University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 14 text:

Students find friends among the faculty Will automation pervade even the classroom? These electronic computers seem to answer yes. Yet no one will ever find a substitute for the marvelous interplay of human minds in the unfathomed process of learning. Faculty members become just good friends as the girls of a sorority house entertain a man and wife who are both University instructors. To attain a more personalized atmosphere in liberal arts education, instructors in freshman English courses schedule weekly conferences with each student. Special problems and prom- ising accomplishments receive attention. Stu- dents find their instructors willing to sacrifice free time to help them develop the art of com- position. 10

Page 13 text:

Burton Tower: Focus of time and culture From hiuh at o e tin- I ' nivrisity campus, since 1938 the Charles Kind Caiillmi has announced the beginning of each -chiKil il.iv .mil ihr passing of each quarter hour. Housed .il [ the I. lined M. ui. m LeKov Burton Memorial Tower, die caiillon repiesents a combination of two important I. iii-is of academic activity: time and culture. In the thousands nl people whose business is the aca- ilemir world. Burton Tower serves as a constant reminder i t man ' s finitude. within the boundless immensities of knowledge. For the coed hurrying to class from the Hill, or for the professor leisurely strolling to an appointment, a ylaiu-e at Burton ' s great clock recalls the inexorable flight of time that precious commodity pervading all of man ' s endeavors. Time Miners with the beauty of art in the tower ' s great chimes. Periodic concerts of holiday or traditional music written for the hells are showered over the heads of thou- sands of people who, day by day, pass within the sound of the carillon. The power and beauty of the chimes is perhaps one of the most distinctive aspects of the University campus, lemembered in shaip clarity by both the Ann Arbor resident and the casual visitor. Burton Tower is also the focal point for students of the Music Depaitment. who turn their heads from their work e i-rv fifteen minutes to await the passing of the chimes. The tower houses several teaching studios, the Departments of Music Literature and Theory, and the Music Library. Within its stately walls is laid the groundwor k for many of the I ' imeisity ' s contributions to the whole world of cul- ture. The great granite obelisk houses a number of leaching studios, where aspiring musicians develop their art under expert guidance. Music students appreciate the convenience and completeness of the Music Library, housed in Burton Tower. Here are available complete scores of the works of major composers, ma- terial on music theory and history, as well as periodicals and journals. University carilloneur Percival Price stands be- neath the metallic dome of Burton Tower ' s largest bell. Professor Price presents frequent concerts throughout the academic year, featur- ing classical works, as well as original music of his own composition.

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Talents, wisdom are shared Top artists of the concert world, frequent guests on ilu I ' niversity ' s Hill Auditorium stage, take time to meet students informally and to share experiences. Here a Daily reporter interviews the lovely and gra- cious Rise Stevens. To those whose prime dedication is the advancement and refine- ment of the nrls. thr working day is not over at 3:00 o ' clock. The famed Stanley Quartet, all of whose participants are faculty mem- bers, presents frequent concerts of chamber music for the benefit of students and the general public. An English instructor takes time out to meet with his students over coffee, after regular class hours. Special areas of interest are inves- tigated informally. Attendance is not required, but nearly everyone is present. One of the distinctive characteristics of the Michigan mosaic is the diffusion throughout all its multiform parts of a certain spirit of exchange a sharing of the finest intellectual, emotional, and artistic experiences of life. Education demands this sort of exchange, not only of ideas. l)iit of feelings and the deepest understandings of which man is capable. A good teacher is not just a person who can lecture well to a classroom full of note-taking students. He is any man or woman who has tasted life, has found some- thing valuable, and who is able to reach people, through whatever talents he possesses, and share with them what he has found. He is the actor, the concert singer, the lecturer from another country, the quiet instructor working humbly and faithfully without fanfare. The quality of an educational experience depends greatly on the degree and quality of rapport between teacher and student. This rapport requires effort on both sides. It requires wisdom and a sincere concern on the part of the teacher. It requires the ability to share. ftfl