Wittenberg University - Witt Yearbook (Springfield, OH)

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%e WITTENBERGER. -? DR. RISES EDGAR Ti l.LOSS. A. B.. A. M.. B. D . Ph. D.. D. D.. L. L. D. President of tl c College Recent Educational Advances at Wittenberg SUCCESSFUL enterprise of any kind needs to have many sides to its development. The economic world of today realizes that it must pay strict attention to many seemingly contradictory things in order to be successful. The church has come to the conclusion that it cannot perform to the best of its ability the task that it was established to accomplish without extending its sphere of activities wider than ever 1 his tendency toward all-around development has manifested itself in edu- cational circles, especially emphasizing the mission of the colleges and the uni- versities in the world today. Fifty years ago. every influence in the college was toward the scholastic side and students were expected to apply themselves to their studies with diligence. Wittenberg’s athletes, debaters and orators have gained an enviable reputa- tion throughout the state. The college publications have attained and are maintaining a high state of excellence. And rapidly Wittenberg is becoming known as a college of intensive and able scholars, one whose graduates are of a calibre equal to that of any college’s alumni in the country. Paste Twenty-six

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faculty

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%• wn'TENBER.GF.R- In keeping up educationally with other colleges and universities in the coun- try, many advances have been made during the past year at Wittenberg. Men- tion of these will, however, be limited to only a few. Perhaps the new credit point system has aroused more favorable comment among those interested in the welfare of the college than any other recent edu- cational improvements. Under the regulations of this plan, the numerical equivalents of the letters used in grading have been rearranged and in addition, quality points were assigned for each letter, ranging from A. four points, to one point for a grade of D. To be qualified as a sophomore, for example, one must have secured at least twenty semester hours and forty quality points. Qualifications for juniors and seniors are likewise defined. In addition, any student who fails during any sem- ester to earn quality points equal to at least one and one quarter times the number of credit hours of courses elected for the semester shall be put upon probation for the succeeding semester of his residence at college, with a lessened amount of work. During the semester of probation if he fails to earn quality points at least equal to one and one quarter times the number of credit hours assigned to him for the semester, he will automatically be denied the privilege of attending college during the ensuing semester. Looking forward, perhaps, to the introduction of the four quarter system at Wittenberg in the future, the semester course plan has been worked out by the college faculty. Nineteen Twenty-Four-Five courses which formerly were scheduled to recite one hour or two hours a week, respectively, for two semesters, will hereafter be held two or four hours a week, respectively for one semester. Some courses which meet three times a week under the present system may be changed to meet five hours a week for one semester but for the most part, such courses will remain unaffected as will also those courses which now meet four or five hours a week for two semesters. However, the work in these courses will be so arranged that the close of the first semester will mark a definite stopping place in the work and if the student is compelled to withdraw from school during the next semester, he may begin where he left off. in the next year. Some changes have been made in the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Under these regulations, the candidate must hold a baccalaureate degree; he must pursue a course of study consisting of one major and two minors, which shall cover not less than one year of residence work; he must pass certain stipulated examinations and must present a satisfactory thesis. These are a part of the enlarging program which is intended to insure Wit- tenberg a place among the best schools of the country. Strict scholastic requirements are a basic foundation of any college or uni- versity. No matter the success gained on the football gridiron, basketball floor or the cinder track. No matter the excellence of the student publications and of undergraduate journalism, no matter the laurels won in inter-collegiate debate or oratory. All these are but ephemeral triumphs and will soon vanish if the institution which gains them has low scholarship requirements. Men and women will not spend money, energy or time at a school whose degree con- notes nothing more than two letters of the alphabet. At Wittenberg, however, the college authorities arc laying a strong founda- tion of good scholarship. I hese three educational advances will assuredly have material influence on scholastic achievements on the campus. They are an integral part of the enlarging program which is being carried on at present at Wittenberg and which is intended to secure the college a place among the best schools of the country. D. H. J. Pa c Twcntv-sevin