91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½

In response to wartime demands, many colleges and universities both questioned the value of traditional liberal education and increased opportunities for student technical training and specialization. 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½, too, responded to wartime needs, becoming a training ground for hundreds of military recruits. With various armed forces programs, such as a Naval Radio School, placing servicemen on campus, 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ appeared to be disregarding its founding educational ideals for the pragmatism that was typical of higher education during the war years. However, 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ administrators and faculty managed to maintain liberal courses of study that would otherwise have been eclipsed by the wartime need for skills training. During a time when military necessity and liberal education were at odds, College officials retained the ideals of 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½’s founders. Their decision offers insight into 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½’s role in maintaining a sturdy commitment to liberal education in a society characterized by rapid technological advance and the perception of an ever-increasing threat to national security.

In 1943, the draft age was lowered from 21 to 18, making virtually all college-age men eligible. The following academic year, 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½’s enrollment dropped to fewer than 200 students. Among the 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ students enlisting was William Henry Elliot, seen here being sworn in for service in the U.S. Navy. Among the 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ students who enlisted was William Henry Elliot, seen here being sworn in for service in the U.S. Navy.

In 1944, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt delivered an address at 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ entitled “English Youth in the War.” During her talk, Mrs. Roosevelt reaffirmed the value of a liberal arts education, emphasized college students’ responsibility for understanding America’s goals in the war, and encouraged students to actively participate in restoring the peace that would follow.

Throughout the war era, 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ President Kenneth Sills, seen here greeting servicemen, firmly maintained his commitment to the liberal arts. A 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ education, Sills believed, performed an essential civic function by equipping young men with the ethical and intellectual qualities necessary for democratic citizenship.

Utilizing 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½ facilities for Naval Radio School training (among other armed forces programs), over 300 recruits lived on campus during the 1941-42 school year. Hosting these servicemen was both a patriotic and lucrative opportunity upon which College officials capitalized.

While welcoming members of the armed forces, seen here on the Quad, College faculty and administrators worked to ensure that the liberal arts remained one of 91ÑÇÉ«´«Ã½’s central concerns during World War II. Humanities and social sciences faculty, for instance, convinced Army officers to include their disciplines in the curricula of a number of courses of study offered to recruits.