New York University - Violet Yearbook (New York, NY)

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crease in the quality of the equipment, and the length and complexity of the curriculum has culminated in a drive for the construc- tion of a modern Medical Center which is expected to rank as one of the finest in the world. The names of Reed, Gorgas, and Goldberger, known even to laymen, are on the roster of graduates of the medical school. O Under the chancellory of Howard Crosby the trend towards specialized and advanced study, leading to enlarged graduate and undergraduate colleges, was furthered. In his inaugural speech Chancellor Crosby said, lf the university scheme were fulfilled, we should see our students pursuing the higher studies of Language, Philosophy, and Mathe- matics, and following these studies to their remotest lengths in comparative philology, metaphysics, psychology, and literature. Dr. Crosby immediately undertook to increase the endowment and to expand the existing departments of the University. I A distinct scientific course was organized, from which ancient languages were excluded, and new professorships were established in the fields of geology, French, and German. During the winter of 1871-72 the University Chapel be- came the scene of free public lectures at which many leading dignitaries spoke. The bubble of optimism that was built up by this vigorous program was pricked in 1873, when the promises for the increased endowment were found to be no more than promises. C The government bonds held by the Uni- versity were sold in order to make an invest- ment yielding a higher rate of interest, but, in spite of this action, the financial situation 2 M . Chemical Engineering Department Chairman-Pro- fessor John Happel, Jr.: IE, AXE, M. I. T., B.S. 1929, M.S. in Ch.E. 1930, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Dr.Ch.E. 1948. became increasingly worse, ending in a des- perate proposal to mortgage the University property. Over the energetic protests of the Chancellor, the resolution was adopted, but it did little to ease the difficulties. Conditions deteriorated to such an extent that Chan- cellor Crosby suggested the closing of all schools except the Medical and Law colleges, but with the aid of the faculty, which offered to accept reduced salaries, the University re- Administrative Engineering Department Chairman- Professor Joseph M. Juran: E37 MinneS0l0, B-5- in E.E. 1924, Loyola, J.D. 1935.

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Mathematics Department Chairman-Professor Hor- ace A. Giddings: llfliflf, XXX, lltlld, Allflr, New Hampshire, B.S. 1923, M. l. T., Ph.D. 1934. parliaments to give the students necessary training in procedures. By 1930 the school had grown to one of high standing in the country, expanding from thirty students in 1859 to twelve hundred and thirty. The post- World War ll expansion of the Law School necessitated construction of a new and larger Law Center, despite the protests of the ten- Music Department Chairman-Professor Alfred M. Greenfield: Director of NYU Glee Club and Asso- ciated Organizations, Conductor, Oratorio Society of New York, Associated Honorary Member, New York Historical Society, Institute of Musical Art, N. Y. 1925. ants in buildings located on the proposed site in Greenwich Village and ground was broken in early 1950. 0 Training men for the medical profession through the establish- ment of a School of Medicine, whose purpose was, in Charles Butler's words, to promote the cause of medical science-to give eleva- tion and dignity to the healing art, was considered one of the necessary phases of a university, and in 1841 the new division was opened. Lectures included dogma and theory, and the lecturers were demanding in wide outside reading. The recipient of the medical degree in 1841 was required to have com- pleted two lecture courses and have served three years with an instructor, in addition, he could choose among English, Latin, or French as the language in which to write his medical thesis. U Another medical school developed in connection with the Bellevue Hospital, creating a situation heretofore un- known in the United States-medical stu- dents being given the opportunity of contact with the practical side of the field while simultaneously learning theory. ln 1898 the two medical schools were united under the title of the NYU-Bellevue Medical Center, and according to the terms of the union, all equipment and the buildings of the Bellevue College were transferred to the University, while the staff of the college constituted a large part of the new faculty. The amalga- mation of these two schools, which had maintained an intensive rivalry, into one insti- tution was a great step forward in the cause of education. Since that time, a steady in-

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mained in operation. 0 When the public learned of the financial crisis of the Univer- sity, a severe decrease occurred in the enrol- ment of the undergraduate divisions. The small size and the conservative policy of the University College, coupled with a lack of laboratory equipment and the small endow- Psychology Department Chairman-Professor Lyle Hicks Lanier: flllilip Vanderbilt, A.B. 1923, A.M. 1924, Peabody, Ph.D. 1926. ment, made NYU distinctly inferior to the leading colleges of the time. This condition of the University College was laid to three main reasons: its presence in the midst of a business section of the city with no campus or athletic facilities, free tuition, and its lack of sectarian connections. Since the formation of the college, the idea of campus life, which centers around extra-curricular activi- ties and athletic competition, had progressed greatly, so that in 1880 prospective col- legiates rated these as among the most de- sirable features in choosing their school. The fact that NYU maintained free tuition also discouraged wealthy families from enrolling their sons in an institution which they re- garded as being conducted solely for stu- dents of meager financial status. These were the problems that faced the next chancellor, the Reverend John Hall, upon his inaugura- tion in 1881. O Reluctant to assume the duties of a chancellor, Reverend Hall placed most of the work of his office with a newly- appointed professor, Henry MacCracken, for whom the position of Vice-Chancellor was created. His leading influence was soon felt by such advances in the University as the