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State Teachers College
Bulletin
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Volum e ~ n

Number One

AUGUST, 194 5

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1940

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1945

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REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT
BLOOMSBURG, PENN SYLVANIA
Member of the American Association of Teachers Colleges
Member of the National Association of Business
Teacher Training Institutions.

The State Teachers College Bulletin is issued in August, December, January,
February, March, and April, by the Trustees of the
State Teachers College at Bloomsburg.
Entered as Second-Class Matter at the Post Office at Bloomsburg,
Pennsylvania, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

State Teachers College Bulletin
BLOOMSBURG,

PENNSYLVANIA

CALENDAR ANNOUNCEMENT

The Bloomsburg State Teachers College will return to, a calendar
of two semesters each college year beginning on Septembr 10, 1945.
The calendar for the college year, 1945-46, is to be found on the

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opposite page of this bulletin.

The first semester, beginning September 10, 1945, will provide
opportunities for Freshman students to enter college at the traditional
time of year, for returning veterans to re-enter or enter college, and
for those students now on the accelerated plan to complete their requirements for graduation in approximately three calendar years.
New students entering college on September 10, 1945, or January
23, 1946, may register for the accelerated program. Such students may
transfer from the three year to the regular four year program if the
change is considered advisable.
Additional information relative to enrollment for the 1945-1946
College Year may be secured by writing to Doctor Thomas P. North,
Dean of Instruction.

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COLLEGE CALENDAR 1945 - 46
(Subject to change to meet War Conditions)
FIRST SUMMER SESSION 1945
Classes Begin ____________________ --------------------------------------- _________________________ ] une 4
Classes End -------------------------------------------------------------1 une 22
SECOND SUMMER SESSION 1945
Classes Begin ---------------------------- ----------------------------------------------1 uly 2
Classes End ______
_ ________________________________________ July 21
THIRD SUMMER SESSION 1945
Classes Begin _ __
Classes End _____ ____ ______ __ ___ ___

--- --- ------ - ------------------- ________ ] ul y 2 3
____________________________ August 10

FOURTH SUMMER SESSION 1945
Classes Begin _ ______ ____ _
___ __ _ ___________________________________ August 13
Classes End __________ ____ ____ _______________________________________________________ August 31
THE FIRST SEMESTER 1945-46
Registration ------------------------------------------------------- _____ Monday, September
Classes Begin ______________________________________________________Tuesday, September
Thanksgiving Recess Begins at Noon ___________ Wednesday, November
Thanksgiving Recess Ends at Noon ______________________ Monday, November
Christmas Recess Begins at Noon __________________ Wednesday, December
Christmas Recess Ends at Noon ___________________________ Wednesday, January
First Semester Ends --------------------------------------- _______ Saturday, January

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THE SECOND SEMESTER 1945-46
Registration _________________ __________________________________________ Wednesday, January
Classes Begin ____________________________________________ Thursday, January
Easter Recess Begins at Noon ____________________________________ Saturday, April
Easter Recess Ends at Noon __________________________________ Wednesday, April
Alumni Day __________________________________________________________ Saturday, May
Baccalaureate Services _________________________________________ Sunday, May
Class Day Activities ________________________________________ Monday, May
Commencement ______________________________________________________ Tuesday, May

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Thomas Morton
Chas. D. Steiner
George L. Weer
Earl V. Wise

Reg. S. Hemingway. President
Fred W. Diehl, Vice President
Mrs. Elsie Yorks Jones, S ecretary
Howard S. Fernsler
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WALLER HALL AND FRONT CAMPUS

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FIVE YEARS ARE FINISHED .
WHAT OF THE FUTURE?
by
Harvey A. Andruss, President
State Teachers College, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania

A democracy can succeed only with an educated electorate. Free
public education is one of America's proudest traditions.
With thirty million boys and girls in schools and colleges; with one
million teachers in the classrooms; and with thirty billion dollars spent
annually on education; the public is vitally concerned with our educational program. This deep interest is the surest safeguard for the continuance of the democratic tradition and the American way of life.
To their credit and the glory of the American educational profession,
the schools and colleges of this country are functioning despite all obstacles. Thus far not one important four-year institution of higher learning
has closed its doors. Colleges are mortgaging their future to continue.
As the plight of education has become known, support has been forthcoming. Alumni, friends, and the lay public have rallied to educational
institutions in need.
In this country, American education is now in a stage of transition.
The normal under-graduate enrollment has been sharply curtailed. Many
colleges are marking time, limping along as best they can. Financial
problems coming naturally in the wake of a depleted campus are growing apace. Many c;;f the finest American colleges and universities are
·o perating on a skeleton basis.

