University of Minnesota - Gopher Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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- 1-M M -M 1- - 1. - M ...M . 11.1. ' l M MM lil fe M M 'll . M..- M M, L X y 'EFS-E'1'fl-Narnia X1 r Walter C. Coffey . . . president of the University this year, brought the organization through the change from military to post-War thinking. After campus life had been adjusted to a decreased enrollment and mili- tary training programs, Mr. Coffey began looking forward to the return of normalcy. To help make a better peace he Worked With Dean McConnell's sen- ate committee on education in planning post-war courses for both ex-servicemen and the regular high school matriculates. The president was Well satisfied with the military program as one of the finest and most varied in the nation. He especially appreciated the fact that even with upset conditions there Was a minimum of petty complaining. The non-academic employees, strike in January Was the biggest crisis of the year. The president held late meetings With the Regents many nights until the dispute Was settled. Thelirst day of the strike as Mr. Coffey approached the campus he saw pickets stopping students with the statement, There's a strike on. No classes. You might as Well go homef, When he got to the line, one of the strikers stepped up and gave him the same notice. He replied quiet- ly, 'Tm Mr. Coffey, president of the Universityv- and he got through. Off the job, the president is just Walter C. Coffey - a man who likes to play golf, fish, and attend the symphony. During the balmy Christmas vacation, Mr. Coffey shot a round of golf and found that With a No. 3 Wood and a No. Q iron in the middle of win- ter, he could make a better score than he did in the summer with a full bag of clubs. M. M. Willey Associated with Mr. Coffey in the University ad- ministration was Malcolm M. Willey who became vice president this year. But Mr. Willey continued with the duties of his old job of University dean and assistant to the president- getting interesting con- vocation speakers, making plans for their presenta- tion, and heading the non-teaching units of the or- ganization, such as the library and the University press. i This year, in addition to these peacetime duties, the vice president got the job of armed services representative. All negotiations for the setting up of the training programs had to be cleared through him. All questions concerning policy Were settled by him, and he had to deal with any problems the Uni- versity, army, navy, or air force raised in connection with these programs. Any student Who got lost among half a dozen col- umns of marching men might well have Wondered at the huge job necessary to keep those thousands of servicemen straight on paper and to integrate them into campus life. Mr. VVilley was also very concerned with educa- tional problems arising out of the war-he and Dean McConnell Wrote a book on this subject, en- titled Higher Education and the War. W. T. Middlebrook . . . also became a vice president this year, mov- ing up from his old position as comptroller. Taking his former job Was Laurence Lunden Who, in the past, had been the assistant. Mr. Middlebrook's office was in charge of the business end of all University affairs-this year 40 per cent military. This involved millions of dollars worth of War contracts to provide housing, food and instruction to army and navy groups. The first two promises Were the most difficult to live up to. But everything Was taken care of and at the end of the year, the business staff was beginning plans for the eventual liquidation of the contracts. The vice president also began getting ready for the enrollment expected after the War- probably at least 20,000, a 25 per cent increase over normal times. Mr. Middlebrook started making arrange- ments for more teachers, more classrooms, more dorms, and anticipated more dealings with the gov- ernment because of the ex-servicemen's education program. Although Mr. Middlebrook Was in the general ad- ministration branch of the University longer than any other officer, he was an amateur at another job this year. Having a vegetable garden for the Hrst time, he found at the end of the season that he had planted four times as much as the family could use. In competition with other University Grove gar- deners, however, he came out with firsts,' in cab- bages, tomatoes and cucumbers. 2l

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The University 5 The governing body of the University had more business than ever to take care of this year. Besides policy forming, the twelve Regents had to pass hun- dreds of contracts for secret war work, all other con- tracts, and approve 570 employees' leaves of ab- sence. The non-academic employees, strike was the big- gest problem the board took care of, meeting in an emergency session until a compromise settlement was reached. The policy that the group worked under all year was to make all staff members and University fa- cilities available to the war effort-even if it must be at the inconvenience of the student body. Although no definite seats Were assigned to the men, they always sat automatically in the same places and meetings were always preceded by ques- tioning A. J . Olson, Renville farmer, about how his crops were coming along and what agricultural con- ditions were at that time. F Detroit Lakes banker, F. J . Rogstad, and Rich- ard L. Griggs, president of the Northwestern Na- tional Bank in Duluth, exchanged their newest hunting stories. Then George W. Lawson, second vice president of the board and secretary of the Minneapolis Federation of Labor, A. F. of L., lit up his customary cigar and business got underway. Business had to make way for the stork more 20 The University of