1925-1927 Introduction

In April of this year a bulletin was published containing the reports of the president for the first six years of the present administration. The purpose of this bulletin is to supplement that with the reports of the two remaining years, 1925-26 and 1926-27.

The introduction of the former bulletin contains a list of ultimate and proximate objectives formulated and adopted at the beginning of this administration eight years ago. The reports in the two bulletins indicate to what degree these objectives are being reached. For convenience and to better direct attention to the more important results secured, the following summary is presented:

The administrative organization of the college has been completely revised, securing closer unity and cooperation among the numerous divisions.

The resident faculty has been doubled in number, and closer faculty relations with the professional and industrial world have been sought, with the resultant improvement in the instruction given here.

The student enrolment has increased to between two-and-a-half and three times the number at the beginning of the eight-year period, reaching this year a total of 1,224 regular students. The annual number of graduates has increased from 67 to 151, not counting the graduate degrees.

All of the curricula have been reorganized, and increased in number from 16 to 24. The instructional departments have been increased from 23 to 31, including the addition of agricultural economics, agricultural education, home economics, industrial education, physical education, and poultry husbandry. The number of courses offered in the college has increased from 238 to 376.

Academic standards have been raised in such a way as to bring the institution up out of the doubtful secondary school group into the group of nationally recognized standard colleges. In this connection the entrance requirements have been considerably raised, a new marking-system, a credit-hour and quality-credit system, and a system of honors, scholarships, and fellowships have been established.

A full-time health officer has been appointed, some physical training has been made compulsory, medical examinations have been required together with complete records, mass athletics has received attention, athletic standards have been greatly raised, a spacious stadium has been constructed, and in general the physical welfare of the students has been much improved.

The detail of United States army officers has been increased from 2 to 9; with 5 non-commissioned officers; a military laboratory building has been provided; a large amount of additional equipment has been secured; a cadet regiment of two battalions, three next year, has been formed; the regulations have been completely revised, and the time assigned to military activities has been reduced, yet many honors and trophies have been won, and the college holds a place on the list of “distinguished colleges” as rated by the United States war department.

A full summer quarter has been established and numerous summer activities brought to the campus. Cooperative relations with the other institutions, departments, and agencies of the state, and with the agricultural, industrial, and business interests, have been fostered with promising results. Alumni relations have been greatly strengthened, two large home-comings of alumni have been held, and a magnificent gift of a $300,000 world war memorial hall has been secured thru the cooperation of students, alumni, and other friends.

The agricultural experiment station staff has been increased from 29 to 42; and its work has been extended, particularly in agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, home economics, and rural sociology.

An engineering experiment station has been established, largely as a work of love for their professions by the professors concerned.

The agricultural extension division staff has been increased from 154 to 183, and its work has been extended to include agricultural economics, poultry husbandry, and new work in home economics, with all of its activities enlarged until now no less than 54,000 men and women, boys and girls, representing every section of Virginia, are enrolled.

An engineering extension division has been established.

The entire business management has been reorganized, with centralized accounting, a complete requisition system, a comprehensive budget system with budget control of expenditures, and the various service departments have been put upon a revenue­ producing basis. Expenditures have been kept strictly within the resources; no additional debt has been created, but on the other hand the old floating debt has been reduced to one-half of what it was eight years ago, and the old bonded debt has been reduced by $15,000. Our state appropriations have been doubled, and additional federal funds have been secured.

The loan funds and scholarships have been increased by gifts in the amount of nearly $12,000. Various other gifts have been secured, which altogether amount to approximately $500,000.

Salaries and wages in general have been increased, in some cases doubled, and on an average of 60%.

The annual budget has been more than doubled. The value of the physical plant has been about doubled.

A capable faculty committee has been enlisted in plant improvements, and we have had the advice of well-known architects and a landscape designer of national reputation.

We have purchased and paid for 255 acres of land; and we have under lease 227 additional acres.

The main driveway thru the campus has been macadamized, new walks have been built, some landscaping has been completed, and a storage lot has been set apart. The old heating distribution system has been completely replaced, and ten additional buildings have been connected to the central heating-plant, with mains laid in concrete tunnels. Park lights have been erected on the campus, and the wires put underground. Entirely new equipment has been installed at the engine-room of the power plant and the electric distribution system has been rebuilt and extended. New electric motors have been provided for the water-supply pumping-station. A large new sewage-disposal plant is under construction, as a joint project with the town of Blacksburg.

All buildings have been repaired, some quite extensively. Important remodelling has been completed in academic buildings 1 and 2, the Y. M. C. A., the hospital, the dining-hall, the home economics teaching building and dormitories, and the experimental dairy barn. Lesser remodelling has been completed in barracks 1 and 4, the upper floor of the library, and the stock-sheds and pens.

Additions of consequence include a new engine-room at the power plant; bakery and cold-storage rooms at the dining-hall; completion of tower-rooms and west portion of front of the McBryde building of mechanic arts; attic in the two academic buildings, the science hall, and the agricultural hall, to give additional class-rooms; enlargement of the administration building; and fire escapes installed on all buildings.

A large amount of equipment has been added to all of the departments of instruction and also to the service departments; a printing department of considerable proportions has been equipped; a new refrigerating plant has been installed at the creamery; herds of beef-cattle, sheep, and a few horses have been added, and additional dairy cattle secured; a fair-sized poultry-plant has been equipped; and the bound volumes in the library have been increased from 30,000 to 40,000.

New buildings added include the agricultural education building, two professors’ houses, an apartment house, five cottages, a temporary farm machinery laboratory, a farm repair shop and other farm buildings, a stock-judging pavilion, a greenhouse, a beef-cattle and sheep barn, a poultry service building, the agricultural extension division building, Patton engineering hall (one story), the war memorial hall, Davidson hall of chemistry, one dormitory erected under the Noell act and another to be soon provided, together accommodating from 400 to 1500 students.

We have added to the permanent assets of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without any cost to the state, the rather large sum of slightly more than $1,2150,000, in these physical plant improvements. Of this million and a quarter, approximately one-half million has come from gifts, something more than one-half million has come from the earnings and savings of the college, and the other quarter million has been borrowed under the Noell act and is now being paid back out of our college earnings.

The college has been operated on as economic a basis as any of the state institutions. Moreover, the charges to students have been kept the lowest of all of the Virginia educational institutions for men, or coeducational colleges, both public and private.

Quoting from the closing portion of the introduction to the reports of the first six years: “It is quite evident that much remains to be done to attain the ultimate objectives. Many of the proximate objectives have been attained. The ultimate aims, however, present an ever solving, but never solved problem.”

Heartfelt gratitude is expressed for the fine spirit of cooperation and efficient service of those connected with the institution. The cordial support and never before equalled generosity of our alumni have been very helpful and encouraging. Some of these have been mentioned in the reports. Special mention should be made here of one of our alumni, Senator Robert J. Noell, author and patron of the most opportune and valuable legislation which enabled us to provide additional dormitories. Acknowledgment is again made of the sympathetic interest and substantial assistance of Governor E. Lee Trinkle, whose administration extended into the first of the two years covered by the reports here published. Enthusiastic appreciation is felt for Governor Harry F. Byrd, whose administration is functioning so strikingly in a great forward movement for the development of our state.

JULIAN A. BURRUSS, President.

Blacksburg, Virginia,
June 30, 1927.

The reports of the Director of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, and the reports of the Director of the Agricultural Extension Division, are published separately.