building was completed and opened for use. During the Civil War the buildings of Columbian College were turned over to the national govern- ment, but classroom work continued. On March 3, 1873, the name of Columbian College was changed to Columbian University and in 1874 it was moved to 15th and H Streets, N. W. Before 1888 the college was for the exclusive education of men, but in that year the principle of coeducation was adopted. By act of Congress of January 23, 1904, the name of the institu- tion was changed to The George Washington University and Columbian College proper lost some of its identity by being merged into the Department of Arts and Sciences. In 1912 the term Columbian College was again in general use, being applied to the College of Liberal Arts. On April 15 of that year the University moved to its present site. Since then Columbian College has had a rapid growth in enrollment, and its organization has been consolidated and systematized. Alva Curtis Wilgus Dean

Page 32 text:

THE JUNIOR COLLEGE H E N R V G K AT TA D 0 V L E Draw The Junior College of The George Washington University was estab- lished by the Board of Trustees in June, 1950, as one phase of a general program of reorganization of the University. Freshman and sophomore years of Columbian College were separated from the junior and senior years and assigned to an autonomous Junior College. At the present time the Junior College is comprised of all regular freshman and sophomore work in the University except that offered in the School of Engineering. In establishing the Junior College it was also provided that a Junior College Certificate should be awarded as a diploma upon completion of the junior College courze. The Trustees voted that this certificate should be required for admission to the senior colleges and to the professional schools. The Junior College affords a better transition between the secondary school and the University. It makes for a more homogeneous grouping of students. It provides for more effective guidance of students through an advisory system with a board of advisers always available. This unification of the lower division student bodies of the University affords better correlation of the social and recreational activities of fresh- men with the problems of scholarship. Technically, it simplifies registra- tion, helps in attendance supervision, and makes possible closer cooperation with parents and with the secondary schools.

Page 34 text:

THE LAW SCHOOL William Cabell Van Vleck Dean ■ ( We hail with much satisfaction the commencement of this important branch of education in this District, under circumstances so favorable to its success and public usefulness,” wrote a reporter in the Daily National Intelli- gencer in giving an account of the very first Law Lecture of the Columbian College, which was delivered by Chief Judge William Cranch in the Court Room at the City Hat! on June 1 3, 1826. From that date forward the Law School annals present a continuous record of achievement and service under the direction of a faculty which then as now, has included the names of men well known as teachers, law ' writers, judges, and lawyers. The academic integrity of its teachers was diffused into the standards of the school. Always an advocate of high standards for admission, and for the improvement of legal education, the Law School became a charter mem- ber of the Association of American Law Schools when that association was organized in 1900, And, later, following closely the aims and requirements of the Council of Legal Education of the American Bar Association, the Law School enforced its rules and received its full approval. The fine Law Library, which in volumes has increased twofold during the past ten years, occupies the entire fourth floor of Stockton Hall, There, the research and writing done by the professors in their respective fields, and the publication of The George Washington Law Review by both professors and students, are demonstrations of a brilliant future for Stockton Hall in the training of American lawyers.