Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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ffey .7 sA » 6ere yov ri cc ' eoaineerioq F THE WPI PLAN WPI has undertaken a complete and systematic revision of its traditional approach to undergraduate engineering education. The resulting educational program, known as the WPI Plan , is the product of two years of intensive planning and seven years of im- plementation effort involving every one of its 170 faculty members and 2,200 undergraduate students. Worcester Polytechnic Institute was a good school. It had always been a good school. In 1871 Stephen Salis- bury II said that WPI was the first at- tempt in the United States to combine theoretical knowledge and practical training. The school emerged as a source for soundly trained engineers, however, it did not gain a wide reputa- tion. Most of its graduates attained middle management positions. Not many alumni became outstanding. WPI never really publicized its achievements and most of its gradu- ates wanted the school to remain pret- ty much the same. WPI was specifically designed to give a traditional education. A large percentage of the Board of Trustees were Tech graduates. A rigid depart- mental structure existed. Grading was based on attendance and the regurgita- tion of facts. Until recently, ROTC was mandatory for all students. The undergraduate generally came from a family of modest means. For the most part, he was not interested in foreign languages, liberal arts, or social science. The average student was con- servative, above average in math and science, and liked to work with his hands. He enjoyed practical engineer- ing but did not especially relish its theoretical aspects. The faculty was not outstanding. Ph.D. ' s were not as numerous as at other schools. Only 48% of the engi- neering faculty had earned that de- gree. In comparison, 80% of the faculty had earned their doctorate at R.P.I. A healthy flow of ideas didn ' t seem to exist among departments due to inbreeding. The school lacked intel- lectual excitement. Instructors started to go stale due to heavy teaching loads, insufficient time for reading and re- search, and few moments to converse with other members of the faculty. Few professors were present whose stature went beyond New England. During the 1930 ' s, leading schools in technical education increased their research. Therefore, they made vital contributions to the war effort during World War II. Their reputations for making advancements carried on after the war. WPI did little to encourage faculty research. The administration didn ' t allow enough time for it. Re- cently, the trend has been improving, but Tech is still far behind the compe- tition. For a long time, Alden Research

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Van Alstyne: Well I was in an awkward position. At the time the original planning committee was es- tablished I was head of the Math De- partment ... So that I had to sit on the executive committee. I was at the meeting when the President an- nounced the formation of the Planning Committee. The most uncomfortable experience I ' ve ever had in my life. The Committee was so upset that they declared a five minute recess. Right in the middle of the meeting. They were very upset and never forgave the President. It turned out that . . . some of them were very supportative later on but as a Committee . . . they hadn ' t done the job they were sup- posed to and they were embarrassed! And Annoyed. And particularly an- noyed that they had had no say on who was on the Committee. They weren ' t asked . . . that was the begin- ning of the demonishion of their pow- er. Anderson: Somehow, I guess, they got the ear of the Administration and committees were formed ... to investigate and come up with a proposal . . . and eventually this was presented to the faculty and we had 50,000 meetings ... It was not unani- mous but ... it was definitely a majority. We have the PLAN now and what are we going to do about it? Bridgeman: You can always go back to the traditional system but how well do the grades evaluate what the student has gotten out of the course? And because the student has passed a certain number of courses in a certain number of areas doesn ' t insure that he ' s really carrying . . . (it) in his head — he ' s been exposed to it. It seemed to have enough good features that (the faculty) were willing to give it a try. I think the faculty has been very cooperative in that once the thing was adopted they made a real effort to make it work. Wagner: We ' re still doing the job — as good a job as other schools are doing because all of ' em are down. Because we ' ve adopted a permissive system that never existed ... He isn ' t psyched the way he used to be. He ' s brought up on the boob tube ... I can ' t do the things that they do on T.V. — so can I hold your attention? We ' re still turning out people that are easily comparable to other schools, and maybe even a little better, but still, I strive for the best.

