Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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EDWARD F. ARN succeeded Frank Carlson as Governor of Kansas in January. He appoinrs the Board of Regents. year. Walter S. Fees of Iola was appointed to the vacancy left by the death of Chairman Fred Harris of Ottawa. Lester McCoy of Garden City was named chairman. Other Board members are: Jerry E. Driscoll, Russell; Drew McLaughlin, Paola; Willis N. Kelley, Hutchin- son; La Verne B. Spake, Kansas City; Oscar S. Stauffer, Topeka; Mrs. Elizabeth Haughey, Concordia; and Grover Poole, Manhattan. Hubert Brighton of Topeka is secretary to the Board, and Ed Burge, Topeka, is business manager. Dr. McCain ' s energy and experience stood him in good stead. His arrival coincided with the beginning of the crisis into which this nation was plunged when North Korean forces drove across the 38th parallel into South Korea. That crisis had a particular impact on educational institutions. There were problems above and below that 3 Sth parallel on this side of the globe, too, and President McCain dedicated the College to the task of finding solutions for them. He conceives the land grant college as a service center to the people of the state. He believes that civilization is a race between education and catas- trophe, and that the atom bomb has put catastrophe out in front. The Korean war threatened to be a complete catastrophe for many educational institutions. With the peak of veteran enrollment past, September saw enrollment dip to 6,000, and many of the men were either reservists subject to call or nonveterans liable to be drafted. The uncertainty prevalent over the nation as to the extent of American involvement in war was reflected in a sense of bewilderment among the students who didn ' t know their service status and could find no answers in the welter of conflicting statements from public officials and service personnel. Dr. McCain allayed much of the unrest with a letter to the students urging them to remain in school, continue their educa- tions, and thus improve their capacities for service if and when they were called. He predicted that govern- ment policy would permit deferment of students whose work showed they benefited from continuing their educations. Much of the tension on the campus was relieved, and the situation improved even more when the govern- ment confirmed Dr. McCain ' s prediction with a liberal policy of deferments. President Eisenhower had a variety of problems, but most of them stemmed from the need for hasty expan- sion of facilities and staff to provide for the thousands of veterans seeking to enroll. Even with prewar enroll- ments of 4,000 and under, the building program had been unable to meet fully all the requirements. Bar- racks and trailers went up on the campus to house vet- erans and their families, single men, and faculty families for whom there was no housing available in Manhattan. Today ' s problems are similar — expansion of facilities never caught up with enrollment — but the housing difficulties are changing. For example, Splinterville, along Anderson Avenue, was torn down. Demand for the barracks apartments in Goodnow, Elliott, and Hill- top Courts dwindled, although all were full during the year. Completion of a sister unit to Van Zile Hall will permit all freshman and transfer women students to spend their first year in residence halls, beginning in 22

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Dr. J. A. McCain Succeeds Eisenhower inaugurated as tenth KSC president Dr. James A. McCain succeeded Milton S. Eisen- hower as President of Kansas State on July 1, bringing to the task of presidency an abundance of energy and years of exper- ience as an edu- cator and ad- ministrator. The new president, a na- tive of York, S. C, was gradu- ated i n 1926 from Wofford College, Spar- tanburg, N. C, with an AB. He earned his mas- ter ' s a t Duke University, Dur- ham, N. C, in 1929, and his doctor ' s at Stanford in 1947. Dr. McCain believes that two of the more important agencies in adult education are the newspaper and the land grant college. His convictions about the role of the newspaper were formed partly when he served as a reporter for t he Daily Piedmont in Greenville, S. C, and as chief editorial writer for the Fort Collins, ( Colo. ) Express-Courier. He also taught journalism and English at Colorado A M, beginning in 1929- In 1934 he became assis- tant to the president there, and in 1939, Dean of Per- sonnel. In 1942 he was made Dean of the Division of Vocational Education and Director of the Summer Session. His career as an educator was interrupted in 1942 by the war, but his abilities were used by the Navy to streamline its selection and classification of enlisted personnel. He was cited by the late James Forrestal. then secretary of the Navy, and was later called to the C. 0. PRICE has completed 30 years as assist- ant to the President under four administra- tions, beginning with President W. Jardine. U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis to lecture on mili- tary personnel administration. His naval experience included sea duty aboard a destroyer. After release from active duty in 1945, he was named president of Montana State, remaining there until last summer when he became the tenth president of Kansas State. He was officially inauguarated as President in the Fieldhouse, February 16. As a state institution, but a non-political one, the College must have a link with the government of the State. This link is provided by the nine-man State Board of Regents, which exercises general governing power over eight State institutions. The Board holds regular meetings on the third Friday of each month in the State House at Topeka. It appoints the President of the College, and acts on his recommendations in appointing personnel and fixing salaries. Membership of the Board changed during the school A. L. PUGSLEYas Dean of Administration is responsible for the general academic administration, the Veterans Service Office, and general administration of the Library. He is also Director of Summer School. 21

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September. A third women ' s housing unit is also well underway. When it is completed the emphasis will shift to dormitory space for men. A new wing for Engineering Hall was started, just one month after work was begun on a connecting wing between East and West Ag. Work on the Arts and Science building was well underway, and of course the big news for Kansans as well as Manhattan was the completion of the new $2,000,000 Fieldhouse, to be used in many campus activities as well as those of the athletic department. More serious budgetary problems faced the College than in any of the wartime or postwar years. Loss of veterans reduced revenue from the Government under the G. I. Bill by an estimated $400,000, a loss not reflected in decreased operating costs. President McCain pointed out in his budget message to the Board of Regents that most of the overhead costs are fixed, not affected by enrollment. He anticipated a loss of about fifty faculty members before next Sep- tember, but added that he expected this number t o be lost through normal retirements, resignations, and re- lease of temporarty staff members. Increases in the budget were asked for the Extension Service and Experi- ment Station. MAURICE D WOOLF, Dean of Students, is responsible for coordi- nating extracurricular activities. Responsible to him are the Counsel- ing Bureau, the Dean of Women, and the secretaries of the YMCA and YWCA. Enrollment second semester reached 5,400, much higher than had been expected. It indicated that enroll- ment would level off near the 5,000 mark, barring all- out war. THE FACULTY COUNCIL ON STUDENT AFFAIRS is the chief agency through which the College deals with the Student Governing Associa- tion. Members of the Council are: Dean H. Howe, Norma Awe, Dean M. Woolf, Prof. T. Avery, Prof. W. Tripp. Prof. S. Whitcomb. Prof. Leone Kell, Dean Helen Moore, Prof. Kathryn Geyer, Prof. V. Foltz. Prof. A. Edwards, Dean A. Pugsley. 23