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Western New England College: a Calling to Fulfill

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Western New England College: a Calling to Fulfill Western New England College: A Calling to Fulfill by Beaumont A. Herman President Emeritius Western New England College Springfield, Massachusetts "This institution is uniquely postured ... balancing work and serious liberal education. The addition of distinguished professional schools ... rounds out that combination of practicality and vision. I would expect Western New England College to go into the '80s and through the '80s with a sense of vitality and vigor." Ernest L. Boyer President, Carnegie Council for the Advancement of Teaching from an address delivered at Western New England College September 16, 1979. Copyright 1980, Dr. Beaumont A. Herman The printing of this book was made possible by a contribution from Western New England College. Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................ ii Introduction ........................................................................................................... iii I. Northeastern University Springfield Division: 1919-1951 ................................................................ 1 II. Western New England College 1. Transition: 1951-1955 ............................................................................. 21 2. Striving for Legitimacy: 1955-1965 ......................................................... 34 3. Consolidation and Recognition: 1965-1976 ............................................. 61 4. Advance: 1976-1980 ................................................................................ 89 5. Epilogue ...................................................................................................102 Appendix A: Trustees ........................................................................................ 105 Appendix B: Administrative Officers ................................................................ 107 Appendix C: Enrollments and Degrees .............................................................. 108 Appendix D: Buildings ...................................................................................... 110 Index ....................................................................................................................111 Foreword The year 1981 marks the 30th year of existence of Western New England College as an independent private institution for higher learning. It is an appropriate point in time to capture the beginnings of the College's existence and trace through the favorable sound growth that has occurred. The author of this history, Dr. Beaumont A. Herman, brings a unique set of credentials to the job. He was President of the College for 21 of its 30 years; thus, he has a perspective from virtually the first shovel full of dirt on the campus at the corner of Breckwood Boulevard and Wilbraham Road to today's campus with its many traditional New England style buildings. During that time he was associated with and worked with the many individuals-students, faculty, deans, administrators, and trustees-who transformed the school. It does seem appropriate to note here, however, how great the change has been from only an evening school located in the YMCA of downtown Springfield into a full day and evening college that is fully accredited and which now has a graduate Law School program of recognized quality. I will let him tell the story in which he can properly acknowledge the contributions of so many others. Dr. Herman's familiarity with the growth of the school puts him in a position of being able to record the emotions as well as the facts of the past thirty years. Records have a way of being lost over a period of time, and it is well to take stock now while the papers are still there and the memories are still fresh. Too, it is an opportunity not only to set down what happened but also to explore the why of the action. This is a chance not to be missed. From a personal standpoint, Dr. Herman's main contribution was to take Western New England College into the mainstream of higher education. This was first recognized in New England and is in the process of attaining national note. His credentials and experience which helped him accomplish this task were gained in such institutions as Harvard, Tufts, and Boston College. Added to this were a vision and a drive to create an institution of lasting and effective learning of which the College and the community would well be proud. This, then, is the story of Western New England College. Welcome to these pages. C. Norman Peacor Chairman, Board of Trustees Western New England College September 1980 ii Introduction The development and growth of Western New England College have been described rather exuberantly in some of the institutional releases (after my tenure) as the "Miracle on Wilbraham Road." I like to feel that there were indeed unusual advances, and that I was part of them, but I would also like to illustrate in this short book some of the hard work and even the inescapable drudgery which went into the process, and also, to some extent, the planning and risks which were undertaken by the trustees and officers in an unprecedented enterprise. This I believe I am well qualified to do because of my long tenure in the president's office (possibly a modern record in New England) and because my assignment of necessity brought me into close contact with officials who had personal memories of the events in both 1919 and 1951 and who related them to me. The account of the period from 1919-1951 is brief. There are two reasons for this. There is a paucity of records; Springfield-Northeastern was not an independent unit and records were not kept systematically either in Springfield or in Boston. Happenings in the Springfield unit were usually submerged in the reporting for the Divisions in general; not even enrollment statistics remain. The second factor is that actually for long periods there was not significant change; a perusal of catalogs as much as twelve or fifteen years apart will show a remarkable similarity and disclose what was essentially a holding action. Different lives were affected, but programs were quite static, particularly after World War II. The account for the period after 1951 is in much more detail, again for two reasons; more changes took place, and records are available. For this section I may be accused of bias. As Henry Kissinger points out, a participant can prove almost anything through a selective presentation of documents; there is always an element of defense in an explanation of an action in which he shared. Yet this is also one of the positive factors in a personal history; for a participant knows not only the final decision but the considerations and reasoning which led to that decision; only he can disclose them. I have had access, of course, to primary sources. References in the text are taken from the Springfield Newspapers and from the following documents, all available in the President's Office: official correspondence, Minutes of the Divisional Committee (not complete), Minutes of the Board of Trustees, Minutes of the Executive Committee, President's Reports, and intra-institutional memos. I feel privileged to write this brief history, and even more privileged to have been part of it. My thanks go to all the members of the College staff and community who have aided in its development and particularly to my wife, Winifred, whose judgment and patience while I was in office were invaluable. Beaumont A. Herman President Emeritus Western New England College iii I. Northeastern University-- Springfield Division 1919-1951 Springfield-Northeastern As is the case with many American colleges, Western New England was founded under a different name and has also undergone corporate changes. Its official seal carries the founding date of 1919. In that year the Springfield Division of Northeastern College was established; this became Western New England College in 1951. Northeastern University itself, now the largest privately endowed university in the United States, traces its beginning to the Boston Young Men's Christian Association on Huntington Avenue. Educational historians are well aware that, with a very few significant exceptions, early American colleges were located in small towns, partly because students were younger than now and parents felt that a semi-rural environment free from the temptations of the city would be more conducive to the development of character. The development of institutions of higher education in urban areas at a later time owes much to the zeal of the Jesuits and the Catholic hierarchy who saw education as the door to upward mobility for many of their working class constituency. Thus Boston College was founded in 1863, Catholic University in 1887, and DePaul in 1898. Protestant leaders also sought the advantages of college training for their young people: Boston University, after beginnings as a bible institute and theological seminary, was established under its present name in 1869 by the Methodists; Baptists founded Temple University in 1884 and the University of Chicago in 1890, where William Rainey Harper adapted the Chautauqua concept. In many cities it was the YMCA movement which provided impetus for a growing concern for higher education. It was alert to the fact that many adults who were employed and who had not been able to devote time or money to full-time college education, or whose interests were in practical areas rather than in the liberal arts studies offered by the then conventional colleges, had a genuine interest
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