^^<xA<J<.QfUjTA<. The University Record of the University of Florida BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT TO THE BOARD OF CONTROL For Biennium Ending June 30, 1956 Vol LI Series 1, No. 8 August 1, 1956 Published monthly by the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Entered in the post office in Gainesville, Florida, as second-class matter, under Act of Congress, August 24, 1912 Office of Publication, Gainesville, Florida U 37? C,3 University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries BIENNIAL REPORT T O T H E . BOARD OF CONTROL July 1, 1954 — June 30, 1956 Presented By J. Wayne Reitz President, The University of Florida Gainesville, Florida FOR THE BIENNIUM ENDING JUNE 30 1956 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE The Report of the President of the University 5 Reports of the Deans and Administrative Officers The Business Manager 32 The Dean of the University College 40 The Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences 46 The Provost for Agriculture 60 The Dean of the College of Agriculture 61 The Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station 70 The Director of the School of Forestry 93 The Administrative Officer of the University of Florida Conservation Reserve 94 The Director of the Agricultural Extension Service 94 The Dean of the College of Architecture and Allied Arts 118 The Dean of the College of Business Administration 130 The Dean of the College of Education 142 The Dean of the College of Engineering 148 The Director of the Engineering and Industrial Experiment Station 169 The Dean of the Graduate School 190 The Director of Research 208 The Director of the School of Inter-American Studies 225 The Dean of the College of Law 231 The Provost of the J. Hillis Miller Health Center 237 The Dean of the College of Medicine 238 The Dean of the College of Nursing 247 The Dean of the College of Pharmacy 247 The Director of the Teaching Hospital and Clinics 250 The Director of the Division of Music 251 The Dean of the College of Physical Education and Health 254 The Dean of the General Extension Division 258 The Director of Alumni Affairs 269 The Director of Intercollegiate Athletics 270 The Director of Libraries 272 The Coordinator of Military Departments 275 The Director of the Florida State Museum 276 The Editor of the University News Bureau 278 The Director of the University of Florida Press 279 The Director of Radio Station WRUF-WRUF FM 281 The Director of the School of Journalism and Communications 282 The Registrar 285 The Dean of Student Personnel 291 To the Honorable The Board of Control of the State of Florida Gentlemen: The biennial reports of the past presidents to the Boards of Control constitute a history in serial form of the development of the University of Florida. They are a constant source of reference to scholars, staff members, and others con- cerned with specific phases of the institution's growth. One cannot read these reports without experiencing a deep sense of pride in the vision, the courage, the dedication to educational and public service, and the sacrificial effort which have gone into the building of the University. The printed word has not always been adequate to interpret the spirit of the institution. The joys accompanying each successful effort to push back the barriers of ignorance, whether by research, the inculcation of knowledge, or by precept and example, as well as the tragic disappointments and frustrations of those who attempted to carry the University forward from year to year are not easily described. In reading biennial reports since the transferral of the University to Gaines- ville in 1906, it is obvious that the positive factors far outweigh the negative, and the forces of progress, though lagging at times, have eventually overcome the retarding forces. When the Board of Control and the Board of Education honored me by their invitation to accept the presidency of the University of Florida in the Spring of 1955, I knew the magnitude of responsibility involved, for I had had the privilege of serving as a teacher and administrator, respectively, under two distinguished men who had held that high office. One cannot be associated with an institution such as the University of Florida for two decades without having its interests and welfare imbedded deep in his thoughts and affections. Consequently, I ac- cepted the challenging offer and entered upon my new duties April 1, 1955, with the determination that I would to the very best of my abilities endeavor to carry forward the work of the University in the fine tradition set by my predecessors. The two year record covered by the biennial report for the period July 1, 1954 to June 30, 1956, like many preceding reports, shows high peaks of achievement as well as disappointments. Some discouragements are perhaps inevitable. They sap the vitality and effectiveness of the total University program. It is our sin- cere hope that contributing causes will be remedied in the new biennium. For their patience, understanding and cooperation during the period of my orientation in the presidency, I wish to express thanks to a splendid faculty and staff, to a fine student body, and to those dedicated public servants who serve so loyally and w^ithout compensation as members of our State Board of Control. My deepest appreciation is also extended to Governor LeRoy Collins and other members of the Board of Education for their untiring efforts in helping to solve some of the University's pressing problems. To members of the legislature and the people of Florida, we extend grateful thanks for our financial support even though it is below the needs of the institution for meeting the demands of a growing and dynamic state. Lastly, I should like to express my deepest gratitude to John S. Allen, Vice President of the University and my able colleague, who bore the responsibilities of administration so effectively not only during the first nine months of the biennium under review, but for several months prior thereto. BIENNIAL REPORT The operations of the University are so vast that it is no longer possible to integrate the college, school, and departmental reports into an acceptable resume vv^ithin the brief space allotted for the President's report. The individual reports Vi^ill have to be examined separately for details of the biennial activities. They are all worth reading. A selection will be made of certain units or portions of departmental reports for the purpose of focusing attention upon some specific problem, which in many instances will be applicable to the whole institutional structure. A proper perspective of the last two years must inevitably take into considei-a- tion some factors which not only cast their shadow over world events i.e., national and international affairs, but also over that closer area just beyond the confines of our academic community, namely the State of Florida, whose interests and people the University is designed to serve. Some of these factors likewise have a bearing or will have a bearing upon the new biennium which we are about to enter. I beg indulgence, therefore, to touch as briefly as I can upon some of them. We are in a period of global unrest. Possibly at no time in history has the world witnessed a greater political, economic, social and moral upheavel, es- pecially in "peace-time." Education at home and abroad cannot escape the impact of the dynamic changes that are taking place. In the past, new educational concepts evolved to meet the demands of the times. For instance, church oriented and dominated colleges were formed in colonial days to provide an educated citizenship for Colonial America, all pat- terned after institutions in Western Europe. Later state supported universities evolved from many of the colonial colleges when the latter were no longer able to meet the demands of a new, dynamic society. The new institutions, however, re- tained much of the old, especially the liberal arts programs and other features of the colonial colleges. The land grant colleges were formed at a time when the nation needed to democratize its educational opportunities for the benefit of an expanding popula- tion, increasingly dependent upon agriculture and industry for a livelihood. The land grant movement, begun with the passage of the Morrill Act in 1862, formed a new and revolutionary concept in higher education, according to Thwing, who wrote of it: "The time was favorable to—enrichment and enlargement—it was a period of newness—mighty anticipations of mighty powers were filling the hearts and minds of men." Edward D. Eddy, Jr., of the University of New Hampshire, recently pointed out in an address before the Land Grant College Association that "probably no other country in the world would have produced these land-grant colleges," and citing them as "Democracy's colleges," he calls attention to the fact that "they have become a pattern for higher education in many struggling republics at- tempting to find and assert themselves. What was once a great contribution to America is now becoming an even greater contribution to the world." Apropos of the land grant type of institution adjusting to change, he says: "America demands of its public colleges the ability, even the desire, to adapt themselves continually to a changing time to keep just a little ahead of society." All of us recall that just a little over a decade ago the so-called "Atomic Age" was born, bringing with it on the one hand the possibility of world annihilation and the destruction of mankind, or on the other, the possibility of a great new era in human progress.