Tag Archives: William H. Crawshaw

Dana Arts Center, Cutten Hall, Bryan Hall, and O’Connor Campus Center built (p. 336)

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also established a scholarship program for five years with an initial grant of $130,000 with the possibility of extending it for a second five-year period.

The expansion of Colgate’s physical facilities, an important feature of the Case presidency, continued during his successor’s. Four new buildings were erected and others modified or renovated. With the destruction of the Administration Building by fire in October, 1963, the old library, then serving as a Foreign Language Center, became the new Administration Building after extensive alterations and the transfer of the language center to Lawrence Hall. The Reid Athletic Center, in use since 1959, was completed in 1966 with the dedication of the basketball court to the memory of Wesley M. Cotterell, ’19, Trustee, 1961-65; the hockey rink in 1965 had been named for J. Howard Starr, Professor of Physical Education Emeritus, and former hockey coach. Alumni Hall was completely remodeled in 1965 and occupied by the Division of the Social Sciences, except for the Education Department which was located in Lawrence Hall; Arthur A. Meggett, ’36, was the architect. The Arts Center, named for Charles A. Dana whose foundation had provided a challenge grant as the basis of the funds raised for the building, was completed in 1966. A striking example of modern architecture, it was designed by Paul Rudolph, and provided classroom, office, studio and performing space for courses and activities in the fine arts, music and drama, and also housed a theater and an art gallery. Two residence complexes, Cutten and Bryan Halls, were completed in 1966 and 1967; the architects were Perkins and Will. The first was named for Colgate’s eighth president and comprised four houses commemorating faculty members active during his term-Albert P. Brigham (geology); Frank L. Shepardson (Greek and University Treasurer); Harold O. Whitnall (Geology) and Melbourne S. Read, (Philosophy, Psychology, Education, Vice President, 1912-21, and President pro tem, 1921-22). The second building perpetuates the memory of Colgate’s seventh president and also consists of four houses named for Dean William H. Crawshaw, ’87; George W. Cobb, ’94, Trustee (1907-45) and donor of the Cobb Awards; William M. Parke, ’00, Trustee (1926-61; President, 1937-48); and Norman F. S. Russell, ’01, Trustee (1928-54; President, 1948-52). The A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Campus Center, designed by Arthur A. Meggett, ’36, and opened in 1967, provided facilities for the

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p. 270 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

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gation that deterioration was most serious and that in their opinion the chief causes were the poor quality of the average entering student, an apparently lax faculty attitude toward academic responsibilities, and undue pressure from outside activities. Responding to their recommendations the faculty: limited entrance to about 200 of the best applicants; refused to permit new students to register until all their credentials had been approved; and urged that highest academic standards be maintained with no concessions to extracurricular activities and that the amount of required work be increased by about 25 percent. Other reforms included reducing the amount of time required for athletic practice, a tougher policy on excused class absences, a more rigid control of schedules for teams and other groups traveling off campus, more stringent rules on eligibility for extracurricular activities, and the adoption of a quality point system which meant in effect that a student must have an average standing of C in all his work to graduate.

The curricular aims of the College remained substantially unchanged throughout the Bryan period. Its essential purpose was to provide a liberal education and character training as preparation for whatever profession its graduates might enter. With the Class of 1914 business rather than teaching for the first time attracted the largest number of graduates. With the Class of 1916 the percentage going into the marketplace made a notable increase which remained steady.

Instruction in the humanities saw various changes and innovations.
The beloved Newton Lloyd Andrews retired in 1918 as the Professor of the Greek Language and Literature to be succeeded in 1920 by Richard A. Parrock, an 1891 graduate of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Principal Frank L. Shepardson joined the Classics Department to teach Greek as well as to become Treasurer after the Academy was discontinued in 1912, and James C. Austin, A.B., Syracuse, 1916, was added in 1921 to teach Latin. After Dr. Andrews retired, Dean Crawshaw introduced courses in General Literature including those in Greek literature in translation which Dr. Andrews had offered. “Craw” maintained that literature courses had great value as a “liberalizing” influence, especially for students entering business or science. Their response was so great that some of his classes, especially Shakespeare, had to be held in the chapel-testimony to the truth of his conviction and his inspired teaching. Elmer W. Smith, ’91, who had come from Colgate Academy to the English department in 1908, specialized in

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p. 269 – The Bryan Period, 1908-1922

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College, 9 for the Seminary, and 6 for the Academy while the second includes 42 for the College, or double the number for 1908, and 6 for the Seminary. The salary scale gradually rose so that by 1921 it ranged from $1,600 for instructors to $3,500 for professors. In the absence of a systematic plan for retirement or for pensions it was customary for men to retire on half salary at the age of seventy.

Four Colgate faculty members were among the charter members of the national American Association of University Professors which first met in 1915; they were Dean Crawshaw and Professors Brigham, Child, and Berry. Believing their number too small as a basis for interesting local discussion meetings they recommended colleagues for membership in the organization and founded the Colgate Chapter late in 1917 or early in 1918.

