Shaping a College

10 Significant Events in the Life of Centre College

by Eric Mount, Professor Emeritus of Religion; Walter Nimocks, Professor Emeritus of History; and Charles Vahlkamp, Professor Emeritus of French
What were the 10 most significant events on the Centre College campus during the last third of the 20th century? Who would be in a position to give a reasonable response to this question? Not students, for they are here only four years, more or less. Not presidents and deans; they never stay 331/3 years. Therefore we must rely on faculty members, in this case three emeriti professors whose careers spanned almost precisely the years in question: Eric Mount, professor of religion (1966-2002), Walter Nimocks, professor of history (1966-96), and Charles Vahlkamp, professor of French (1967-2001). We three, after some consultation with others who were here for a large part of the period, are therefore proposing to answer the question. We do not assume that we have the only or final word on the matter. In fact, we are assuming that our choices will serve as a point of departure and will stimulate responses from those who may have differing ideas. We have listed our choices in chronological order rather than in order of significance.

1966: Opening of Doherty Library
This unique structure brought together in one building the library, classrooms, faculty offices, language labs, audiovisual services, and a theater. A new nerve center for the campus had been established. With old Young Hall (soon replaced by the current Young) on one side and the student center, snack bar, post office, and athletic facilities on the other, Doherty was a hub of activity at almost any hour. The building was renamed Crounse in honor of a major College benefactor in 1986. Crounse Hall today is part of the College Centre; it includes and exceeds the remarkable Doherty Library of yesteryear.

1967: Launching of the “new curriculum”
This imaginative and somewhat radical program made tabula rasa of the old courses of study, introduced interdisciplinary and integrative studies, changed the annual and weekly calendars, instituted a new grading system, and created the system of three divisions still in use today. This curriculum was developed by a committee composed of Charles Whittle, academic dean; Mary Sweeney, professor of English; Charles Lee, professor of history; and Harold Hansen ’55, professor of chemistry. This new course of study and its various components brought a renewed enthusiasm for learning and attracted students of high quality as well as faculty members who sensed the adventure of interdisciplinary courses and saw the possibilities offered by the elimination of the old departmental organization.

1969: Celebration of Centre’s sesquicentennial
The primary feature of the event was a symposium titled “The Habitable City.” This program, organized by the faculty, brought to the campus nationally and internationally known authorities, including Buckminster Fuller, the visionary best known as the inventor of the geodesic dome, and the activist and community organizer Saul Alinsky. For three days they presented lectures and led discussions on urban problems and ways to remedy them. The symposium attracted considerable publicity within the region, and to an extent on the national level as well. Many Centre students were able to have direct contact with experts in various fields, and urban studies students from other campuses attended. A second symposium with nationally known speakers was held in 1973 (see Opening of the Regional Arts Center).

1970: Marking a “Day of Concern”
The day was occasioned by the tragic events at Kent State University in Ohio and included a march the following day through downtown Danville by many students and faculty. It signaled the campus’s acute awareness of what was happening in the outside world, and it also illustrates the prevailing moderation of Centre student and faculty activism during the Vietnam War era. After considerable negotiation among administration, faculty, and students, classes were suspended or rearranged on May 8, so that students could participate in a series of discussions, panels, and lectures that were organized on campus with speakers from the faculty and from other institutions. The day concluded with a candlelight memorial service.

President Thomas A. Spragens participated in the march and sent a letter to the parents of Centre students giving them a full account of what had happened. The role of the president and of student and faculty leaders, the deliberative process, the resolution of differences, the actions taken, and the raised consciousness surrounding this expression of concern entitle this event to a place in the top 10.

Click here to see President Spragen’s letter to parents and other materials about the Day of Concern.

1971: Establishment of a Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Centre
This recognition gave Centre only the second chapter in the state, after the University of Kentucky, which received its chapter in 1926. These are still the only chapters in the state. A Phi Beta Kappa chapter on a campus is one of the highest honors a college can receive. It certifies for the entire academic community that the school has established and maintained a strong academic program and that it has committed itself to the liberal arts ideals. Soon after Centre’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter was established, the College was honored again by outside evaluators by having two of its students named as Rhodes Scholars: Raymond Burse ’73 in 1972 and David Fowler ’74 in 1973.

