University of Wisconsin River Falls - Meletean Yearbook (River Falls, WI)

Page 25 text:

President J. H. Ames ADMINISTRATION Till- call for a school of higher education came in western Wisconsin as a result of the early settlements along the rivers of this section. By I860 there was a considerable settlement in the vicinity of River Falls. As a result of this settlement a teachers college was located here prior to those in the central and northern parts of the state. In 1874 the River Falls State Normal School was founded and opened its first session in September. 1875. It was the fourth normal school to be established in the state. One building on the South Campus contained the entire school. During the first twenty-seven years of its existence the course of study was confined largely to a course for elementary teachers. In 1892 the Board of Regents made a revision of the curriculum of the normal schools. At that time four-year courses were made available in English. Latin, and German. The professional course was concerned more with the teaching process than with the academic subjects. During this time the growth of the school was very gradual. The enrollment at the first session was two hundred fifty-nine, while in 1890 it was two hundred sixty-seven. I 19 1

Page 24 text:

Regent J. H. Grimm ADMINISTRATION THE State Teachers Colleges of Wisconsin are under the control of the Board of Regents. This body is composed of a secretary, one representative of each teachers college, the state superintendent of public instruction, the state treasurer, and a member from the state at large. The duties of this board are to regulate the courses of study of the various teachers colleges of the state, present a budget of cost of maintenance and instruction to the state legislature at each session, and recommend expenditures for new buildings for colleges that need them. It is through the efforts of this group that the teachers colleges of Wisconsin have been kept at their high standard. The constant demand is for better trained teachers and the administration of the teachers colleges is always anticipating this demand to be better able to meet it. Within our school is a separate administrative unit working in conjunction with the Board of Regents. This unit, under the direction and leadership of the president, has ably met the demands for better teachers. The college offers advantages to its students through the efforts of this body in its fine faculty and directors of extra-curricular activities. At the present time the college is being studied by the North Central Association of Colleges and High Schools. [ 18 ]

Page 26 text:

Dean Charles G. Stratton ADMINISTRATION AFTER 1892 the growth was more rapid. Not only did the enrollment increase, but there was a large growth in the number enrolled in advanced courses. In 1897 the original building burned down, and the following year the present South Hall was erected in its place. This new building housed all departments of the school. With advanced demands for teachers the courses of study have been modified accordingly. In 1910 the policy of specializing courses was introduced. During the same year a department for training rural teachers was started. A special department for training agriculture teachers was established in 1912. A new building known as North Hall was built in 1914 to contain the executive offices, auditorium, gymnasium and the science department. 1924 marked a change in many phases of the school. The courses of study were reorganized on a professional basis, the school year was divided into three terms of twelve weeks each with a summer session of six weeks, and high school graduation was fixed as the entrance requirement for all departments. Two years later the standard program was reduced from eighteen term hours to sixteen term hours. I 20]