Southern Methodist University - Rotunda Yearbook (University Park, TX)

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At the present time many people are longing for stability, or a return to normalcy. Such longing is futile. The stream of life flows ever onward accord- ing to laws of nature. Every now and then its swirling un- dermines our foundations, and suddenly we find our whole scheme of life tumbling about us. We are now emerging from such a catastrophe. How will the Engineer fare in the new order of things under the New Deal? It is safe to say that a group whose work is founded on truth and scientific laws will be- come more useful, and will be quickly adjusted to the new or- der. The Engineer will be busy translating scientific discovery into new and useful products, and constructing a new and bet- ter world in which to live, MW SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING The cooperative educational system of engineering was brought before the engineering world in 1900 by Herman Snyder, a German student of engineering at Lehigh University, who found it de- sirable to study the theories of engineering and at the same time engage in practical work in the field. This plan of instruction has been adopted by many progressive schools of engineering through- out the United States. The idea of establishing this system in the Southwest was originated by the Dallas Technical Club. Because of the advantages oHered by Dallas as an engineering center, the plan was submitted to the Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University which organized the present School of Engineering in 192 5. The cooperative method of instruction was adopted With the aid of the Dallas Technical Club in obtaining positions for the students. The original freshman class was limited to one hundred and twenty. Additional students were added as the school expanded to accommodate them. The engineering building was constructed in 1928, forming one of the most modern and best equipped engineering structures in the Southwest. The growth and development of the school is a tribute to Dean E. H. Flath, Who came to S. M. U. from Georgia Tech to administer the coopera- tive plan of instruction. N umerous advantages accrue to the student pursuing a course of cooperative engineering instruc- tion. Practical experience is provided in the industries under actual commercial conditions. This CXe perience is carefully coordinated With thorough theoretical training in the class room. This practical experience stimulates interest in instruction and also brings out the limitations Which practice imposes upon theory. The practical work creates an understanding of, and sympathy with, the problems of labor. Wages received by the cooperative students for their work pay part of their expenses and en- able them to learn the value of the dollar. Because of limitations imposed upon such a system of teaching by recent economic conditions, the system has been temporarily supplemented by other methods of instruction. s 20 e

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When told that Southern Methodist University had de- cided to establish a school of law, Dean Pound of the Harvard Law School remarked that Dal- las was the best unoccupied field in the United States. And so it has proven to be. Established in 1925, the Law SchooPs enroll- ment has grown from 20 to nearly 80, its faculty from two to four, and its library from nothing to more than i3,ooo. From the first, it maintained high standards for entrance and for graduation. This quickly brought recognition from the two great accrediting agencies in this country. In 1927, at the end of its second year, it was put on the approved list of the American Bar Association, and two years later it was awarded membership in the Association of American Law Schools. a . f SCHOOL OF LAW At the time of the establishing of the Southern Methodist University School of Law in I925, there was a tendency in the field of legal relations toward a breaking away from old established methods of study and the instituting of new angles of analysis. Since the school was free from ham- pering traditions, it was able to take advantage of the best principles of both the old and new sys- tems. It oEers to its students a thoroughly sound and at the same time a modern and progressive course of study. From the beginning the School of Law has maintained the high standards of the Council on Legal Education of the American Bar Association, and in its second year it was placed on the ttapproved listh of this group. Later, it was admitted to membership in the Association of American Law Schools. Graduates are admitted to the Texas bar without examination and already feel the prestige of a degree from the school despite its extreme youth. Evidence of its adoption of modern methods may be found in the moot court Clubs of the Law School. These clubs were begun last year as an experiment and are being developed more fully this year. The entire school is divided into four groups or clubs. Certain legal problems are chosen and each club holds its eliminations. Finalists from each Club meet to determine the winner of an award offered by Arthur A. Everts. Each trial session is presided over by a prominent member of the Dallas bar or bench. The faculty of the Law School are all experienced and successful teachers. Four of them hold the S. J. D. degree, the highest law degree awarded in this country. Many of them contribute to current legal periodicals and, in addition, have published results of their research in book form. One of the distinct advantages of Southern Nlethodist University Law School is its small classes with close personal contact between the student and instructor. This intimate relation is encouraged by frequent conferences between the individual and teacher. The faculty gives a reception for new students in the fall and social relations thus established are continued at the annual banquet of the Law Students Association later. a 19 e

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A study of the underlying principles of economics and busi- ness is as important today as ever. A recent survey by an eastern journal brought out the fact that the heads of most of our collegiate Schools of Com- merce are of the opinion that the participation of our govern- ment in business Will necessitate but few changes in the curricula of our schools and that these minor changes deal mostly with the factual material involved in new legislation. My own opin- ion was expressed for the survey in the following quotation: wThe measure of success which the present program of our government will. attain depends on the degree to which its man- agement of economic affairs is carried on within the general framework of basic economic lawsy SCHOOL OF COMMERCE Realizing the need for a conservative school of commerce in the Southwest to better equip future business leaders to cope with the complexities of modern industry, the Dallas School of Commerce was established at Southern Methodist University in 1920. This expansion conformed to the com- paratively new policy of American universities of providing commercial training. Until recently, specialized education for business was gained through apprenticeship and in so-called business col- leges. The training offered by these schools was inadequate in that it gave only a superficial tech- nique of certain business transactions. Dallas and Southern Methodist University afford an ideal location for a collegiate school of commerce. The City is the main distributing center of the Southwest. All the larger and more com- plex aspects of modern business may be observed by the students of commerce. Business and com- mercial leaders are available to be called upon to add reality and experience to the basic principles advanced by the professors. N 0 other school in the Southwest is able to offer such advantages to the undergraduate. The Dallas School of Commerce aims to lay stress upon fundamentals, theories and basic prin- ciples of business practice. The best business men of today are seeking educated helpers with ideas for improvement and not trained technicians. They realize that the technique of any particular busi- ness cannot be directly taught in any school. The Chief aim of a school of commerce, therefore, is to cultivate the ability to think in terms of business problems and to develop careful and accurate methods of work. This presupposes a thorough understanding of basic economic principles and in- volves hard and subtle thinking. The school is a member of the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business, an or-- ganization composed of university business schools maintaining exacting standards of training. Beta Gamma Sigma, honorary scholastic fraternity of commerce schools, has established a chapter here. Alpha Kappa Psi, professional fraternity, also maintains a Chapter in the school. a 21 e