Minnesota is an outstanding edu- cational institution because its various schools and colleges are staffed by men and women who are widely recognized tor their productive scholarship .... The present program of the University has been adapted to war needs: but anticipating the time when hostilities cease, we are busy planning a postwar program. W. C. COFFEY President of the University. Board of Regents than once when New Prague physician Dr. E. E. Novak, the typical country doctor, arrived late or left early to attend blessed events. The other medi- cal member of the board was calm and judicious Albert J . Lobb who was with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. While deliberations were going on, the men all eyed the gay and fancy shirts of Daniel C. Gainey who came from Owatonna where he is the head of the Josten Manufacturing company. And James Ford Bell, chairman of the directors of General Mills, was the only doodler among the Regents. Ray J . Quinlivan, St. Cloud lawyer, had the best fund of good stories to tell after meeting, and Shel- don V. Wood had two new grandchildren and a newly built home to talk about. Twelfth Regent was Albert Pfaender, a lawyer from New Ulm. Four other non-members of the board who had no vote attended the gatherings. Vice president Middlebrook was secretary for the group and he was assisted by Comptroller Laurence R. Lunden and Clayton E. Griswold. EX officio president of the board was . . . x3NlVFP.f 'X ex new I' ', , P Q. s O S 3 y. '.-V omnibus-iiarrgus Z O l O Q

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. G. Williamson C cmcaco fe-- ,-, L c . . QN'lt'flla,ir ' X . l llllmtllg To E. G. Williamson went the credit of forming one of the most outstanding student affairs offices in the country. Under his leadership this year the of- fice was changed to a new and more eflicient organi- zation that brought educators from all over the country to study it. The dean was recognized as a top man in person- nel work and was the most widely traveled man in the office, going to Washington and New York and various states to attend association and committee meetings and to help organize student affairs at other colleges. Here at Minnesota his load was far from light. Besides being a member of various mili- tary committees, he was secretary of the committee on college deferments and worked on planning edu- cation for veterans. Dean Williamson's new student affairs set-up co- ordinated all the Universityls facilities under one head. Under this plan the dean supervised the speech clinic, the testing bureau, loans and scholar- ships, the housing bureau, the activities bureau, re- ligious work, and advisory service to foreign stu- dents. And, although not directly in charge, Dean Williamson's office cooperated with the employment bureau and the student health service. This system worked to the great advantage of the students. Everything was brought together, ad- ministered more efficiently and the old confused overlapping of the separate deans system was elimi- nated. Charles L. Rock The director of the activities bureau had probably the most hectic job on campus keeping the campus leadersi' in hand. But Charlie Rock's marvelous sense of humor helped him in seeing that everything ran smoothly without too much trouble all year. Wartime shifting of student activity heads made the job twice as confusing. Too often when Mr. Rock wanted to see an organization president he was told, He,s not the president any more. He left for the army last week. lVIany organizations, whose membership dropped too low as men left, went inactive, and it was the 22 job of the activities bureau to see that adequate ar- rangements were made for them to be reestablished after the war. At freshman camp, the names of prospective lead- ers were recorded by the bureau and the freshmen were later called into the oflice for interviews. In the mix-up of camp, the bureau happened to get the names of some upperclassmen who were old campus leaders on their list of newcomers. They were called up to the office with the whole group and assistants Ann Warburton and Joyce Fritter began interview- ing them about their interests before they realized their mistake. The girls were embarrassed but Mr. Rock laughed it off- Just one of those things. Barbara Clark . . . also had a good sense of humor and being a graduate of just three years, she was still close to studentis problems. S She helped Mr. Rock with all the work of the ac- tivities bureau-and especially with women's ac- tivities. She began during freshman week by super- vising sorority rushing and answering the questions of freshman coeds who were not yet familiar with the intricacies of accepts, regrets, and declines. Dur- ing the year, she and Mr. Rock carried on a new ex- periment in social adjustment counseling. Handling the Hnancial side of activities . . . George Rlsty The director of loans and scholarships came to the aid of many students Who, in spite of a wartime boom, would have been unable to continue their education otherwise. And besides giving money, Mr. Risty gave financial counseling to all students who had difficulties making ends meet. The Superman of the student affairs office, Mr. Risty might have frightened some students. He amazed Miss Clark when she first came to the ac- tivities bureau by picking up a typewriter with one finger. G. Abraham - R. Johnson Eager-beaver Mr. Abraham began the year as ad- viser to frantic treasurers, planned yearly budgets, supervised the equipment funds of the military groups, and saw the beginning of the new student organization investment trust fund. This fund was to help groups make the most of their excess money and to further the war effort. Money put into the trust fund was invested in war bonds by Comp- troller Lunden.