University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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As the first Rector of the Board of Visitors, Mr. Jefferson provided for eight professorships, no fixed curriculum and n0 awarding of de- grees; rather, the students were to be free to pursue whatever subjects they pleased under what was known as the ctelectiveii system. Yet even Mr. J effersonis well laid plans went astray- he had difficulty assembling his faculty, so the University did not open until March 7, 1825. From the very beginning, the institution started to expand. Within the first year, the enrollment jumped from 68 students to 123. At this time the entire scope of the University was contained within the Lawn area; classes were held in the pavilions, which also served as living space for the professors. In the next few decades, howev- er, the University was to come into its own; the enrollment jumped from 168 in 1845 to 645 in 1856. This growth forced the expansion of the facilities. Although the University was growing and prospering, disaster soon struck. The Rotunda was gutted by iire on October 27, 1895, but even this mishap had a positive effect. As a re- sult of the extreme need for additional library and Classroom space, Stanford White was sum- moned to not only rebuild the Rotunda, but to construct Cabell, Rouse, and Cocke Halls at the south end of the Lawn. This hurry of. con- struction marked the beginning of the modern evolution of the University.

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