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

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DEAN T. J. THOMPSON Dean of Student Affairs V ,r .■ ' I Four HE primary function of a university education is doubtless to develop intellectual energy and curiosity as well as to offer technical training in the several professions. No one acquainted with the situation will maintain, however, that the information-cramming process and the techni- cal knowledge acquired are the sum total of education as we use the term today. There are also extra-curricular activities which may do much to de- velop individuality, build character, and foster initiative and self-reliance. The great difficulty is that even in our larger institutions of learning only a small percentage of the students avail themselves of the training these activities offer This is regrettable, for through them the student may come in contact with situa- tions which are quite typical of what life will hold for him after graduation. Such activities as an editorship of the CoRNHUSKER, the management of a basketball team, or membership on the student council, et cetera, will do as much, I believe, to make the student a valuable citizen as will a course in organic chemistry or any other subject. Like all good things, however, extra-curricular activities are too often over- emphasized. When this is the case the student often fails to do himself justice schol- astically; and thus fails to get the thorough mental training that should be his pri- mary object in coming to the University. What is most desired, of course, is a proper blending of study and activities into a symmetrical whole. This is the sort of program that this office is very anxious to foster. It is hoped that with the assistance of the faculty and the students we may soon be able to formulate plans which may more effectually distribute among a greater number of students the training available through these extra-curricular activities. This seems to us to be very desirable, for the University may best gauge its accomplishment by the contribution which its graduates make to the citizenship, to the leadership, and to the ideals of the several communities to which they go.

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CHANCELLOR A. E. BURNETT The Chancellor HE state university of the Middle West is peculiarly a product of democracy. Almost nowhere else are equal educational op ' portunities so freely and abundantly offered to youth. The gift of learning, once granted only to the few, may now become the possession of all who will strive for it. To bring to its full fruition the spirit of democracy in education should be the aim of every student, instructor and alumnus. Let us not forget that the University ' s great mission is to make Nebraska a happier and more satisfactory place in which to live, that the University ' s purpose is not alone to train the few but to bring to all something of the glory of education. The freedom that goes with democracy is not release from responsibility, but it is indeed responsibility woven together with wisdom, judgment and tolerance. You have received freely from the hand of the state and it is your obligation to repay this debt. Let your talents increase a hundredfold and your service to your home communities in hke ratio, bringing to others the benefits which you have enjoyed through education. Democracy in education is a synonym for service.

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DEAN AMANDA H. HEPPNER Dean of Women PPROXIMATELY twenty-four hundred undergraduates and one hundred graduate women are registered in the University this year. The office ot the Dean ot Women attends to their needs and assists them in their adjustment to the eoUege environment and college demands. A housing bureau and an employment bureau assist the young women in finding suitable lodgings and gainful employment. The office stands ready at all times to render such service as the needs of the college women may require. Counsel and information dealing with the varied problems and perplexities of women students will be gladly given. The training received in the intra- and e. tra-activities should prepare the student for proper college citizenship and for the larger and more effective citizenship in after-college life. The attitude toward opinions, traditions, and principles of the college world may determine one ' s attitude toward life in the larger world. The scholastic, ethical, moral, and spiritual standards will, in a measure, be responsible for the nature of the precepts and of the character of the maturer individual. The majority of the college women maintain fine standards and ideals, and are amenable to any suggestions which will guide them toward a higher goal. There has been a steady and notable improvement in the desire to promote superior scholarship. In spite of the fact that the requirements have been made more severe, the number of recipients of scholastic honors has been increased. With the enlarged enrollment, the high-minded and right-thinking leaders will need to stress constantly the importance of excellent grades honestly obtained, and help to direct their more confused or misguided classmates toward the worthwhile achievements which repre- sent the real meaning and purpose of University life. J Five I