University of Nebraska Lincoln - Cornhusker Yearbook (Lincoln, NE)

Page 31 text:

alnnt anil IX ' mu - sible to retain it as a part of the University, it was a distinct educational loss to the State when it was discontinued, liefore bidding iarewell to llie Latin School we may note the fact that it included in its faculty many instructors of marked ability, as Church, Ellen Smith (afterwards University Registrar), Bennett ( nf)w of Cornell), and Lees (our Professor of Greek). For many years the College of Literature, Science and Art manuainei! three courses of study, — the classical, the literary, and the scientific, each leading to its particular degree. In those ilays the conditions for admission were different for each course, so that if an applicant was rejected from the classical course, he might be accepted for the literary, or if he failed there he might squeeze into the scientific course. If, however, he was so poorly prepared as to fail of entrance to the scientific course there was always the opportunity open to him of getting into the Industrial College. In fact, it was nearly impossible to escape getting into the latter, anil naturally this low standarc ' reacted disastrously upon the Col- lege and its courses of study. For, after all, the students in this University re- spect and prefer the courses with high standards. For a long time it was the impression on the campus that this College was the University, and that the Industrial College was an apfiendage. In fact, the Regents themselves seem to have had rather hazy notions on this subject, for when I was elected to my present position, including the Deanship of the Indus- trial College, I was assured that I was also a professor ir. the University. Nearly twenty years ago the scientific course was transferred from the Col- lege of Literature, Science and .Art to the Industrial College, and about the same time it was decided to give but one degree in each college. During a considerable period there were from eighteen to twenty courses of study leading to the degree of A.B., and ten to a dozen leading to B.Sc, and then a little later came the period of free electives, which, with a little n:odification, is what we now have. When the Faculty committee brought in its report in favor of the elective system, the report was adopted by the literary Faculty, but when an licur or two later it was laid before the industrial Faculty it was rejected by a large majority. There were many fears that the Industrial College would soon have no students if it main- tained its regular prescribed courses of study in competition with the vei liljcral elective system of the other college. It was thought that students wanted the freedom of choice of studies .so much that they would not go into the prescribed courses, but this fear has been shown to be groundless. On the contrarv, the In- dustrial College has prospered and increased most rapidly in the number of its students. In the literary F ' aculty there is a growing feeling that the elective .sys- tem should be greatly restricted, at least by a considerable extension of the powers of advisers. A notable development of the College of Literature, Science and . rf has been its increasing feminization. Men are going into the sciences and their ap- plications in increasing numbers, and so are swarming into the Ir.dustrial College, while in this latter college there are fewer women year by vear. Thus while one college is becoming more and more a man ' s college, the other is ten:ling in the opposite direction. The establishment of strong courses in sociologv. political science, and economics should check this tendency by ofTering men opportunities for the studv of subjects which bear tlirectly upon their life work.

Page 30 text:

-iTl ' LIBK KV FROM UNIVERSITV HALL LIBRARV FROM ADMINISTRATION lUlLniNf. LNIVERSITV HALL THE FAMrilAK APPROACH NEBRASKA HALL

Page 32 text:

I MECHANIC ARTS MALL MEMOfTIAL HALL HK ACK HALL CHEMI iTKV HI ILUING