30 BECORl) OF THE ALUMNI 



course in electrical engineering, was uniform with that in mechani- 

 cal engineering for the first two years, but differed markedly from 

 it in the third and fourth years. 



In 1906, the agricultural field of instruction was enlarged by 

 providing a full four-year course in veterinary medicine. This 

 is a strongly specialized course which has only a minimum connec- 

 tion with other courses through the fundamental work in English, 

 the sciences, and political science, including history. 



In 1908, by direction of the Board of Regents, a representative 

 committee of the Faculty, appointed by the president, reconsidered 

 the courses of study in every detail, the work extending over two 

 or three months. Numerous changes in subjects were made, 

 though the general principles remained the same. The most 

 notable feature was the formulation of courses for an additional 

 graduate year, in which were included subjects for which time could 

 not be found in the four-year courses, and through which it was 

 hoped that graduate study at the College would be brought to a 

 more systematic basis. A four-year course in printing was included 

 in the mechanic arts group, and a four-year course in poultry 

 husbandry in the agriculture group. The total number of four- 

 year courses was thus raised to thirteen, though of course there 

 were many things common to all of them, and many others common 

 to two or more of them. 



With the advent of a new administration another thorough 

 revision was made in the winter of 1910. In this, differentiatior 

 was made with the freshman year when courses of different groups 

 are considered, but the agricultural courses were, as before, alike 

 for the first two years, and the engineering courses were nearly 

 alike for the first two years. The poultry husbandry course was 

 abandoned as such, but opportunities for electing freely were 

 provided in all of the agricultural courses. The engineering 

 courses were fixed throughout no electives. The course in home 

 economics provided a limited opportunity for election, and the 

 junior and senior years in the course in general science were made 

 nearly entirely elective. To provide for profitable election, a 

 considerable number of groups of electives were carefully worked 

 out. To guard against aimless frittering away of energy upon 

 unrelated subjects, it was provided that electives must be by 

 groups approved by the Faculty or the deans. The limited elec- 

 tions previously allowed had been governed by the same principle. 

 The opportunity to elect is designed to enable the student, who by 

 the work of the previous years has "become grounded in fundamental 

 things, to elect a group of subjects that will give him special trail- 

 ing in some direction in which he is interested. 



This reformulation of courses was based on an increase in 

 entrance requirements, and thus some opportunity was given for 

 increasing the technical work. This in the agricultural courses 



