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World War I began in the Summer of 1914 and sparked a militaristic movement at American colleges -- of which U of M was no exception. The War Department proposed that a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) be established at all universities (Donnelly, 252). Michigan accepted the proposal in March of 1916 and asked that an ROTC commander be assigned to it. A year later on April 7, 1917 the United States declared war and Major Charles W. Castle was promptly appointed to the newly created post of Professor of Military Science at the University (Peckham, 141). |
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The war forced students to make the decision either to stay and continue the education that they started or enlist to go fight in Europe. The idea of going into combat and possibly coming back a hero if you were lucky enough to live was very romanticized. But, President Hutchins put some of the students' anxieties (of those who wished to remain) to rest when he addressed the first convocation in October 1917 stating: "The student who remains in the University to awaiting the call from the government is just as patriotic as the one who enters the service immediately" (Peckham, 144). He noted that intellectuals were needed domestically to help develop the weaponry and other products needed to supply the allied forces. |
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A strong anti-German sentiment was another concern at The University of Michigan. It especially affected the faculty. In October 1917, Professor Carl E. Eggert of the German Department was dismissed by the Board of Regents for allegations made by another member of the faculty that he was pro-German (Peckham, 145). Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. In 1917 Professor Ewald Boucke, a German national, asked for a leave of absence for the duration of the war because he felt uncomfortable under the suspicion of his colleagues. His request was granted "indefinitely," and when he asked for reinstatement at the end of the war he was denied (146). The National Security League also requested that an official inquiry be made into the loyalty of all University faculty, but the Regents ignored the request (Regents, 159). |
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The anti-German attitude was expressed by students and alumni alike. In 1918, Grand Rapids alumni petitioned to remove the study of German from the curriculum, but failed to accomplish it. Nevertheless, enrollment in German courses declined dramatically from about 1,300 to 150 without the petition (Peckham, 146). It was clearly a time of finger-pointing and suspicion at anything German, no matter how benign. This was a nationwide problem and not limited to the University alone. |
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To make a difficult time worse, the country's worst influenza epidemic broke out in October of 1918. It claimed the lives of 57 members of the Student Army Training Corps (SATC), two nurses, and 58 local citizens (Peckham, 149). Fortunately, the outbreak was short-lived. The loss of so many lives at once on a college campus was an unexpected and devestating blow. |
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On a more positive note, the next few years at Michigan were marked by explosive growth in the physical size of the University. The man responsible for much of it was Marion Leroy Burton, President of the University of Michigan from 1920 to 1924 (Donnelly, 76). Despite the brevity of his term due to his untimely death, he was able to persuade the Regents, faculty, and the state legislature to approve what amounted to a building boom at U of M (Peckham, 156). Among the new structures to be erected were Angell Hall and the University Hospital. Private donors also contributed the boom. The Law Quadrangle, a gift of William W. Cook, was completed in 1924 (Donnelly, 93). The impressive gothic structure gave the University a look reminiscent of an Ivy League school. |
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As the University grew due to the contributions of private donors and the funding of the State of Michigan, Burton reassured the students that such a sizable institution was beneficial. During a baccalaureate address he said, "[ Michigan is ] a richly diversified and versatile community. A student may find as friends just those persons who will prove most stimulating to him. The modern college student must live in a large world. He must be able to go into a huge, modern city and feel at home. He needs orientation and the capacity to deal with large groups without losing his sense of mastery or of personal significance. It is just here that the man who has the necessary capacities and potentialities will acquire much by being part of a large institution" (Peckham, 159). |
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The athletic program was also prospering even in the shadow of the depression. Michigan Stadium opened for the last game of the 1927 season. At the time of its original construction it held an impressive 85,000 people (Peckham, 183). Over the years it has been continually enlarged to accommodate increasing numbers of college football fans, and has earned the title of "The Big House." |
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In 1929 there was an introduction of a corporate type organization to the University made by President Alexander G. Ruthven, a former museum director and professor of zoology (Bordin, 90). Until his term as president, the organization of Michigan had been a military-like chain of command, with the board of trustees (Regents) at the top extending down through the president, department heads, and then to individual faculty members (Peckham, 193). The new system would consist of the president as chairman of the faculties, responsible both to the Regents and faculty, with several vice-presidents, deans and directors to delegate specific duties to (194). This system facilitated better communication between administration and the faculty of each school and department. |
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Roughly a decade later, the University found itself back in the confusion of another world war. Once again there was a debate over what role the school should play in military service. University administration decided that rather than turn Michigan into a military camp with mess halls and barracks, the military could send selected trainees to campus to be taught in their specialties in the courses the military specified (Peckham, 229). |
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A prime example of the use that the military made of campus was the Army's Japanese Language Institute which was in operation at Michigan from 1943 to 1945 (Peckham, 232). Students were taught to read, write, and speak Japanese so they could serve as combat intelligence officers. Surprisingly, the courses were taught by U.S. citizens of Japanese descent. Rather than try to eliminate the language of a foreign enemy from the curriculum as had been done in WW I, this time it was wisely used as an asset. |
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The University was also very involved in research and development during the war. The vast number of innovations either improved upon or designed by faculty members was phenomenal. Michigan professors had a hand in the development of the atomic bomb. Professors from the Physics, Astronomy, and Engineering Departments all contributed to some aspect of the development (Peckham, 234). |
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All of these things both tested the stability of the University and pushed it to new heights. It had endured internal conflict, wars, and restructuring. By the end of World War II all of the elements were in place for Michigan to become one of the world's leading research and development institutions. |
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