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Benjamin Fine, writing in the New York Times, Sunday, March 25,
1945, of a survey of seventeen typical Liberal Arts Colleges, reveals how
four years of war have left their mark. These broad conclusions emerge:
(1) die enrollment of civilian student-body is down to about 15% of
normal; (2) the faculty has been depleted and in many instances reduced
by more than half; (3) course offerings have been slashed and complete
departments eliminated for the duration; ( 4) extra-curricular activities
have been reduced or in many instances entirely abandoned; (5) almost
every college is now operating at a financial loss; and (6) buildings,
plants and equipment have deteriorated and are in need of repairs.

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Those institutions that had substantial financial resources have been
able to weather the emergency in better shape than the poorer ones, but
even the larger colleges are beginning to face deficits.
Bloomsburg State Teachers College has been fortunate m many
ways during the war period.
Five years are now finished-what of the future?
Since 1940 all American life has moved, at titnes spasmodically,
toward a future filled with wishful thinking, wars, and warnings. All
things have been bent toward the turning of plow-shares into swords
and pruning hooks into spears .
Now we turn and look back over the five years which are finished.
A new course must be set to determine whither we shall go "when Nations shall not raise sword against Nation, neither shall they learn war
any more."
What of the Future? We cannot answer this question until we
know where we are; and the route that we traveled to arrive-where
we are.
Before the passage of the first Selective Service Act in 1940 it was
evident to some college administrators that changes were impending.
Were the transition made gradually, there would be less interruption in
the work of faculty and students at a given time and, moreover, Alumni
would have ample time to be advised just what was happening at their
Alma Mater.
The prophet of 1940 did not foresee the marked decrease in college
enrollments. However, those institutions which insisted on "keeping on"
doing the same things as before, have been denuded of students. Their
opportunities for contributing to the war effort have been limited by a
slow start.
The purpose of this discussion is to summarize some of the important developments at the Bloomsburg State Teachers College over
the last five-year period. In so doing it is hoped that we can demonstrate
( 1) the forward looking policy of the Board of Trustees and college
administration; (2) our contribution to the war effort; and (3) the
carry-over of experience and residual values to be expected as the
college faces the future.

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Buildings and Equipment

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While colleges are not buildings alone, the plant provides background and atmosphere for learning. Even the casual observer notes
the construction of a new building without having any idea as to what
goes on inside.
Public funds are more easily obtained for those additions to the
plant which are most likely to be noticed. Just prior to the opening of
the five-year period under consideration, the General State Authority
had expended almost $600,000 in a building program which placed the
following new structures on our campus-(1) Gymnasium; (2) Laboratory School; (3) Shop Building; ( 4) Addition to the Heating Plant.
The problem of putting these buildings into operation on a budget,
based on the operation of the plant before the buildings were constructed, meant a delay in putting the new structures into use. Equipment wa:s
needed, and most of all new underground conduits for power and light
of all buildi;,.gs had become an absolute necessity.
During the half-decade just past, over one-third of a million dollars
has been spent on Buildings and Fixed Equipment, Movable Equipment,
Contracted Repairs, Grading Roads and Walks. These funds are provided as follows:
General State Authority ______________ --------------------------------- -- $177, 193
College Budget _______________________
_____ __ ___________ 167,835
Total

------------- $34 5,028

The ability of the college to provide almost one-half of the amount
expended was due to the funds made available from its war programs.

