Illinois State Normal University - Index Yearbook (Normal, IL)

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The New Deal at Old Normal The story of the infinite number of changes which have taken place at Illi- nois State Normal University since the arrival of President Raymond W. Fair- child would require a book in itself g we can only attempt to review for you the major changes which have been instituted under his leadership. And should we consider them as merely surface features we would be overlooking their real importance which is to be found in the conception of a newer education which is to slouly evolve as newer ideas are confirmed and united into an educational pattern, which will always more nearly reach' to that something upon thehor- izon which promises life more richly coordinated and more truly enjoyed. And it is fine, is it not, to know that one's Alma Mater is progressing and assuming a place of growing importance, not only in the state, but just as truly in the national educational advancement. Illinois State Normal University, in the dimming past an object of nation-wide interest, has once again forged into a place of leadership among the teacher training institutions of the country. Outstanding among the recent changes at Old N ormal is the reorganization of the curriculum and the change to the semester basis which will go into effect in the fall of 1935. The past year has witnessed the semester plan in operation in the Training School. Of particular note in the curricular changes is the adoption of the idea of general cultural courses throughout the first two years of the four-year curriculum. The cultural background offered in the first two years of work provides a foundation upon which the more intensive study of the last two years may be based. The vast amount of labor required upon the part of administrators and instructors in the changing and rebuilding of courses which will coordinate with the semester plan has progressed rapidly and repre- sents an epic change in the history of the school. In redecorating Fell Hall, establishing Smith Hall, providing for a student lounge, adding such features as the Educational Library, the Social Science Li- brary, new furniture in the main library, new social science classrooms, new faculty ojices, new Index and Vidette ojices, radio facilities, and new general office equipment, much has been done to improve educational and recreational ad vantages and to exercise administrative efficiency. Su

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Smith Hall, the neu' dormitory for men of Illinois State Normal University u 'as first opened in the fall of the school year just ending. It is located near the campus and u'as formerly one of N ormal's 'most beautiful private homes, noted for its stateliness and for the beauty of its gardens. The newly-named Univer- sity Club took the initiative in the establishment of the new hall. A The Student Lounge grew out of a desire for a place in which students could meet in an informal social way. The whole-hearted cooperation of the students and the faculty brought the realization of the desire, and students now have, not an ordinary lounge, but one which excels in its attractiveness. Another of the outstanding improvements upon the campus is the new ath- letic field which has been constructed just south of McCormick gymnasium. Lezelin g and draining have been employed to complete this recent addition to Ola' N ormal's advantages in physical training. Ola' Main has regained much of her ancient glory beneath new trimmings of yellow and a dome of silver which rivals anything in the vicinity for real grandeur. f See frontispiece.j Graduates of former years loolz with envy upon the new furniture which has taken the place of creaking chairs and tables which once dotted the reading room of the main library. So the story goes on-new stairways to relieve congestion on the second floor, a new Home Management House on Mulberry Street, daily radio pro- grams, a new cut system, new class hours, assemblies, new student-teaching arrangements-the list seems inexhaustible. In the more intangible aspects of campus life we find a new emphasis upon widening of intellectual interests, a new consciousness of the common interest of all in extra-curricular activities made manifest in a new School spirit, the sort of thing which has given Old Normal a decisive gridiron victory over her rivals from Wfesleyan, and finally we find the eject of the newer curriculum as it is bringing the students of Illinois State Normal Univ.ersity a growing de- sire to understand the true mission of the teacher in a changing world. Eight