University of Rochester - Interpres Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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1851, Henry Ward Beecher delivered the principal ad- dress. The size of the audi- enc es attending the ceremony indicated that the University had already become an im- portant and respected part of Rochester life. The search for a president for the University of Roches- ter ended with the choosing of Martin Brewer Anderson in 1853. His formal in- stallation took place at the commencement exer- cises in 1854. A member of that class of 1854 was Henry Strong, later to become president of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad and a generous donor to the University. At this time, too, John H. Raymond, one of the original faculty, left Rochester to assume the presidency of Vassar College-the first of a long series of faculty mem- bers and graduates to become heads of other schools. These were days of rapid growth and develop- M. B. Anderson President 1853-88 Early gridiron sportsmen ment for the University of Rochester, and the State of New York recognized the new institu- tion's worth in 1857 when it gave the school 825,000 Cprovided an equal amount was raised by the Universityj. Many present-day activities were initiated in these early years: the first issue of INTERPRES came out in 1858, and several of today's fraternities were established during the first decade. By 1860, the enrollment stood at 165, more than double the original number. In 1861 the University moved to what is now the Prince Street campus Con land that had been The undergraduate body in 1879 given by Azariah Boodyj, occupying Anderson Hall, the first college edifice built upon that site. But hardly had the school been established there when the Civil War broke out, disrupting the steady progress that had marked the decade of the 'f1fties. Like all American colleges, the University of Rochester suffered during the Civil War. Many of its students, teachers, and graduates served as oiiicers in the United States Army Cthe school and the city were strongly abolitionistj. After the con- clusion of the war, Rochester once more con- tinued to expand, but at a slower pace than in the previous decade. The most important faculty additions of the period were Professor William C. Morey in 1869 and Professor Henry F. Burton in 1877. In Octo- ber, 1873, the UNIVERSITY RECORD, a monthly newspaper, was started, developing in 1881 into the CAMPUS of today. The second plant addition to the Prince Street Campus came in June, 1876 with the opening of Sibley Hall. In 1878 the twenty-fifth anniversary of Martin Brewer Anderson's presidency was celebrated. By this time Doctor Anderson had become one of the best-known and most respected college presi- dents in the country. To partially aid his unre- mitting efforts toward the expansion and improve- ment of the University of Rochester, the alumni raised and p r e s e n t e d S260,000 in x in 1880, which X cleared up - gf 'gym all past debts ' f3:.w::.'i' of the Uni- f versity and

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, KX X Xe. X veg' 'Rs X TI? QB f sg H , u -1 -.' KN X X-1 kj? rf: f tk 'fc Q' j . lx X05 K 1 EE at Q g. w X c. ccciv' ' lt x XZ it 9 x c 3 I URING THE 1840'S, the city of Rochester was the center of a thriv- ing, prosperous farming community. The people of this area felt the need of a university of their own, and several attempts were made to establish such an institution in Rochester. How- ever, it was not until the close of the decade that a movement, sponsored by Baptists, for a Univer- sity of Rochester, was successful. The first con- crete result of these formative efforts was the granting of a provisional charter by the New York State Board of Regents on 31 january, 1850. As the year progressed, the University-to-be took shape: it would be a predominantly Baptist institution, although open to all, it would offer a sound, liberal, practical type of higher education, it would be a separate institution, independent of any connection with Madison QColgatej Univer- sity, as had been suggested. There was considerable discussion as to the school's location. A prophetic note was sounded when someone suggested the area next to Mount Hope Cemetery with these words: Mount Hope: . . . a resort of perhaps six to ten times as many strangers visiting the city as any other place or object. This cemetery ground would be nearly as valuable to the university, for the use of the students in rambling, as if they owned itg and the college ground adjoining it would be very appropriately situated .... This cemetery will forever be a point of increased attraction. . . However, the old United States Hotel was finally chosen as the University's home, and served in that capacity until 1861. A staff that included Asahel C. Kendrick, John F. Richardson, John H. Raymond, and Chester Dewey was secured, a curriculum was set up that offered both B.A. and B.S. degrees, Ira Harris, one of the University's founders, was appointed Chancellor until a president could be secured, and on 4 November, 1850, the University of Rochester ! opened its doors to its first stu- 5 dent body of eighty-two. U The University started with assets which were to prove invaluable in providing a strong and per- manent foundation. The staff was an exception- ally fine one, the United States Hotel was, for The faculty of the university in 1880 those days, an excellently-suited building for the young school, and the founders of the University, as well as the general population of Rochester, demonstrated an impressive affection for and pride in their new institution. This impressive beginning was soon recognized by the granting of a permanent Charter by the state Board of Regents on 14 February, 1851. By this time, the school boasted an endowment of S140,000, and had assumed a place among the more progressive institutions of the country by adopting the elective system for the last two years of study. At the first commencement, in july,

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assured for her the sound financial position which has continued to this day. 1887 saw the addition of Reynolds Memorial Laboratory to the Prince Street campus. The fol- lowing year, because of ill health, President Anderson resigned. He consented to stay on until a new University head was selected, however, and in 1890 David Jayne Hill, 40-year old presi- dent of Bucknell University, and one of the most promising young American educators, became the second president of the University of Roch- Anderson Hall in the 1880's ester. The joy at the selection of the new president was tempered by the news of President Ander- son's death in February, 1890. President Hill had to deal with several problems upon his assumption of the presidency of the University. Arnerica's industrialization had brought a demand for a greater role for science in education, and to meet this President Hill in- stituted an extensive revision of the ciu'riculum into four major courses: Classical, Latin, Greek, and Scientiic. By 1894, more than two times the number of courses offered in 1887 were available. At this time agitation began for the admission of women into the University. Although nothing was done until 1900, President Hill touched upon this issue at the 1892 commencement: We must consider . . . the question of the admission of young women to the university. Give us money, gentlemen, and we will take care of your daughters. There shall be no fraud or deceit about it .... Honor, truth, virtue, loyalty, and business methods will prevail. Still another issue, that Azariah Boody of Baptist sectarianism in the University, was settled by definite statements by Presi- dent Hill and members of the board of trus- tees, and since then the University has never been considered as anything but the leading educational institution of the city of Rochester as a whole. In 1891, the Biology laboratory on Prince Street was opened. At the 1893 World's Co- lumbian Exposition in Chicago the University pre- sented an exhibit which won several awards. In 1896, after six years of service, President Hill resigned, later to become Assistant Secretary of State of the United States. The years from 1896 to 1900 were dominated by the search for a new president. Professor Samuel A. Lattimore served as acting president from 1896-1898, and Professor Burton followed in a similar capacity for the remaining two years of the century, both doing excellent jobs. In 1899, the University Council, which eventu- ally evolved into today's Board of Control, was formed. Susan B. Anthony Early view of Sibley Hall and drive In 1900, women were first admitted to the Uni- versity. The semi-centennial celebration of the school was held during that year, featuring Assis- tant Secretary of State Hill, and Theodore Roose- velt, then Governor of the New York State, as speakers. It is remarkable that 1900, the half-way mark in the University of Rochester's first century,