The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Washburn College

WASHBURN COLLEGE, located at Topeka, Kan. It was founded in 1865 by the General Association of the Congregationalists of Kansas, but is non-sectarian in politics and government. It was first called Lincoln College and the name changed in honor of Ichabod Washburn of Worcester, Mass., who gave the college $25,000. The college is coeducational. The course of study was at first not above the academic grade, but was soon expanded to a full college course and other departments added until the college now includes four departments: (1) the College; (2) the School of Law, opened in 1903; (3) the School of Fine Arts; (4) the Summer School. The college confers the degrees of B.A., and B.S., for the completion of a four years' course and the degrees of M.A., and M.S., for graduate work. For the bachelor degrees the course in the first two years is partially prescribed and partially elective, for the last two years, entirely elective. The electives must include a major and a minor taken in courses not open to freshmen and totaling 28 hours. Candidates for the B.S., degree must elect the mathematic and science for their major and minor requirements. Biblical literature, Hebrew and pedagogical courses are included in the curriculum. The School of Law offers a three years' course and confers the degree of LL.B. The School of Fine Arts was organized as a separate school in 1902, music and art departments having been established some years before. This school includes the departments of music, drawing, painting and expression. The music department offers four years' collegiate courses in pianoforte, organ, violin and vocal culture, leading to the degree of bachelor of music; and a two-year normal course for public school teachers. The students maintain five literary societies, two for men and three for women, an oratorical association, Christian associations, and an athletic association. In addition to the intercollegiate sports in which the college participates, an annual college field-day has been inaugurated. The college occupies a campus of 160 acres just outside the city on elevated ground; the buildings include Rice Hall (originally Science Hall, the name having been changed in 1902), Whitin Hall, the observatory building (erected in 1903 for the departments of physics and astronomy), the MacVicar chapel, the Library, Hartford Cottage and Holbrook Hall (women's dormitories), Carnegie library and Thomas gymnasium. The library contains 26,000 volumes; in addition the school of law has a separate library. The Topeka Public, the Kansas State, the Kansas State Historical Society and the Academy of Science libraries are open to students. The enrolment in 1917-18 was 709 students, of whom two-thirds were in the college department.