University of New Hampshire - Granite Yearbook (Durham, NH)

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THE 1937 College of Agriculture . i- Although the College of New Hampshire was primarily organized for the furtherance of agricultural education, the following expansion of the College into the University of New Hampshire saw a decrease in the importance of the College of Agriculture as far as comparative enrollment is concerned. This was due, in large part, to the economic change of the world from one principally agricultural to one dominantly industrial, with its consequent decrease in agricultural population. Yet agriculture is a big busi- ness and must be considered in the adjustments of the - - economic world. Quoting Dean Eastman, The very fact Dean Eastman that we can stand knee-deep in wheat and starve for bread is evidence that there are adjustments yet to be made through better education and better interpretations of what we learn. To this end agricultural education is striving. ln following this policy, the College of Agriculture teaches not merely the physical operations and methods of crop and animal production, but seeks to in- corporate in the student a knowledge of economic principles involved in relation of prices to production. An appreciation of the interdependence of agricultural and industrial populations is instilled in the student as well as a spirit of co-operation in the efforts to correct the maladjustments of the economic system. Again quoting Dean Eastman, Time once devoted to grindstone work and greasing the wheel- barrow must be used in considering national problems, if not international, and to the training of graduates with some ability as statesmen, in addition to good judg- ment in providing for the cow's contentment. More specifically, these aims are achieved through the offering of courses in agricultural economics, the major course of which is, of course, Agricultural Economics. The curriculum of the College of Agriculture is designed primarily as a four- year course, but for those who have not the time, money, or preparation to complete four years of study for a degree there is offered a two-year course. The object of this curriculum is to give as thorough and as practical a course in agriculture as the limited time will permit. The value to a student of the knowledge gained in the College of Agriculture is, of course, purely economic. Dean Eastman says of this, A survey of our Agri- cultural College alumni in IQBO indicated that their average net salary or income was 153,038 Some of these had been out for many years but the majority were recent graduates. About twelve per cent were making incomes of over 555,ooo, and nearly four per cent more than jjlI0,000. Nor was this a particularly prosperous time for agriculture, although somewhat improved since the terrible blight of the early '20,S, when an artihcially bolstered-up price level hnally had to break. A falling price level must ever reflect disproportionally on the farmers because they I2

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GRA ITE President Edward M. Lewis PREXY ln an age when specialization is emphasized, it is a rare occurrence to find a man so thoroughly , proficient in many fields of endeavor that he might be called a versatile specialist, such a man is President Edward M. Lewis, our Prexy who may well be called a versatile specialist. The more important facts of his life and a brief of his life will confirm this assertion. Coming to the United States in l88l with his parents, john C. and jane tDaviesH Lewis of lVlachynlleth, Wales, Prexy acquired learning at Williams College, graduating in 1896 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and remaining at that institution for three more years for his master's degree. Since that time he has risen to be one of the best-known and most-respected educators in the United States. Columbia, Williams, Yale, Harvard, and Massachusetts Agricultural College are among the institutions at which he has President I-jtlwgirti M, Lcwig taughtg indeed, he was President of the latter for a period of six years before accepting the offer of the President's desk at the University of New Hampshire. Evidence of his ability in the field of education is found in the fact that six colleges have conferred honorary degrees upon him, yet his talent in this field is rivalled by his proficiency in athletics. ln the years 1896 to 1901 he pitched for Boston baseball teams in both the American and the National Leagues. ln between times, from 1897 to IQOI, he coached the Harvard baseball team, and from 1920 to 1923 he was president of the New England Athletic Association. Our President specializes, too, in the field of politics and in the field of religion. ln politics, he has twice been candidate for Congress, and has been chairman ofa stateconven- tion. He is a member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and a member of the Foreign Policy Association, as well as being actively interested in organizations concerned with the lfar East. ln religious activities, he was at one time an instructor in the Yale Divinity School, he has been Vice-President of the Massachusetts l-'ederation of Churches, and is at present a director of the Northern New lingland School of Religious Education. The progress of the University of New Hampshire since 1927, when President Lewis took oflice, is a further testimonial to his talent. Can there be any doubt that, with a l'l'lill1 of such proved ability and accomplishments as guide, the University of New Ha1npshire will continue to advance to even higher planes in the educational world?

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GRANITE are principally engaged with the business of producing basic commodities. More significant, perhaps, is the fact that during the more recent secondary depression of the '3o's, when big business has been prostrated, our recent Agricultural College graduates have continued to find reasonable employment for the most part, and some have gone out equipped to farming businesses for themselves in dairying, poultry-production, and fruit-growing, and to make a success of it. Out of these experiences, one can scarcely' help appreciating more than ever the value of an agricultural education, particularly as it is reflected in satisfactions of resourcefulness and security. The present head of the College, Dean M. Gale liastman, graduated in 1913 from New Hampshire College with a BS. degree, following which he obtained his lVl.S. at Cornell. ln 1931, he obtained his Ph.D., also from Cornell. His associa- tion with the University dates from 1917, when he became Assistant Professor of Agronomy. lle became Associate Professor of Agronomy in IQZS, then Professor of Agricultural Economics in 1929. ln IQQ2, he was Associate Dean, then in 1933 he was appointed Dean of the College of Agriculture. I5