University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

Page 20 text:

The University of Massachusetts, the state university of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, was founded in 1863 under provisions of the Morrill Act of 1862. This land grant act endowed colleges in every state of the union to meet the demand for technical edu- cation. The original bill was formed by Senator Justin L Morrill of Vermont. It provided that public land be assigned to the several states and territories, the funds from the sale of which were to be used to establish and maintain colleges of agriculture and mechanical arts. Al- though the main objective of such col- leges was training in agriculture and mechanical arts, they were to include other scientific and classical subjects in order to promote both the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes. Massachusetts accepted the provi- sions of the Morrill Act in 1863 and immediately began to plan for a new college. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was already organized, and it was decided that instruction in mechanical arts should be given there. For this reason, the college, when founded, was an agricultural school. The General Court required that 575,000 be raised and presented to the trustees by the town in which the college was located. Northampton, Lexington, Springfield and Amherst complied with this request. After much discussion Amherst was finally selec- ted as the location for the college and a 310 acre tract of land was purchased. Incorporated as Massachusetts Agri- culture College in April 1863, the insti- tution first opened its doors to 56 students in 1867 with four faculty members and four wooden buildings. Admission requirements were: stu- dents to be sixteen years of age, and to pass such examinations as is required for admission to Normal Schools, and such further examination as shall be prescribed. The existing departments in the first year were: Agriculture and Horticulture, Physics, Mathematics and Engineering, Natural History, Chemistry, Political Economics, Intel- lectual Philosophy and Christian Mor- als, Comparative Anatomy and Animal Physiology, including Veterinary Sur- gery and Medicine, Modern Languages and Literature, and Physical Education, including Military Tactics. During its early years, the college faced severe financial problems. The State Legislature refused to grant an annual appropriation, causing the Col- lege to accumulate a deficit of 518,000 The College began to fall from public favor because of its financial straits. The deficit was covered by the Legislature in 1874, but it did not act to prevent further debts. For three years, from 1874 to 1877, the College sustained its credit only by personal endorsement of its notes by Trustee William Knowlton. The situation did not improve much by 1879, by which time a new deficit of 532,000 had accumulated. Members of the Legislature and the public began to suggest that responsibility for the Col- lege be given to Amherst College. I-Iowever, the Legislature relented and once again covered the debt. The Col- lege then instituted strict financial con- trols to balance the budget of 524,000 The State Legislature began to show more support for the College in the 1800's, appropriating funds for scho- larships and new buildings. Income from all revenue sources more than doubled between 1881 and 1886. As its financial condition improved, the Col- lege was able to hire more professors and broaden its academic offerings, particularly in the humanities. The College enrolled its first woman student in the 1890's although few women came in following years, as no housing was available for them, and because the curriculum led to occupa- tions dominated by men. The year 1892 saw the College being authorized to grant graduate degrees. The first two graduate degrees were granted in 1896. In 1908 the Graduate School was established as a separate unit of the institution. As the Massachusetts Agricultural College entered into the twentieth cen- tury, alumni and students began to request a broader curriculum, particu- larly the establishment of a degree program in the Arts. Discussion of the

Page 19 text:

