|
opposition and was abandoned. Another knotty problem was what to do
about caps and gowns at Commencement. The Class of 1910 was the first
to propose such a custom but it did not meet the approval of the
faculty. Opposition weakened by 1914, so that class was permitted to
wear academic costume. The faculty stoutly refused to appear in such
trappings, however, except during the fiftieth-anniversary
celebration.
In 1915, some anxiety was felt concerning the fact that Institute
enrollment was remaining stationary, although most colleges were
reporting a substantial increase. There was much discussion about
possible means of developing publicity. One plan proposed by
Dr. Conant shortly before his death, and put into effect soon after,
was to offer matriculation scholarships to the four applicants who
achieved highest grades in entrance examinations.
Dr. Hollis himself contributed one of the major opportunities for
Institute publicity when, in December, 1916, he was inaugurated as
president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. New York
alumni took full advantage of this occasion to stage a banquet in his
honor, attended not only by a host of alumni but also by men
distinguished in numerous fields. Among the guests were General
Leonard Wood, Admiral R. S. Griffin, Engineer-in-Chief, U. S. N.,
Prof. M. E. Cooley, dean of the engineering school, University of
Michigan, Hudson Maxim, L. H. Baekeland, Charles Whiting Baker, editor
of Engineering News, and Hon. Charles G. Washburn. This major
achievement spurred the New York group to seek approval of a plan to
hold a midwinter meeting of the Alumni Association in New York at or
about this same time each year. Early in 1917, Dr. Hollis set out on a
western tour to visit district groups of the A. S. M. E., making
stirring speeches at meetings in several leading cities.
No sharp line marks the transition between the Institute as a mere
technical school and its status as a college of engineering. It was
early in Dr. Hollis' administration, however, that student attitude,
and to some extent graduate opinion,
|
![[WPI]](/Buttons/seal.gif){kind=small}
![[Library]](/academics/library/history/seventyyears/Images/lib.gif){kind=small}
![[Contents]](/Buttons/toc.gif){kind=small}
![[Back]](/Buttons/back.gif){kind=small}
![[Forward]](/Buttons/next.gif){kind=small}