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Among the chief changes brought about by our war programs has
been the shift in enrollment which has made necessary increased facilities for men. The conversion of dormitories was made possible through
rebuilding of five toilet rooms and the replastering and relighting - of
North Hall (Men's Dormitory). The conversion of the dining room
into a cafeteria was the result of labor shortage accompanied by the
renovation of the kitchen.
The net result of all the changes made to accommodate the war
programs can best be summarized by stating that the total dormitory
facilities of the college can now be available for either men or women,

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depending on the relative needs. An increased number of students can
be accommodated in the dining room through the use of cafeteria service. This may mean a great deal in the future.
Prior to 1940 from 100 to 150 men had to find living accommodations in the Town of Bloomsburg, since we did not have dormitory facilities to accommodate them. At the same time, our dormitory facilities for
women were used to less than 50% capacity.

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While eight (8) different war programs have been in operation
during the five-year period, the primary function of the college, the
education of teachers, has continued to develop. This improvement has
been reflected in existing areas, namely, Business, Elementary, and Secondary Curriculums, and through the addition and expansion of certain
other areas, such as Educational Clinic, Field of Speech Correction,
Field of Aeronautics, and the addition of Spanish as an elective in both
Business Education and the Secondary Fields. The Experimental Laboratory School in Aviation was without parallel in our nation in 1944.
An idea of the balance between the Teacher Education development
and the War Programs can best be depicted by placing them in parallel
columns, shown as follows:

Pro.grams of Study
Teacher Education Developments

War Programs

Educational Clinic with Health, Psychological and Speech divisions approved by the State Council of Edu-

Aviation Programs-over 1,000 persons given flight instruction.
Civil Pilot Training for 100 college
students.

cation.

Field of Speech Correction as a part
of the curriculum for the education of
teachers of Mentally Retarded Children.

High School Teachers of Aeronautics, 100.
Naval Flight Instructors, 250.
Army and Navy Aviation Cadet
Program, 550.

Field of Aeronautics as a part of the
curriculum for the education of Secondary Teachers.

Science Hall facilities provided for
2000 enrollees in Engineering, Science and Management War Training
Courses.

Field of Spanish as an elective for
Business Education students and later
as an elective field for Secondary Students.

Bloomsburg Hospital School of Nursing received Science instruction for
3 5 students.

Experimental Laboratory School in
Aviation, Summer of 1944.

Navy V-12 Unit (Officer Candidates)
500 Trainees.

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The accelerated program for graduation in three calendar years
was in operation during this period and has enabled 40 % of our regular
student-body to prepare themselves for teaching positions one year
sooner than in previous years. On July 1, 1940, the college year of two
eighteen-week semesters and three summer sessions aggregating twelve
weeks was changed to three terms of sixteen weeks each. Summer Sessions aggregating twelve weeks were also provided for teachers. This
change in calendar enabled us to bring our accelerated program into
step with the calendar prescribed by the Navy V-12 Contract.
The residual value of the experience gained by the faculty personnel of the college in war programs is great. The ability and willingness of individuals to adjust themselves to meet new conditions is a most
estimable quality.
In operating the 1944 Summer Courses in Aviation as an experimental laboratory school, we were able to staff the program with members of our own faculty. This program would not have been at all possible if we had followed the policy of hiring outside specialists to teach
the war programs.
Notice of the national importance of this program has been reflected in the columns of the New York Herald Tribune of August 6,
1944, and in the October 1944 issue of the Aviation Magazine.

Enrollment
Size is a symptom but not a cure for all educational ills. Numbers
are necessary to the operation of a college and, therefore, an analysis is
presented so that we may view the situations as they have changed and
the steps which have been taken to meet them as they occurred.
Adjusted Enrollment ( on full-time basis) including Summer Sessions:

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Regular Students

War Students

1944-45
361 (Estimated April 1945)
1943-44
622
1942-43
484
1941-42
494
1940-41
718
* Number of war students not available.