,. I u, . Q I : .w'? .' I Q 0 ' ' , 4 .. h .. - Q . . f gif.: 5. L ' ' 3 r ' , 'ng ,' a ' al , ' ' I' Q 5 , ' ' x -- ' u , 4 . ' , , - , . , , 1.41 , 'I 1 'QU A. ,fa . .4 y 9 5 , ' A Q ' I . Q c .. 1 0 1 A .. 'Tr 'v ' A.. - Z' fs-, 1 .1 iz. ag- . fl .4 'I - -.1 . J O . ' h gf . l . ' A 'V f 1 , A ' ' V N. ,Q 3,68 won u f '.6.' . .V M 1 . . ' . , Q J '11 f A.. :- .' I ' ' ' U 5.-f ' I' ' 9 4 . J . . ' n Q ' ' - . , 1 .L , ' ' .'.' Q P l' I af 50, il. . 1 . ' 2:3 A 0 H. . . Q. f ff .. . , 9' Q .. Q., , , 0 ' .5 Q F. .Q - 1' l 'Z 4 t .. .ir 4 n . . , , fs 4' 9 5 bl .A 5 'S' n iq.. 'Q ,A ,M- iv A F? I '. Q 5 C L c n V f,. 1 ii 4, Z ' 4 2 --,I -E I 4. .5 3 f - x K a G 1 M? , 6-vi. ,- 2 A9 L , if . 3 , E i vi. 0 6 , Q A, ,.. I 5 QI .. - ,, 4 5' 'YA ' 'n ',v 'f ' 'iw .. ' ' 1 5' 7 1' 'V' cr'-wg ,'jA 53 ' X 'fgygzmz f5l'r1i1Mxqy, Q 5 , ,V N 3 Q .sv ' -s ' ' 'QF A - L 21, xa A 'nn - ' Qi' . N 1jT:7?fi ff A .- - v -. - 5 ' my .. nm,

Page 21 text:

curriculum became more active in the late 1920's, when a group ofalumni and students began to petition the Trustees to change the name of the College. By November of 1930 the Trustees had been persuaded to support the change. On March 26, 1931, Governor joseph B. Ely signed a bill which made the Massachusetts Agricultural College the Massachusetts State College. However, the bill contained no provisions rede- fining the purposes of the education offered. By this time enrollment had increased to 760, with no more student housing available on campus. The number of women doubled between 1925 and 1931, increasing from 100 to 216. Feeling that the Massachusetts State College had a greater role to fulfill in the Commonwealth, students and alumni again began to petition for a change in the College's focus, this time a change to status as a university. The drive met with opposition in the State Legislature in 1940 and failed. The issue was then pushed aside in 1941 with the onset of World War II. However, just as the end of World War I had brought more students to Massachusetts Agricultural College, the end of World War II caused a surge of applications. The GI Bill gave thousands of returning Massachusetts servicemen a means to get through college. By February of 1946, the Col- lege and facilities at Amherst simply could not accommodate the volume demanded. There had been no buil- ding construction and minimal repair and replacement of equipment during the war. Available resources were bare- ly adequate for a college of 1700 students. Emergency funds were granted by the Legisature for building badly needed classroom and living units. The College opened a Fort Devens branch in 1946 to handle an overflow of 2,800 veterans. As the clamor for more space continued, members of the College community realized that this was the right time to revive the University movement. A major drive was launched and, based on public support, the College became the University of Massachusetts on May 6, 1947, when Governor Robert A. Bradford signed the bill into law. The University en- rolled 2,407 students that year, with a faculty of 160. The years since 1947 have been years of rapid growth for the University. This growth and the simul- taneous increase in the quality of edu- cation have been made possible largely by the changes that have taken place in the system of governmental controls that previously hampered academic progress. The Freedom Bill of 1956 gave the University authority to ap- point properly qualified faculty mem- bers at any salary scale fwithin the limits of the budget and of the state salary scalel and transferred full con- trol over professional personnel poli- tics to the Board of Trustees, many governmental controls over purchas- ing were also transferred to the University. Rapid expansion began for the cam- pus in 1960, a year in which the student population was 6,495 and a total of 366 faculty and other academic profession- als were employed on campus. In 1970, to facilitate the coordination of the three growing campuses at Amherst, Worcester and Boston, the President! s Office was moved from Amherst to Boston. At the same time, the admin- istration of the Amherst campus was reorganized and the position of Chan- cellor as Principal Administrative Of- ficer was created. By this time, in 1970, the Amherst Campus enrollment had reached 20,462 and the faculty had grown to 1,134. Currently there are 24,012 students enrolled at the Amherst campus, and 1,464 faculty positions. Students may enroll in 94 degree programs at the undergraduate level, including 8 two- year programs, 60 degree programs are offered at the master's level and 45 programs at the doctoral level. During the past fiscal year a total of 5,345 degrees were conferred: 3,982 at the undergraduate level, 196 associate degrees from Stockbridge School of Agricultureg and 1,167 at the graduate level.