Evening star., 1953-10-14
Wilson COLLEGE
Deficiencies
Cited in Report.
Dr.. Hoger DiscIoses
Critical Findings on
Heels of Complaints
By jones 6. Deone

By jones 6. Deone
An accrediting committee has
found "glaring handicaps and
deficiencies" at Wilson Teachers
College.
The handicaps included q
shortage Of administrators and
clerks, too-small building and
too little financial and admin
istrative independence.
DR.. Walter E. Hager. Wilson
president. disclosed these flnd-
ings yesterday on the heels of an
outbreak of student complaints
about the colleges facilities.
DR.. Hager said the timing Of
his announcement on the inspec-
ton Of last spring was a CO.
incidence. however. He said top
officials of the school system had
ordered the inspection results
kept secret until yesterday.
The inspection was conducted
by a committee representing the
Middle States Association of Col
legeS and Secondary Schools.
Similar inspections are periodic
at colleges. The last one at Will
son was 10 years ago.
Text Withheld.
DR.. Hager did not make pub
lie the text Of the full inspection
report, explaining that Assistant
Supt. Norman j. Nelson, his
superior, declined permission for
this. The Wilson president dis
cussed the report with reporters
and quoted sections of it.
however.
The committee did not act to
withdraw the colleges accredited
standing, DR.. Hager said. Nor
did it criticize the general quality
of instruction, he added.
The Wilson president quoted
the report as stating:
1.-THE committee feels the adj
ministration, faculty, staff and
students deserve a great deal Of
credit for the calibre of program
that is being carried on day after
day in spite of some glaring
handicaps and deficiencies"
The inspecting group said IL
was favorably impressed with the
competence and loyalty of the
faculty and the colleges care
fully planned organization" DR..
Hager reported. .
The visitors also conceded that
the college itself does not have
control over many of the def
ciencies, and that they can't be
corrected until the college gets
more generous support and more
ample facilities"
Six Major Recommendations.
Six major recommendations
were made, however. DR.. Hager
listed these as follows:
/. Granting to the college
more fiscal and administrative
autonomy.
Q. Adding more administrators.
such as deans of instruction and
students, registrar and more
clerks.
3. Developing a program Of
more intensive and effective COM
munity relationships, through
such methods as student drama
and music groups and having
faculty members join organiza-
tions like the Board of Trade.
4. Providing more adequate
facilities, probably a new build
ing.
5. Improving and unifying the
colleges program of general edu-
cation, in order to get away from
too close a copy of the old liberal
arts program.
6. Providing more direct con.
tact with the Board of Educa-
ton, perhaps by creating a spe.
cial committee of the board.
Five-Year Program Advised.
The committee also said the
college should seek to establish
a five-year program in place Of
the present four-year one. VIII
son now limits itself mainly to
training elementary and junior
high teachers, because senior
high teachers must complete a
fifth year. This policy has just
been reaffirmed, because the coll
lege lately has been making some
exceptions, DR.. Hager said.
Wilson's most urgent person.
mel needs, said DR.. Hager, are
a dean of instruction and new
instructors in art, mems physi-
cal education, speech and busi-
ness. A history professor now
is filling in as dean.
DR.. Matthew Whitehead, preSi-
dent of Miner Teachers College.
which serves colored students,
sat in with DR.. Hager at the
press conference. DR.. White
head said Miner also has an in
adequate building and needs
four more teachers. Monroe
Laboratory School, attached to
Miner, is dilapidated, he said.
The two college presidents
agreed that new buildings are
out of the question until the
Supreme Court acts on race seq
repatinn. II the school system