Experience with the elective system at Colgate, as at other colleges, had made clear that the freedom of choice brought abuses. Dean Crawshaw asserted that the lack of concentration and continuity failed to give a well-balanced education adapted to individual needs and advocated a curriculum organized to give a student “mastery over certain subjects” rather than a superficial sampling. Primarily because of his, efforts, the faculty in 1909 adopted a program of majors and minors and the next year Professor John Greene, as Associate Dean, assisted Dean Cranshaw in giving students personal advice in selecting their courses. To supplement the program, the faculty in 1912 instituted a distribution requirement which provided that a student must complete a minimum of work in two groups, or subject-matter areas, outside that in which his major was listed. The groups were: Languages and Literature, Mathematics and Natural Science, and Mental and Social Science.

During the period immediately after World War I, the faculty felt that scholastic standards at Colgate, in common with other colleges, were declining or being maintained with increasing difficulty. Probable causes for the situation were thought to be the general unrest of the time, the non-intellectual reasons which induced many young people to go to college, extracurricular activities, ease of access to nearby cities, and the practice of the public and many alumni of rating an institution in terms of athletic victories. The two senior honorary societies, also, were concerned and so informed the faculty. In 1920 a committee headed by Dean Crawshaw reported after careful investi-

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Elmer B. Bryan becomes Colgate’s seventh president (p. 263)

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Chapter XIII – THE BRYAN PERIOD, 1908-1922

Colgate’s seventh president, Elmer Burritt Bryan, relieved Dr. Crawshaw of his duties as president pro tem in the fall of 1909. The Dean had hoped that he himself might get the appointment and for a while Dr. Bryan was suspicious of him. In time, however, the President was to discover that no member of the faculty was more loyal and years later he graciously acknowledged that their relations had been entirely harmonious.

Unlike all except one of his predecessors, President George W. Smith, Dr. Bryan was not a clergyman but an educator. A Baptist, he came to Colgate from Franklin College, a denominational institution in Indiana whose president he had been since 1905. Born in Ohio, he spent most of his life in Indiana where he graduated from the State University in 1893 and taught in the public schools, at Butler College and at his Alma Mater. Following advanced study at Harvard and Clark Universities, he was Normal School Principal and Superintendent of Education in the Philippines.

Dean Crawshaw remembered the President as “a man not easily swerved or deterred.” He also noted that his strength was directed toward accomplishment not resistance. One of his excellent and useful qualities was a well-developed vein of humor which contributed to a sense of proportion. His droll and whimsical expressions gave spice to his conversation and vigor to his speeches, especially those to students. He sought and enjoyed contact with them on all occasions and astounded them with his uncanny memory of their names and accomplishments. Though he was often in pain because of a leg injury he could laugh at things and men and occasionally at himself.

Some of the administrative changes in the Bryan period reflect the

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p. 262 – The Merrill Presidency, 1899-1908

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Dr. Merrill’s recent death. Dean Crawshaw as Acting President took over and was to remain as head until Dr. Bryan’s advent a year later. In December 1907 Dr. Merrill had suffered a stroke, brought on, it would appear, by the burden of his office. He carried out his duties up to February when his condition compelled him to relinquish them but lingered on until June 11th.

Colgate’s loss in Dr. Merrill’s death was indeed great. Under his leadership the University had experienced a steady growth in faculty, students, buildings and grounds and in campus activities. Its atmosphere and tone had acquired a certain new sophistication and its reputation had been enriched and extended. He had given the institution a strong momentum which would carryon well into his successor’s administration.

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p. 243 – The Merrill Presidency, 1899-1908

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President George E. Merrill, 1899-1908, Presidential Photographs (Artificial Collection), p243

recognize it as something they needed and responded to it. His wife, somewhat younger than he, was a charming and gracious hostess who enjoyed entertaining and made the president’s home a social center as it had not been since the time of President Eaton. She was also a skilled soloist and took an active part in promoting vocal and instrumental concerts on the campus.

The new president found it easy to identify himself with the University’s prevailing educational purposes. In his first chapel speech he endorsed the liberal arts idea and maintained that it should include physical training as well as intellectual pursuits and the cultivation of spiritual life. At his inauguration he paid special tribute to Colgate as a small college which enabled students to have personal contact with their teachers. Dean Crawshaw recalled that he found him ready to

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p. 221 – Colgate in the 1890’s

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President George W. Smith, 1895-97, Presidential Photographs (Artificial Collection), p221

public lectures for the recently established University Extension Program were all, no doubt, contributing factors toward his breakdown.

During the latter part of Smith’s, presidency, Professors Crawshaw and Brigham had jointly shared the duties of the office, amicably and harmoniously. From 1897 to 1899 Crawshaw was Acting President and in 1897 also he was made Dean, a position he was to fill with great distinction for 33 years. Though the double load from 1897 to 1899 was a heavy one, the generous support which James C. Colgate gave enabled him to carry the burden.