502
610
204
*
(None)

Total

863
1232
688
494*
718

When we think of faculty we again consider numbers. However,
mere quantity is not enough. Let us consider quality.
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Instruction has been tested in this last five years as never before.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration, acting for the Department of
Commerce, has compiled, administered, and evaluated the tests given to
each aviation student. The Navy has also tested its V-12 Trainees in
both physical accomplishments and academic achievement. Nurses have
been examined by the State Board of Nursing before the Registered
Nurse Certificate has been conferred. Never before have the results of
college instruction been subjected to evaluation by outside agencies. The
results have been unanimously satisfactory in comparison with other institutions and this is attributable in a large part to the efficient coordination and the conscientious instruction in our war programs. No higher
compliment can be paid to a faculty group.
The regular faculty has been reduced 8 % (not including trammg
teachers) while the average decrease in all teachers colleges has been
24 % . Three colleges show their faculties decreased by 50 % .
The basic employment period for the instructional staff is 36 weeks.
All salaries are computed on this basis or fractional part thereof.
Summer Sessions have been self-supporting in terms of instructional
costs, although for many years the rate of salary payment during the
summer has been from 70 to 80 % of that provided in the basic salary
schedule.
With the change in calendar to the year-round operation of the
college having three terms of equal length, we have been able to maintain the salary schedule during the Summer Term or Trimester and
Sessions for Teachers.
More employment, that is more weeks of employment, have been
provided. The average faculty member taught forty-one ( 41) weeks in
the college year 1942-1943 and this was increased to forty-five ( 4 5)
weeks in 1943-1944.
A cost of living increase for all instructional and non-instructional
employees receiving less than $3,750 was made effective as follows: 15 %
additional October 16, 1942, 10 % additional September 1, 1944. Therefore, present salary rates are approximately 25 % higher than before the
war period.
While one-fourth of our faculty are active in the Aviation Program
and over one-half in the subsequent Navy and Nursing Programs, part10

time instructors were employed on an hourly basis and thus, when the
program ended, were not carried on the payroll past the time of their
service. Regular faculty members who offered instruction in war programs in addition to a regular teaching assignment were paid for these
additional services at the same hourly rate as part-time faculty members.

Student Activities
The accelerated program, with its heavier academic load, caused
the termination of many extra-curricular activities. Social life in terms
of formal dances, dinners, and those activities requiring transportation
were of necessity curtailed, hence the arrangement of activities in order
of worth has preserved and even enhanced the contribution the Maroon
and Gold ( college newspaper) and the Obiter ( now the all college year
book). Social life has centered itself of necessity around the campus,
with the result that a social room for men and women has been installed
near the old gymnasium so as to make dancing possible.
To provide light refreshments on the campus, a canteen for Navy
Men and College Students has been in operation for over a year and has
provided the funds necessary for the publication of the Yearbook.
Student contributions to the Red Cross, National War Fund, U.S.O.
Drives, and the purchase of war bonds and stamps has attained a high
level of which the college is proud.
When travel has permitted, student representatives from the college
have attended conventions of the Eastern States Association of Professional Schools for Teachers in New York City, and the State Conventions for the Government Associations of the various State Teachers
Colleges.
Week-end recreation journeys to Eagles Mere were a popular activity in the summer of 1944 and are to be continued in 1945. Intercollegiate sports-football, basketball, soccer, wrestling, track, and intramural competition have been maintained during the period except for
the year 1941-1942.

What of the Future?
With the possible termination of the Navy Programs, the immediate
problem of the college calendar must be considered. Since all other
Teachers Colleges operate on a two-semester-three-summer-sessions calendar, we are legally bound to return to that basis with the termination
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of the war programs. The transition from one calendar to another can
be easily made following the conclusion of the term or trimester in
June, 1945.
Aside from the mechanics of the calendar, we have noted that the
continuous three year round calendar which formerly was spread over
four years with summer vacations has (a) caused noticeable student
physical fatigue and lagging student effort; and (b) an equally evident
tension on the part of the faculty. If such a calendar is to be continued,
specific provision should be made so that faculty members will not be
scheduled to teach continuously for more than 80 weeks over two college
years of 96 weeks.
Bloomsburg places over 90 % of its graduates, as shown by a survey
completed in 1941. A study of 1,025 graduates who completed the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Education over the
ten year period from 1931 to 1940, inclusive, discloses the fact that 92 %
have been gainfully employed . Of these over 77 % were engaged in
teaching, while 15 % were in other occupations. This leaves only 8 % to
· be accounted for in such activities as homemaking, government, continued college attendance, and the unemployed.
Future prospects in the field of teacher education in terms of the
curriculums for which we are already approved may be summarized as
follows:
1.