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Lab enjoyed a greater reputation than the school of which it is a part. The students who went to Tech were almost entirely from New Eng- land. The first time that less than half of the undergraduates were from Mas- sachusetts was in 1963. Many superior students and sons of wealthy WPI alumni generally went to more presti- gious schools such as MIT or Brown. About a decade ago, WPI ex- perienced serious financial problems. The endowment per student had been dropping since 1955. Even though costs per engineering students were greater than for a liberal arts scholar, Tech wasn ' t really less sound finan- cially than other schools. However, if it was to avoid a crisis in the future, the administration needed to carefully plan ahead. A rise in the number of students without an increase in out- side aid would be disastrous. A num- ber of options were open to obtain needed revenue: 1. procure more con- tributions from alumni, 2. make larger classrooms and change the philosophy of education, or 3. create a unique sys- tem that would appeal to the govern- ment, foundations and industry who have the funds to distribute. At the beginning of this century, en- gineering produced the technology for the industrial growth of society. Engi- neering education was narrow and very structured. Due to extra work loads, engineering students in general had little time for extra-curricular and cultural activities. They were relative- ly isolated from the liberal arts college. This was all fine until after World War II. Then moralistic thoughts inten- sified and science became more in- volved with the problems of mankind. Today, the engineer is concerned with more disciplines than ever before. WPI graduates were sought for de- sign and development positions by in- dustry. They were not hired for jobs needing a theoretical background. Tuition at Tech was high, financial aid low and the budget for admissions was not enough to maintain a nation-wide secondary school visitation program. WPI did not get the best graduate stu- dents and therefore was not able to obtain the best staff. Many students at Tech seemed to be less adept in some areas than other eastern colleges. Sometimes WPI was even thought of as some kind of glorified trade school. The image of the Tech graduate was not changing either. Worcester Tech was oriented to- wards the past. At the end of World War II, the G.I. Bill served as a catalyst in sending more people than ever before to college. Higher education ceased to be the privilege of the wealthy. Many Bachelor of Science degrees were obtained. It is thought now that a plain traditional B.S. degree is not sufficient education for a profes- sional engineering or scientific career. WPI was not adequately informing students about modern problems or how to solve them. Society was chang- ing. A new philosophy would have to be adopted by Tech concerning stu- dents. Undergraduates could no longer be bucket to be filled but must become a lamp to be lit. In order to survive, WPI must change. In response to questions by some faculty as to the educational directions of WPI, President Harry P. Storke on December 11, 1968, appointed six faculty members to the President ' s Planning Group. They were to develop a comprehensive proposal of objec- tives for the college. The group visited each academic department, the library staff, Alden Research Lab, the frater- nities and the dormatories. Ques- tionaires were sent to the faculty, administration, trustees, alumni, un- dergraduates and graduate students. Planning day was held. Classes were cancelled for the day. Ten percent of the students and eighty percent of the faculty joined in discussions pertain- ing to the present and future objec- tives of the school. Many students felt that they were being trained not edu- cated. Some even believed that they were incapable of making decisions. A few undergrads were turned off from engineering because of the approach used by the school. Over all, the cam- pus felt that more openess and interac- tion between faculty and students; and less structure and rigidity would be very helpful in making WPI a better institution. The Board of Trustees named Dr. George W. Hazzard to suc- ceed the retiring General Storke as President of the college in 1969. Presi- dent Hazzard very much wanted the work of the planning board to contin- ue. The financial support given any col- lege is directly proportional to the prestige enjoyed by that college. WPI had to find a role to overcome: the trade school reputation. It needed an exciting program that would capture the nation-wide interest of the invest- ing public. The college had to develop a system that would attract a distin- guished faculty. Those instructors would have to stir the students imagi- nation and the program would have to bring a cohesiveness to the under- gratuate ' s education instead of the present fragmentation. New halls would have to be built and modern audio-visual equipment installed. The faculty should be given more time to do research. Overall, the planning board made tremendous progress in establishing the present status of WPI. It was also the major factor in creating a new educational philosophy for the school and implementing a PLAN to help make that philosophy a reality. By 1971 plans for the pilot program should be finished, 71-72 operation of the new plan is started, 72-73 program enlarged, 73-74 2 3 of the students are under the plan, and 74-75 all of the entering freshmen should be on the WPI PLAN.