Tag Archives: Eugene G. Bewkes

Capstone of the Colgate Plan (p. 302)

in a department of the school. Provision was also made for. required work in written and spoken English and a reading knowledge of two foreign languages.

The first of the survey courses, that in philosophy and religion prepared by Dr. Alton and Dr. Bewkes, was offered in 1928. Thereafter came biological sciences in 1929; the physical sciences, social sciences, and fine arts in 1930. Since these courses were pioneer cooperative efforts, instructors, drawn from various departments of each school, had to prepare the instructional materials and help each other in the fields where they had no training, and often did their best teaching in what they knew least about because they had to “dig” before meeting their classes. In due time course manuals evolved from mimeographed pages into published textbooks by Harper-Art in the Western World (1935), The Human Organism and the World of Life and Atoms, Rocks and Galaxies (both 1938), and Men, Groups and the Community and Experience, Faith and Reason (both 1940). They won adoption in several colleges which established general education courses.

Honors courses, designed to provide exceptionally able seniors with the opportunity for independent study and to encourage high intellectual attainment, were instituted in 1925, on recommendation of the Committee on Scholastic Standards, as an experiment in four departments. Tutorial seminars, begun on a voluntary basis in 1931 and required of all juniors and seniors beginning in 1934 when the Colgate Plan was in full operation, superseded the honors courses but held to somewhat similar objectives. Each student took a seminar in his department of concentration both semesters of his last two years and was thus enabled to have dose contact with his instructor and to meet weekly with his associates for discussion of the papers they had prepared. The seminar system, which was not peculiar to Colgate, won general approval though there was some question of its value for the less capable students.

The capstone of the Colgate Plan was the comprehensive examination, introduced in 1932, in the field of concentration, required of all seniors following a reading period. Heretofore it had been possible for seniors to avoid final examinations their last semester if they had the requisite general or course standing. The faculty felt that the college course should end in a climax bringing together for analysis and

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

p. 288 – The Cutten Period, 1922-1942

ment of Health was set up in 1924 and Morrill L. Ilsley appointed full-time University physician; Dr. Linn C. Beebe succeeded him in 1928. James D. Howlett, ’00, a former New England headmaster, in 1927 became Director of Personnel responsible for the “selection, conservation, and guidance of students” but soon was made Director of Admissions and Assistant Dean. George Werntz, ’33, Dean Howlett’s assistant in 1938, took over as Director of Admissions when he retired in 1942. George H. Estabrooks, of the Psychology Department, in 1930 became Director of the Placement Bureau which assisted graduating seniors in finding employment. Through a trustee’s generosity it was possible from 1928 to 1933 to have professional YMCA Secretaries, Claude C. Shotts and Charlie Gregory. To coordinate and supervise non-athletic student activities L. Robert Oaks, ’29, served as Graduate Director from 1929 to 1932. This office lapsed until 1937 when J. Russell Freeman, ’35, was made Director of Activities for the newly completed Student Union and assumed many of the duties of the former Director; his successors were Cyrus R. Pangborn (1939-40) and Robert J. Grant (1940-42). In the ’20’s Dr. Alton, in his many sided role, had been in charge of all University publicity. When in 1933 the office of Director of Journalistic Activities was established Dexter H. Teed, ’24, a professional newspaper man, took over this responsibility. In 1940 Colgate had its first Director of Public Relations, W. Emerson Reck, who expanded much of the work of the Director of Journalistic Activities. Professor Shepardson resigned as Treasurer in 1923 to be succeeded by Charles H. Wilmot, ’22, who was also Business Manager, and he, in turn, in 1936 by John W. S. Littlefield, ’22, who came to the campus with experience in banking in New York. Added to the Treasurer’s office was the position of Bursar to which Frederick W. Piotrow, ’20, was appointed in 1932. A campus store under the supervision of the Treasurer’s office was first opened in 1932 with William F. Cutten, ’32, as manager.

After the deanship became vacant with the resignation of Dr. Crawshaw, Clarence H. Thurber, ’12, Ph.D., Columbia, 1929, who had been professor of education at the University of Buffalo, was appointed in 1930 Dean of the Faculty and Director of the Educational Program, a position he held until 1933. To supervise student affairs and provide counseling, Eugene G. Bewkes, ’19, Ph.D., Edinburgh, 1924, and a member of the Philosophy Department since 1927 was selected