North Dakota State College of Science - Agawasie Yearbook (Wahpeton, ND)

Page 18 text:

ADMINISTRATION The North Dakota and Babcock Plans Main people who have followed with interest the growth of the State School f Science tend to think of the Xorth Dakota Plan and the Hahcock Plan as meaning the same thing. Moth have been responsible for our growth, hut they are not the same. The Hahcock Plan, briefly defined elsewhere in this volume provided for the inter-action of two schools: Junior College and 'Trades. In actual working there is a third: the Musiness School. The fusing of these into a unit organization i an achievement which we think will make a chapter in future histories of American education. The Xorth Dakota Plan concerns industrial education only. It is nationally famous because it solved the difficult problem of conducting industrial education in an agricultural state. The secret of this success lies in the word concentration. First experiments in agricultural sections imitated the policy of diffusion which has proved successful in thickly populated industrial states. Mow this idea developed and how the ground was prepared for its development will appear through a brief summary of the history of our School. In the State Constitution, adopted in 1SS9 there was provision for A Scientific School at Wahpcton.’’ Actual beginning of such a school was made by act of the Legislature of 1903. Many of our older alumni recall the first class functioning of the junior college; and many prominent business men owe their early training to work in commerce here. T he two great difficulties were that no system of vocational training was developed which would make Science essentially different from other schools in North Dakota; and the service rendered was local rather than state-wide. 'The first action toward solution of these difficulties was the passage by Congress of the Smith-Hughes Act (1918). Provisions of this act not only gave liberal subsidy to vocational education, but also provided for supervision ami constructive advice. Foreseeing the success of the new system of Trades education. Dean Mabcock recommended. in I 22. that our School be named the State School for trades and industries; that teaching of commerce be ie-tained under the heading of trades; that the junior college be retained, and that these schools he made to serve one another. To gather into one place, from all corners of the state, the comparatively few students who should be trained for the State's requirements in trades and industries; to train them well; to send them out again for service of the state and profit to themselves—this idea, in brief, is the essence of the Xortli Dakota Plan. During the first three years of experiment the idea worked so well that it got the attention of vocational educators throughout the nation and was made a definite policy by the State Hoard of Administration in 1924. 'This policy was thus defined in a pamphlet published in 1926: “From and after tfic end of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1925 all work in Trades and Industries reimbursed out of the Smith-Hughes Federal Fund for T rades and Industrial Lducation is to be centered at the State School of Science at Wahpcton except such evening classes for trade extension instruction that it may seem advisable to establish in other places. Successful operation of our school proceeds from five main factors: I. The Mabcock plan which led to the working of three types of school as one unit. 2. 'The North Dakota plan which, by concentration of T rades education in one place, set up an ideal system for agricultural states. 3. T he careful work of those whose duty it was to administer these plans: The State Moard of Administration and the president and faculty of our school. 4. Support by the people of North Dakota and its legislature. 5. Realization of opportunity by all sections of the state—students coming this year from 51 counties, 197 towns. —F. II. M.

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ADMINISTRATIO To tin Student of The State School of Science: I believe this to be the finest Annual from the standpoint of beauty and completeness of any Annual ever published in this school. The unusual increase in attendance bringing the student body up to over 550 and the complications going along with this increase has made this a very unusual year in many different ways. It was necessary to discontinue accepting students at Christmas time and at least 250 students were not admitted who would have been in the school had there been facilities. This is a condition never before existing in any State Educational Institution in this State. It marks the end of one period of development of this school and the beginning of another. I feel certain that in the future years the students attending school here this year will look hack to their school days with pride because they were present in this school when a real change in the development took place.

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ADMINISTRATION The State Board of Administration Mks. Jen Mi- I i.skl d J. I). Harris Chair m tin Robert M. Rishworth TiII-ODORR Martei.l Arthur K. Thompson