Seventy Years Of The Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Page 106

CHIEFLY ABOUT STUDENT LIFE

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FOR a school that was so definitely designed to be a local institution, the rapid development of the Institute toward cosmopolitanism was remarkable. The class of '72 had a member from Rhode Island and one from Washington, D. C.; all others were from Worcester County. One from Pittsburgh and two from New England states entered with '73. Washington, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh, as well as two Ohio cities, were represented in '74. In the succeeding ten years, students came from each of the New England states, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, District of Columbia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, California, and Canada.

Two Japanese entered the class of '76; another the following year. There were three Brazilians in '78, and one in '79. One member of '80, and one of '83, came from Honolulu, a member of '83 from Chili and one of '84 from China. By 1880 less than half of the entering class came from the towns and cities of Worcester County. This condition fulfilled Stephen Salisbury's belief that the school would be improved by extending the range from which its students were drawn.

Some students from other states established residence in Worcester in order to take advantage of free tuition. In 1879

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Last Modified: Fri Jul 30 11:15:25 EDT 1999