Tag Archives: Dean of Students

p. 321 – The Case Administration, 1942-1962

Dean of Students, Kallgren, Dean of the College in 1943 to enable him to assume some of the President’s functions since Mr. Case often had to be away from the campus. The office of Assistant to the President was also established in 1943 and F. Reed Alvord, ’31, appointed to it; in 1945 he became Secretary of the University as well. To collect and preserve the University’s records and to supply information from them, Howard D. Williams, ’30, a member of the History Department, was appointed Archivist in 1947. The office of Dean of Faculty, abolished in 1934, was revived in 1945 with the appointment of Sidney J. French, Professor of Chemistry. The mounting burden of arranging for financial assistance and scholarships led to the creation of the position of Director of Student Aid to which William F. Griffith, ’33, was named in 1945; by 1957 he had become Dean of Admissions and Student Aid and was made Dean of Students a year later. The position of Vice-President for Development was established in 1958 and filled by Howard L. Jones, ’39, who had been Director of Development. Facilitating the work of these and other officers were the regular Administrative Staff meetings for discussion of problems and procedures which President Case instituted in 1942. Miss Gertrude E. Edgarton became the President’s Secretary also in 1942.

Anticipating the University’s post-war requirements, Mr. Case in 1943 appointed a faculty Committee on Needs and Resources and encouraged the Trustees and the Alumni Corporation to select similar groups; all three would cooperate in establishing a priority schedule of needs and canvass possible sources for meeting them. From this nucleus evolved the Development Council and the organization of a Development Office for which F. Gordon Boyce, ’39, became executive officer in 1946. Meanwhile, the annual Alumni Fund, thanks to the efforts of Carlton O. Miller, ’14, Alumni Secretary, and alumni workers throughout the country, had greatly increased goals which were met, making this resource most important in financing the University. Rapidly spiraling costs of all kinds gave special urgency to fund raising. With the blessing of the Committee on Needs and Resources, a successful drive was launched in 1947 to raise $250,000 for a Colgate infirmary and the Hamilton hospital. The most important single accomplishment was the Development Campaign begun in 1956 with an objective of $3,300,000 for raising faculty salaries, building a new library and an athletic center, and meeting operating costs of the

Seminary moved to Rochester; Colgate becomes non-denominational college (p. 289)

as Dean of Students in 1931. Carl A. Kallgren, ’17, formerly a member of the English Department and more recently a pastor in Binghamton, followed him in office in 1933.

After a reorganization of the curriculum the academic departments were grouped into six “schools” in 1928-Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, Philosophy and Religion, Fine Arts, and Languages-and in 1936 a seventh, Physical Education and Athletics was added. Directors were appointed for four of them-Dr. Bewkes (Philosophy and Religion) and Rodney L. Mott, Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1922, and a former member of the University of Chicago faculty who was made both Professor of Politics and a director (Social Sciences) in 1934; and Leo L. Rockwell, Ph.D., New York University, of the University of Michigan was made both Professor of English Literature and a director (Languages) and William A. Reid, ’18, Graduate Manager of Athletics since 1919 and Associate Professor of Physical Education (Physical Education and Athletics) in 1936. They took over many administrative duties usually associated with the office of a dean of the faculty, including those relating to personnel and budgets.

Another important administrative change which seems to have come about primarily through the President’s leadership was the removal of the Seminary to Rochester to be merged with its counterpart in that city. From time to time since the 1850’s denominational leaders had proposed that Baptist theological seminaries in the East unite and in 1914 an abortive attempt was made to join Newton and Colgate. By 1925 there was mounting criticism of the latter because its development lagged behind that of the College and its curriculum lacked essential courses, especially those relating to practical church problems. Following a three-way discussion involving Newton, Colgate andRochester the two latter institutions reached an agreement which the Baptist Education Society at Hamilton and the New York Baptist Union at Rochester duly ratified in 1926. William C. Eaton, ’69, viewing the action as a betrayal of the principles his father, President Eaton, had fought for in the Removal Controversy of 1847-50, protested but he was unable to win many adherents to his position. As authorized by an act of the New York State Legislature in 1927, action was brought in the courts which led tothe vacating of the injunction of 1850, so far as it related to the Seminary, and the way was cleared for cancelling the Compact of 1893 between the Education Society and