The Seminary, too, experienced administrative change. Professor William H. Maynard was made its first-Dean in 1891. He resigned in less than three months to be succeeded by the saintly and beloved Professor Hezekiah Harvey who served until his death in 1893. Professor Sylvester Burnham followed him from 1893 until 1913. In each instance these men continued their teaching while serving as Dean.

Reorganization in ‘the Treasurer’s Office included the resignation of William R. Rowlands in 1896 and the appointment of William M. West, President of the Hamilton bank, as his successor. Bookkeeping was modernized to provide closer supervision of accounts and, beginning in 1890, Treasurer’s Reports were published annually for distribution to the Trustees.

For all but two years during the period, 1890 to 1899, the accounts showed yearly deficits, often running to’ as much as $35,000. James B.

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p. 192 – Administration, Faculty, and Instruction in the Dodge Era

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creative of them and had a wide adoption. His second was College Algebra, 1889; five more were published in the next two decades.

From 1888 to 1891 the curriculum included engineering, taught by William C. Eaton, ’69, son of President George W. Eaton. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a member of the Navy’s engineering corps, he had been detailed for this assignment. Apparently for lack of interest, engineering was dropped after his departure.

Perhaps the most cultivated faculty member was the Professor of Civil History, English Literature, and Oratory, John James Lewis, whom colleagues and students alike loved and admired. An intense and zealous Welshman, he won the reputation of being, in the words of the faculty’s resolution passed at his death in 1884, “a competent and rare instructor.” In addition to his skill, industry and patience in teaching public speaking and composition, he grounded his students in literature and gave lectures on architecture, sculpture, and painting, which he supplemented at least once by a field trip to an “Art Gallery” in Utica in 1878. His courses in English, European, and American History, the first of their kind at Madison, had a good student response, particularly those in American history which were introduced in 1880-81. This year also saw the appearance of his course in international law.

Professor Lewis’s successor was Benjamin S. Terry, ’78. The youngest member of the faculty in 1885, genial, witty, scholarly and progressive, he with Professor McGregory and a few others took the lead in modernizing the curriculum. After his first year he divested himself of responsibility for rhetoric and elocution to concentrate on his real interest, history. Lectures and readings, often in reprints of original sources, took the place of recitations and he instituted seminars for advanced students which called for investigation, essays, and critical discussion. At his instigation the Bushnell Prizes were established for the best senior essays which were later published and distributed. He represented advanced approaches to instruction. To many of his faculty colleagues it must have been no great surprise that he resigned in 1892 after a year in Germany where he had earned a Ph.D. at Freiburg to go to rapidly expanding University of Chicago.

To relieve Professor Terry of his work in rhetoric and elocution, William H. Crawshaw, Class of 1887, was made an instructor in those subjects almost immediately on graduating; he had already taught a

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Introduction of electives (p. 189)

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fervent and healthful piety is directly encouraged.”

Dean Andrews maintained in 1872 that every teacher, no matter what his subject or how great his erudition, should communicate to his class morality and ethical judgments. At the Convocation of the University of the State of New York in 1886, President Dodge, in defending the philosophy of liberal education versus the utilitarian approach, held that the true test of a college subject was not whether it would help one make money but whether it would develop manhood. Especially valuable were the languages, literature, and civilization of the Greeks and Romans. He would not exclude other subjects,however, and stressed the importance of cross-fertilization for increasing knowledge. Fearful perhaps of a drift from the old moorings, James B. Colgate, in 1889, at the cornerstone-laying for the Library, took occasion to reiterate his view that “When intellectual distinction and not Christian character becomes the highest object to be obtained, Universities become, by their stimulus to worldly ambition, centers of pride and error.”

To give flexibility to the curriculum, the faculty had from time to time arranged for abridged courses of study for older students who wanted to begin their preaching careers with the minimum preparation. In the 1850’s a shorter “Scientific Course”-from which Greek and Latin were omitted-was instituted. Relatively few students availed themselves of this short-cut for which a Bachelor of Philosophy degree was granted and it was eliminated in 1885.

The revolutionary curriculum change was, of course, the introduction of electives. Stimulated by President Eliot’s innovations at Harvard which caught the imagination of the younger faculty and students, it encountered vigorous opposition, especially from the professors of the classics and mathematics. Slowly, however, the wave of the future engulfed them and in 1885 a radically revised curriculum emerged which provided, in addition to the old Classical Course, three different Scientific Courses, one which included only Greek; a second, only Latin; and a third which omitted both Greek and Latin. Students in the Classical Course were candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree and those in the other three for the Bachelor of Science. Within each course, electives were offered to juniors and seniors. Professor William S. Crawshaw, who as a young instructor had attended the heated discussions, commented years later in his autobiography, My

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