Tennessee State University - Tennessean Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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Growth ofzhe Library. a The Davis administration not only began with a good nucleus ofa library, but it inherited the seasoned services of a head librarian whose career at the college began when its doors first opened. Mrs. Martha M. Brown must have had all of the dedication that any college president could desire in a librarian. She had seen the collection grow from the very first book to the quantity of 1944 of 34,000. Mrs. Brown's staff in 1943 consisted of three professionally trained librarians and twelve additional persons. Theyr provided their service in a building which was made possible through the efforts of Mrs. Brown. She is credited with having secured a Rosenwald grant to fmance its construction. Until the time of her retirement in 1951 Mrs. Brown continued to guide the growth of the library service and instructional program of the library. She was available in 1950 to advise concerning the modernization and enlargement of the Library Building to its present size trated capacity of 120,000 volumes; U. Hun Hg! firing; t.- Miss Lois Daniel. who succeeded Mrs. Brown as Head Librarian. was responsible for eomplllng the Library data for the report to the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools 1n 1958. That TCDOI'i provided data which, when compared to the 1943 data showed that SOme categorles of the holdtngs had more than doubled during the fifteen year period. The book collection had actually outgrown the rated capacity 0f the building. This situation stimulated a campaign by the librarlans for a new butlding. As the library collection had grown the size ofthe professional staffhad also grown. . . In retrospect it is easy to discern evidence of the motivational force ofthis dream operattng 1n the evolu- tion of the institution. The insistence on offering a graduate program whose breadth exceeded the depth of preparation ofthe faculty in several disciplines; dividing and subdividing the aeadernte program mm more and more areas of specialization; and structuring the faculty into a rapidly inereaelng number of depat't- mental units, even when some departments consisted ofone person, were actions which reflected Dr. Daws' urge to create an embryo from which a university could develop. In August 0! 1951 the State Board of Education authorized the transformation of the college into a university. The dream had become reality. The achieving ofuniversity status was indeed a momentous event for all who had become a part 0t Ten- nessee Agricultural and Industrial State College.

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20 Creation ofthe Vice Presidency. h How do you fill a void created by the departure of a college Off'ICIal who nurtured all college publications for nearly thirty years; guided the development and safeguarded the integrity 0f the total educational program; directed the origin and development of the graduate program: directed the delivery of off campus credit instructional programS; and maintained an active role in Signifi- eant professional organizations to promote the colleges interests? This was the question 905951 by 'Dean GOWS resignation, One answer that Tennessee A. and I. offered was to create a new super position 1 the organizational chart, and call it Vice President ofthe college. Then came the task of identifying a super PCP son to fill it. The person selected was Dr. Alger V. Boswell. . Dr. Boswell, who had come to the college as a mathematics teacher in 1930, had served in a variety 0f capacities during the subsequent twenty years. Among these were treasurer of the ecallege 311d ad- ministrative assistant to President Davis. When interviewed during this study Dr. Boswell commented on the various positions that he had filled at this institution. At another point in the interview Dr. Boswett stated that the greatest challenge that he faced was hto take on all the jobs vacated by Gore when he left. This challenge aCCIuired added dimensions during the next year when the college was authorized to operate as a university. University Status. a The concluding statement in President Davisi Inaugural Address was the following: The establishment and maintenance of a strong nA class university with a complete program ofeurricular and extracurricular activities is our goal. It '15 00W apparent that this was far more than a mere exercise in rhetoric designed to en- Courage applause at the climax of an academic ceremony. For Dr. Davis this was one of those dreams WhICh approach the obsession stage in the lives ofhuman beings.

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. . - 1 ade Developing the Student Activity Program. The students who sat in the audtence as Pregldfggefililzlsigem his inaugural address must have been pleased to hear his very seeelfic commitments toamdp student activity activity program. By 1943 the college displayed abundant ev1clence that a wellwrotm .8 on campus, and program was highly valued. A democratically established student counml was functioning w University no doubt as the President of the Student Council listened to the pronouncements of illie deent activity President, his joy from anticipation of whole-hearted administrative eorhrmtmcnt to :such that in the program must have excelled that of all others. The magnitude of the emslmg program :3 cl ns , absence ofadrninistrative commitment, student leaders would have had unmanageable Hi : aerivilies d6- In the Bulletin for 1941-1942, two years prior to the Davis appomtment, the glam: agculty assumed scribed could be placed in two broad categories: tll activities for students for whlc ht f? st category were dominant leadership roles and CD student organizations led by studeht officers. In tl e 11' ctivities. In the the religious services, college publications, theatre, and varsity and mtramural ath cm: a . ' ' 1 'es and the Stu- seeond category, activities led by student officers, were the varlous clubs, fraternities, sororltl dent Council. . . . ' that made it con- In general, the student aetivrty program at the Universny was managed m admarllgegd and shared with tribute maximally to the education of students The talents whieh the student? 1:15 pht to the campus to each other were SUDplemented by the shared talents of outstanding personalllles roug . . - m. The Univer- 1nsp1re, inform, entertain and generally serve the students as models of human achieveme sityls religious and Lyceum Programs served this purpose. The Religious Program. i In the fall . ' mic of 1953, the young university acquired the services or a dyna welltrained Minister, Dr. William J. Sim . . . - - ' , Dr. moms, and thereby created the DOSIUO 0f Unlvermplllx'g IFSSthIZI-esi- Simmons found a rich heritage of religious activities and emphases. Through the effogigswdems during dent, Dr. W. J. Hale, Mr. R. E. Clay and Mrs. Lena B. Watson, the religious interests 0 8' mon5 concluded their college years were nurtured. Analyzing the efforts of those who preceded him, Dr. 1m . . - - . ' 'ous life of that his contribution should be the ercauon of coordinated structure and directlon for the rellgI the students.