ON SUCH A FULL SEA Kalamazoo College Reaching 150 Years By Marilyn Hinkle Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49007 ©1982 by Kalamazoo College Printed in the United States of America Contents Introduction 1 I The College Is Set In Order 3 II The Twelfth President 9 III The Chairman of the Board 15 IV A Pace Setter: The First Year 19 V Growth Years, 1955-60 25 VI The 125th Anniversary 37 VII "The World Is Our Campus" 51 VIII Breakthrough: The Year-around College 63 IX Vigorous Years, 1960-65 75 X Changing Years, 1965-71 89 XI High Tide 111 XII Imprints 123 Appendix 129 Bibliography 159 Acknowledgments 160 About the Author 161 Index 162 IDustrations Book Value of Endowment Fund and Pennanent Reserves, 1953-60 34 Growth of Physical Plant, 1953-60 34 Student Enrollment, 1953-60 35 Gifts, 1953-60 35 Kalamazoo College Foreign Study Locations, 1958-80 58 The Kalamazoo Plan 68 Book Value of Endowment Fund and Pennanent Reserves, 1961-70 108 Growth of Physical Plant, 1961-70 108 Student Enrollment, 1961-70 109 Gifts, 1961-70 109 INTRODUCTION Weimer K. Hicks assumed the office of president of Kalamazoo Col­ lege in January of 1954. One of his first formal reports to the Board of Trustees confirmed the eager optimism and contagious confidence that would characterize the eighteen-year administration with which this volume is primarily concerned. On Such a Full Sea moves toward the 150th anniversary of Kalamazoo College, to be reached in the year 1983. Its accountings cover perhaps the most significant era in that long, rich flow of time. Introducing this volume, then, are these words from over a quarter of a century ago, typical of the spirit to which the trustees and the entire constituency would become so attuned- The Report of the President to the Board of Trustees, June 4, 1955: Your president is now completing his first full academic year at Kala­ mazoo College. The happenings of the last twelve months would seem to indicate that the College can now emerge into a very significant era of its long history. Actually, much progress was made before your pr-esi­ dent arrived on the campus in January, 1954. We sincerely believe that the developments of the last seven months indicate that an aggressive, optimistic, and forward-looking policy can place Kalamazoo among the leading colleges of its type in the country. May I review the reasons for our present optimism. First, we have the basic foundation of a great institution. For many years, Kalamazoo College has had a sound reputation, a superior faculty, a beautiful plant, and an interested constituency. Second, unity and belief seem to prevail in all segments of the College family. Great progress has been made in student government and campus morale. The faculty members seem to have a new vision for the future role of the College. Tangible manifestation of the belief of alumni and the friends of the city is found through the enlarged Annual Fund. Everywhere one turns, there is the desire to see the College move ahead. Third, in a few short months, we have solved our enrollment prob­ lems. The College is looking ahead to its largest registration in history. Last week ground was broken for the new Upton Science Hall, which will add immeasurably to the physical plant. The new Charter has passed the Legislature which will free the College from some of the limi­ tations of the past. Furthermore, we have a more amicable and dose re­ 1 On Such a Full Sea lationship with the Baptist denomination than at any time within the last generation. Finally, the Winifred Dewing Wallace legacy is making it possible for us to approach the program that we wish to offer. Now that Kalamazoo College is "on the march," we must continue to advance. No effort should be spared to build an even more outstanding faculty. Our new community programs in municipal government, in­ dustrial relations, and art must be furthered. The physical expansion of our campus must be continued until we have a truly superior plant. The financial undergirding of our College must be strengthened by added endowment and financial reserves. I sincerely believe that a great future does lie ahead for our College. We are fortunate in having gained academic respectability many years ago. We are fortunate, too, in having a national reputation as an educa­ tional institution. However, in these days, we are being challenged to the utmost by state institutions with their seemingly unlimited funds. Kalamazoo College cannot stand still if it is to hold its own. Instead, it must grow and progress, always keeping faith with the basic ideals of the Christian liberal arts college. Today and in the future, America needs the superior institution. With our limited enrollment, our basic Christian philosophy, and our high academic standing, our type of in­ stitution is a necessary part of the educational system. One could not sit in my chair for a few months without realizing that Kalamazoo College has encountered many discouraging problems in the past, problems that would occasionally shake the confidence of even the most ardent enthusiast. The facts of the present justify faith and optimism. Furthermore, we must continue to maintain the impetus gained in the past few years. As I evaluate the present and look toward the future, my convictions are emphasized in the well-known quotation from Julius Caesar- There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat ... 