If the salaries of elementary teachers are equalized with the salaries
of secondary teachers who have equal qualifications, there will be a
marked incentive for young women to come to college in order to
teach younger children in the elementary grades. If not, we can
expect decreases in enrollment in this field. Additional subsidies for
teachers of special classes for the mentally retarded are proof of
these expectancies.

2.

High school teachers will be in demand in certain academic fields,
such as Mathematics; Science; and Foreign Languages, particularly
Spanish. The English and Social Studies fields always have been and
possibly always will be overcrowded, since many college Seniors in
Liberal Arts Colleges decide shortly before they graduate to complete the minimum requirements for certification. The kind of student who does not decide what he is going to do with his education
until he is a Senior is usually one who does not have the prerequisites for successful work in Mathematics, Science, Languages, and in
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similar fields of about equal difficulty. Therefore, we have the cry
that "there are too many teachers," based on the fact that the number of certificates issued is in excess of the number of positions
available. The question "are there too many teachers?" has never
been conclusively answered, and requires careful study.

3.

Business Education as an activity on the college level has suffered
marked decreases in enrollment, both on account of the large number of men enrolled in this field, and also because it was possible for
the high school graduate, with very little training, to go into business
or government offices and demand salaries in excess of those paid
college graduates. It is to be expected that with the return of peace
this situation will right itself. Increases in enrollment are to be
expected.

4.

The expansion of the offerings of State Teachers Colleges, both in
the field of Teacher Education and in other fields, is receiving consideration by the Legislature at the time of this writing. Whatever
may be the outcome, it is felt that the field of Aeronautics will be
developed on the high school level. Over four hundred high schools
in Pennsylvania are now offering a course to Juniors and Seniors . .
Present certification requirements are on a war emergency basis and
it is to be expected when these are brought up to the level of other
subjects there will be a necessity for the training of teachers in this
field.

The location of the college in relation to the airport makes Bloomsburg a natural aviation center. This relationship exists because of the farseeing efforts of Harry L. Magee and a number of Bloomsburg citizens
who pioneered the airport, and our Board of Trustees who have been
willing to experiment with new things in education for a new day, with
the result that the Town Council of Bloomsburg is purchasing the local
airport so as to obtain the advantages of municipal ownership.
In the event that legislation makes possible the training of veterans
and/ or war workers in the field of Aeronautics, this and other areas of

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instruction yet to be developed will then attract an increasing number of
young men and young women.
The transition from war to peace has already begun in our Teachers
Colleges. There remains the problem of facing the future with the same
far sighted enthusiasm and cooperation which made possible our marked
contribution to the war effort.
Only through the vision of the Board of Trustees, the cooperation
of the faculty, the confidence of the student body, the interest of the
public spirited citizens of Bloomsburg, along with the continued support
of the 9,000 Alumni have we been able to meet the challenges of war.
With the same spirit we shall be able to solve the problems of peace and
the education which will promote its continuance.

AND A CHILD SHALL FLY THEM . . .

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REGISTRATION
Those desiring to enroll should make sure of registration by forwarding the Preliminary Enrollment Blank, together with a check, or
money order for $10.00.

If any fees other than the Activities Fee are paid by Bank Draft,
Post Office Orders, or Checks, they must be made out for the exact
amount which is being paid and drawn payable to the order of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All Post Office Orders paying such fees
must be drawn on the Post Office at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If the
Activities Fee is not paid in cash a separate order must be drawn payable
to "Community Activities." All fees must be paid in advance of enrollment.
These advanced reservation deposits will be returned provided the
college is notified at least three weeks before the opening of the session
of the desire to cancel the reservation.
Students not living at home and not working in homes approved by
the College must live in the dormitories if rooms are available.

PRELIMINARY ENROLLMENT BLANK
Name of Applicant -----------------------------------------------------------------------------Address of Applicant ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------

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Shall we reserve a room for you? ----------------------------------------- ______________________ _
Is this your first enrollment in this college? __ --------------------------------------------Year graduated from high school _
Check the curriculum and expected time of enrollment:
Elementary
Secondary
Business
Special
Aviation
Other

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Three Year Program:
Semester beginning September 10
Semester beginning January 23

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Four Year Program:
Semester beginning September 10
Semester beginning January 23
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