1973: Opening of the Regional Arts Center
This facility, built on the site of the old Danville High School building, helped to further unite the campus. The College community would no longer have to travel to the old Weisiger building on the former Kentucky college for Women campus for concerts and plays. The new building provided an outstanding auditorium that has attracted performers from around the world and also gave the College state-of-the-art painting, scultpure, and ceramics studios, recital halls, practice rooms, and a versatile theatre to be used for student dramatic productions, chamber music performances, and public lectures. One of the earliest events held at the Regional Arts Center was the international Verdi festival in 1973. It brought to Centre's campus performers and scholars from many countries, particulaly Italy, and attracted considerable media attention. In 1982 the R.A.C. was renamed the Norton Center for the Arts.

1984: Substantially increasing faculty salaries
The inclusion in the budget, for the first time in many years, of an upgrade of faculty remuneration gave the College the opportunity not only to keep its best faculty members but also to attract new professors from the top graduate programs in the country. President Richard L. Morrill understood that having a highly rated faculty is an important factor in attracting capable and talented students.

1990: Establishing Centre’s first study center abroad, in London, England
Prior to 1990, Centre students could spend the six-week winter term in off-campus study, but the London program was the first to provide study abroad for one of the long terms. London was followed by programs in Strasbourg, France, in 1991, and Latin America in 1998, allowing students to immerse themselves fully in a foreign culture. (One of these writers, Walter Nimocks, was the London program’s second director. The other two writers directed Strasbourg twice each.) The implementation of these programs plus the continuation of shorter winter-term programs abroad have enabled Centre to be among the colleges with the highest percentage of students completing a study-abroad experience. Currently about 80 percent of students have participated in one or more of these programs by the time they graduate.

1993: Opening of Greek Park
The relocation of all fraternity and sorority houses to Walnut Street was part of a larger Campus Master Plan that included the renovation of Old Centre, the transformation of a warehouse into the Combs Center, the reformulation of Walnut Street, and the construction of Boles Hall. The new Greek houses provided additional rooms for the increase in the student body that was underway. Fewer men could be housed in the new houses compared to the old ones, but the College felt this was necessary in order to provide more security for campus residents. When sorority houses opened in 1994, sorority and fraternity members finally had equal accommodations.

2000: Holding the vice presidential debate
This event brought more media attention to Centre than anything since the football victory over Harvard in 1921. The choice of Centre was highly unusual in that no small town or college had ever hosted a national political debate. President John A. Roush had experience with the 1996 presidential debate at the University of Richmond before coming to Centre, and this background was crucial to Centre’s being chosen. The debate, held in Newlin Hall of the Norton Center, was covered by all the national media and was carried live on all the networks. Some 2,000 press credentials were issued to media representatives, who took over both gymnasiums and other spaces as well. Security was tight, and the campus was closed to virtually all traffic for the entire day. On the day of the debate, many students worked as guides to out-of-town visitors or as assistants to the media. Special classes or “teach-ins” relating to the presidential campaign were organized.

An immediate result of the debate publicity was a noticeable increase of applications from out of state. It is generally believed, although difficult to prove with statistics, that the debate increased Centre’s applications over the last seven years. In addition, the work of numerous volunteers from the Danville citizenry in tandem with campus volunteers contributed to better town/gown relations.

In conclusion, we three must admit that we have had a lot of fun remembering what happened while we were still in the thick of things on campus. We hope that Centrepiece readers will join us in thinking back over their four years at Centre and that they will feel free to take issue with our choices and offer their own ideas about what they believe was significant at Centre while they were here.

Eric Mount writes, speaks, plays tennis, and frequently returns to France with his wife, Truly. His e-mail address is eric.mount@centre.edu. Walter Nimocks reads, cooks, gardens, and travels with his wife, Susan, at every opportunity. His e-mail address is s.wnimocks@adelphia.net. Sarah and Charles Vahlkamp regularly lead travel tours for alumni and others. His e-mail address is vahlkamps@bellsouth.net.

—D.F.J.

Centrepiece
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