DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 207 



I would direct your attention to several features of the session de- 

 serving of special comment in this connection. 



The record of attendance shows that twenty-eight graduates of M. A. 

 C. have been enrolled in this session; also that, thirty-six graduates of 

 other institutions, including the University of Michigan, Olivet, Hills- 

 dale, have been in attendance. Furthermore, that seventeen students 

 have been in residence as candidates for advanced degrees. More stu- 

 dents of this type have availed themselves of the Summer Session this 

 year than in previous years. A large percentage of these persons can 

 be with us only in the summer. 



This year the College offered for the first time, special courses for 

 teachers in the rural schools, and for county normal teachers. These 

 courses included the different lines of agriculture, including farm 

 crops, soils, animal husbandry, dairy husbandry, poultry husbandry 

 and horticulture, also home economics, rural pedagogy, and a special 

 course in English. The State law requires the teaching of agriculture 

 in the rural schools. Obviously the teachers for these schools have had 

 little opportunity to be trained for this purpose. Aside from the very 

 elementary courses given in the State Normals, 'and the work in agricul- 

 ture in high schools through the State, there is no opportunity for these 

 teachers to get instruction. It is natural that the public should look 

 to the College to contribute to the stupendous problem of preparing the 

 7,500 rural teachers to perform this duty of teaching agriculture more 

 intelligently. The College can not be expected to give class room in- 

 struction to this army of teachers, but it may render invaluable ser- 

 vice by training those who are to teach the rank and file. This would 

 include the teachers of agriculture in the forty-five county normals; 

 also, by extending the teaching of agriculture in the secondary schools. 

 At the same time, it should provide for instructing such numbers of 

 rural teachers as can be brought to the campus during the Summer Ses- 

 sion. Another function for the College in this connection and one of 

 fundamental importance, is that of shaping the subject matter to be 

 taught under the name of agriculture. At present the content of the 

 term agriculture is undetermined. Much has been written in the way 

 of text-books, but the subject matter is not standardized. The College 

 can perform a large function in helping to shape up this content and to 

 put into the hands of the teacher serviceable literature. At the sug- 

 gestion and the direction of yourself and Dean Shaw, this plan is al- 

 ready under way. 



Much of the foregoing may be said about home economics. Although 

 not required as a subject in the rural school as yet, there is demand for 

 instruction in it by the teachers. Dean White and her associates have 

 offered such work for rural teachers for the first time this summer, with 

 highly satisfactory results. 



Courses in rural pedagogy and English, designed to assist rural teach- 

 ers, were given for the first time. The former dealt with the matter 

 of teaching and organization of the rural school, while the latter sought 

 to give instruction in ways of furnishing recreation and entertainment 

 for rural communities. These courses proved to be very attractive and 

 acceptable to a goodly number of the teachers in attendance. 



For the first time, the Summer Session offered work in manual train- 



