New York University School of Education - Education Violet Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Hislory o'F +he School of Educalion The School of Education was opened forty-one years ago in 1890. It was then called the School of Pedagogy, and for the first twenty years it granted Doctor of Pedagogy and Master of Pedagogy degrees. At this time the school occupied the ninth floor of the Main Building, where it remained until 1922. From 1890 to 1903 the Bachelors degree was not required, that is, the school was giving graduate degrees to undergraduate students. In 1903 this practice was stopped and the School of Pedagogy admitted only those with baccalaureate degrees. Registration wavered between 250 and 400 students. The School of Pedagogy granted Bachelor degrees up until 1912, when Wasliington Square College was established. At this time the school was purely graduate and rarely exceeded 500 students. The Dean of the School from 1903-1918 was Thomas M. Ealliat, now Dean of Meritus College. From 1918 to 1921 the position of dean was unoccupied. On February 13, 1921, Dean Marshall M. Brown took oflice. During these two years the School of Education almost disappeared, for in 1920 there were only 121 registered. Dean john W. Withers became dean of the School of Education coming from St. Louis public schools. In his first year he made three vital changes: 1. He changed the name of School of Pedagogy to School of Education. 2. He changed the degrees to Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy. 3. He established an undergraduate division and a program leading to Bacca- laureate 'degree in Bachelor of Science in Education. The undergraduate division was wholly concerned with the last two years of college courses. There were no courses at freshman and sophomore level .until 1925. This I5

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Resolved to expand this to Doctor of Pedagogy and Master of Pedagogy, this was the first school ever established that occupied some plan as law or medicine. Women's advisory committee helped furnishing rooms and establishing professional courses. Medical College existed as proprietory until 1817 because ownership of school lay in several hands as a business venture. , Requirements of three-year course in medicine in 1872 made proprietors less profitable. On March 1, 1897, upon the recommendation of the Medical College, the University took charge. On August 7, 1899, the University consolidated with two of the oldest colleges of veterinary in the city, under the name of the American Veterinary College. The School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance was established in August, 1900, the result of the general movement in Europe and the United States for commercial education. It was for the purpose of training the young men for standards of profession that the University applied for this school. In 1903, the collegiate division opened a school which is known as Washington Square College. Another faculty division was opened for Pedagogy in Science, in june of that year. It had recommended to the Council that graduation from any recognized college of arts or science should be made a condition of matriculation for either degree of Doctor of Pedagogy and Master of Pedagogy. This recommendation was adopted by the Council and thereby shut out many teachers who desired to work for degrees and who were unable to go to an existing college. The collegiate division was opened for the purpose of the meeting needs of classes for students. Different courses were given late in the afternoon and Saturdays for the benefit of the teachers. In addition to reorganization of the five new schools, two others were-opened. The women's law classes were organized in 1889 to give a course of lectures on different principles of law for business. This was for women who did not have any regular time to take their law courses. The summer school was opened in 1895 at the University Heights. This has continued to the present day. The opening of the schools were for two reasons. 1. A desire for teachers in New York City and all of its vicinities to obtain dif- ferent courses of studies in summer school. 2. A great belief that this would not be good to close such academic courses at the University Heights, therefore courses of instruction were given during the summer at the Heights. . Chancellor MacCraken on resigning in 1910 might have looked back with won- derous pride upon the school at the end of the twenty-fifth year. During his time the faculty had grown from one to eight, and then rose from ten to two hundred and fifty-six. The number of students under direct control was ninety-one to four thousand one hundred eighteen. The amount of fees that were collected was from one thousand four hundred thirty-three dollars to three hundred seven thousand four hundred seventy-two dollars. The volumes of books in the library rose from nine thousand to ninety-seven thousand. The income of the University was increased from twenty-six thousand two hundred eighty-three dollars to four hundred thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight dollars. The expenditures were from twenty-seven thousand two hundred seventy-five dollars to four hundred forty-one thousand seven hundred fifteen dollars. The property from five hundred forty-seven thousand five hundred dollars to five million two hundred eleven thousand three hundred twenty-one dollars, He had transformed a small dwindling college and a couple of unrelated prepara- tory schools into a large university that teaches thousands of students, and ranks twelfth in size among the American institutions. 14

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brought a striking increase in the School of Education. They established for the first time the following divisions: 1. Department of Business Education. 2. Department of Vocational Education. 3. Department of Personnel Administration. 4. Department of Teachers College and Normal School Education. 5. Department of Physical Education and Health. 6. Department of Music Education. 7. Department of Art Education. Four of these departments, Vocational Education, Business Education, Music Educa- tion and Physical Education, were established for the first time in the history of the school on the freshman and sophomore level. In 1924 the University bought and remodeled the present Commerce Building, and in 1925 the School of Education Realty Corporation purchased for use of the School of Education three buildings and Square front. This was made possible for' use by sale of Realty Corporation bonds to faculty, students, and alumni of School of Education. This -brought in :l5250,000. Departments were added and included in plan of 1924 but established later were Creative Education, Religious Education, English Education, Mathematic Education, Social Studios, Science, Foreign Language and Literature. There was a tremendous increase in faculty. In 1920, besides Dean Witllers, there were four members of faculty, in 1930 there are exactly eighty-eight in the School of Education faculty. Registration for year of 1921 was 141 students, there are now over 7,500 registered in the School of Education. In 1928 new land was purchased and building started. The construction was started in March, 1929, and in the year 1950 the College School of Education has come to the front and today it is occupying the building that it desired above all others. 16