Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1912-10-02
FOR MORE POSTCARD
COURSES At ACADEMY
Officials Discuss Plans Of Revising
Curriculum.
TO START In FEBRUARY.
Schools in Naval Construction, Ord
nance and Electrical Engineering
to be Established.


Of far reaching Importance to the
Navy in general was the formal re-
opening of the Naval Academy yester-
day for the academic term.
Recognized, as it is, as the greatest
naval institution in the world, il be.
came known today that the authori-
ties now have we'll under way COM
prehensive plan for enlarging the
scope of training to such an extent
that within the short space of a few
months, it will virtually become a
Naval University"
Not that the government officials
will elect to call the institution by
that name, but certain il is that the
plans have as the prime object COM
bining and extending the curriculum
to such degree that every iota of
instruction that goes to the making
of the competent naval officer will
be impaired right here in Annapolis,
instead of assigning officers from year
to year to undergo special courses of
Instruction at chronological schools,
in order to become more proficient
in certain lines of their professional
work.
In short, the scheme is to make
the fundamental part of a midship-
mans training, paramount, during
the regular four-year course and the
establishment at the Academy. of
postgraduate courses in all the pro-
fesssional branches, similar to the
school of engineering now here.
And in passing, it is understood that
the founding of che engineering
school three years ago, and the mark
ed success that has been attained
thereby, furnished the real motive
for the proposed extension along
other lines.
This scheme of readjusting the
course in general, it is said, origi-
mated with Capt. John II. Gibbons,
the present superintendent of the
Academy. When he assumed charge
of affairs ar the school. little more
than year ago Captain Gibbons took
the stand that the course both prior
and subsequent to the graduation of
students, should undergo revision
along various lines, to the end that
the middies would not only be thor
oughly drilled ia the fundamentals Of
naval training during the regular
academic course. but that provision
should be made whereby special in
struction be given the young officers
in any brancn in which they may
desire to specialize. Thus a greater
degree of proficiency would oe attain
ed, and it would meet the viewpoint
of the service as well. viz: provide
corps IF officers better equipped to
grasp the important duties which
they are called on to perform.
Captain Gibbons was given hearty
support by Navy Department officials
from the start, but not until recently
had the project begun to crystalize
into definite form, nor has it become
generally known. at least to those
outside the service.
Superintendent Gibbons has been
working hard on the plans since his
return three weeks ago from d sum-
mer tour of Europe, and has held sew
eral conferences with the officials in
Washington, in the course of which
matters we're gone over in detail
Though the classest the post-grad-
uate school in engineering were re-
sumed yesterday,ie is not designed 20
establish che special courses along
other lines until about the close of
the first half term in February.
Speaking of the matter today,
well known officer on duty at the
Academy said that the plans call for
starting post-graduate courses in
naval construction, ordnance and
electrical engineering. Probably sea
manship may be added. 1t was Inti-
mated that naval construction is one
of the principal branches in which
special instruction is most to desired,
and probably the course in that will
be the first to get under way. 1t
is a well known fact that for years
the Government has been shelling
out no small sums of coin to send a
number of the younger officers each
year to technical schools, such as
the Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology at Boston for special instruc-
tion in naval construction and other
subjects. So with the establishment
of the post graduate schools this
course will be abandoned.
Various details have yet to be
worked out to carry the plans into
effect, though the system of conduct
ing the additional postgraduate
schools will be practically the same
as that applied to the engineering
schools. This will mean the assign
ment of an officer of the rank of COM
mander or lieutenant-commander as
the superintendent of the school in
each of the branches, and fixing the
course of Instruction at two years.
At certain periods of each year,
the student will be sent on inspec-
ton tours Of the government gun fac
tories. such as that at the Washing
ton navy yard, and the proving
grounds at Indian Head. Nd, where
the gun tests are made, as well as
visiting the various industrial plants
or manufactures in the Eastern
States. 1t is stated by the authorities
that no selections of officers to pre-
side over these schools as been made,