Muhlenberg College - Ciarla Yearbook (Allentown, PA)

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to learn manners from stu- dents who are gentlemen and to form character under professors who are Christians

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J. CONRAD SEEGERS Ph.D., Litt.D., LL.D. President, Muhlenberg College PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE To the Class of 1956: The four years of which this book is a record have been four very important years in the history of Muhlenberg College. During this period — a very brief period when one remembers that the College has been in existence for over a century, a great deal has occurred which will have lasting significance in the life of the institution. Four years ago, Muhlenberg, like most independent col- leges, was in something of a crisis. The College had ex- panded tremendously in the years immediately following World War II. The enrollment, which presumably had been set at a maximum of no more than six hundred and fifty, had suddenly grown to double that figure, and the College was geared to that size in point of staff and faculty. Then came the Korean war and other disruptions. The College had planned a gradual decrease in enrollment, with an ultimate enrollment of eight to nine hundred students in mind. It suddenly found itself with a little over six hundred students, with a staggering debt, with mounting yearly operational deficits, and with the end of its credit in sight. In spite of these discouraging prospects, the Board of Trustees courageously undertook a campaign to erect the Physical Education building which had been talked about for years. The campaign was successful and your class saw the beautiful and useful Memorial Hall completed. Shortly thereafter the Ministerium of Pennsylvania under- took a thorough study of the needs of the College and, in special session, launched an appeal for $1,500,000 de- signed to take care of the emergency, pay the debt, and establish coeducation. As a result of that campaign and other developments the College has been placed upon a much firmer financial basis. The endowment has been increased 1 in an amount exceeding $300,000. The debt has been greatly reduced. A new dormitory will soon be begun. At the same time the academic standards of the College have been stiffened. The College is not affluent, but it is now stable, and its sources of help are expanding. It was during these same years that the American Chem- ical Society gave the College its approval. The Middle States Association, visiting us as a part of a systematic reevalua- tion of all members of that Association, continued Muhlen- berg as a member accredited institution. So the four years you have spent here have been pro- ductive years for the College. All of us hope they have been even more productive for you. We hope you have learned a great deal, that you have developed inquiring minds, have learned more about your fellowman, have learned how to study and how to think, that your faith has been deepened, your consciences made more keen. We hope that the friendships you have made here will be a source of constant joy to you, and that you will have warm memories of your alma mater. Further, we wish for you success and satisfaction in your life work. Sincerely, J. C. S.