2 CHAPTER I The College Is Set in Order The events that transpired at Kalamazoo College in early 1953 af­ forded the entry of a new era. At a special meeting of the Board of Trus­ tees on January 21, John Scott Everton, then president, was formally granted a year's leave of absence to become the Ford Foundation's edu­ cational representative in Burma. Dr. Everton departed from Kalama­ zoo the following month and was never to return to his administrative post on the campus. Dr. Richard U. Light, who by June would succeed Dr. George K. Ferguson as chairman of the Board of Trustees, was named executive trustee; and Dr. Harold T. Smith, vice-president for business affairs, was named administrative head. The College thus proceeded through a ten­ month transitional period which, though brief, was marked by a series of major decisions that counted heavily toward the ease with which a future administration could begin to move. At th~ instigation of Dr. Light, four joint committees of trustees, fac­ ulty, and alumni were formed to study the College Charter and the By­ laws of the Board; tuition, scholarship aid, and admissions promotion; educational policies; and alumni relationships. At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees on April 14, these committees were ready to re­ port. The Board subsequently adopted several resolutions designed to alleviate certain unfavorable conditions which existed at the College in 1953. The resolution for Charter change removed the stipulation that the president of the College be a Baptist and reduced the total number of trustees required to be Baptists. (These changes were eventually adopted by the State on April 29, 1955; the Baptist trustee membership was set at one-third of the Board.) This was the first change in the Col­ lege Charter since 1941 when Baptist trustee membership had been re­ duced from three-fourths to a majority, and the requirement that the chairman of the Board of Trustees be a Baptist had been removed. The College Bylaws were changed to support an effective working basis between the College and the denomination. Now membership on 3 On Such a Full Sea the Board of Trustees included three specific nominations: two from the Michigan Baptist Convention (one of whom would also serve on the ex­ ecutive committee of the Board) and one from the Board of Education and Publication of the American Baptist Convention. Further, an ad­ ministrative office in charge of church relations was established to serve in a liaison capacity, both on campus and off. The recommendation which the Board accepted from the alumni rela­ tionships committee brought about a closer liaison between the College and its alumni. Henceforth, three alumni, elected by ballot mailed to all graduates and former students, would serve as trustees for staggered terms of three years each, without right to reelection. In addition, the Board determined that tuition for 1953-54 should re­ main at $475 for instruction, with $75 for fees, and $700 for board and room. The scholarship and student aid program would be reduced, and new sources of income would be found for its support. The committee on tuition, scholarship aid, and admissions promotion had shown that the scholarship awards of Kalamazoo College exceeded those of com­ parable institutions, going well beyond the primary purpose of assisting needy students of promise. Almost one-half of the 356 students enrolled were receiving some form ofscholarship during 1952-53at a total cost of $55,000-10 percent of the College budget. Endowment income desig­ nated for scholarships had supplied only $4,900, and much of the bal­ ance had necessarily come from the general funds, including liquidation of endowment reserves and acquisition of possible salary money. To eliminate this practice, the Board created a permanent endowment fund and set a limit below which operational reserves could not be spent. Following the educational policies committee's report, the Board of Trustees reaffirmed the liberal arts tradition of Kalamazoo College, in­ cluding its emphasis on a broad curriculum rather than vocational con­ centration within narrow lines.