The Emporia Gazette

May 27, 2012

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WE PLAYED Southwest Baptist University in basketball and that made me think about changes. Then, we played Missouri Western and I thought about changes again. Later, we played Missouri Southern, I thought more about changes and decided I would have to tell about them. Perhaps you readers of these trivial columns will find the topic of some interest. You would, if I had my way.

There are changes in many things, of course — actually in everything. I am not thinking about all changes just now, however. Only those which have to do with educational institutions.

Back in my University of Missouri days, for several years I served on a committee which went around to the lesser institutions in the state to evaluate them. One of the places we visited a couple of times was Southwest Baptist College. I do not recall whether it was a two-year college at that time or a four-year school which wanted to improve itself. In either event, we visited it and evaluated it. One of our members always said that we would have Baptist beef for lunch there that day. We always did.

I am much more sure about what Missouri Western University and Missouri Southern were in those days. Missouri Western was St. Joseph Junior College and Missouri Southern was Joplin Junior College. In those days, two-year institutions were called junior colleges. Today, they are community colleges. That, in itself, is a change, but those in St. Joseph and Joplin went through even bigger changes.

Speaking of community colleges reminds me of another change. They went from junior colleges to community colleges, but they really aren’t “community” anymore. Now, they get their athletes from all across the country. They set up branches in other towns. They are just not serving their community anymore.

An illustration of that change. My first teaching job was in Jackson Junior College in Jackson, Michigan. I was there from 1946 to 1950. I taught biology and chemistry and was head coach of basketball and baseball. In those four years, I had only one basketball player from out of our community. He was from New York and was there, living with his aunt, because his parents had been killed in an auto accident. Having a New York boy on the team caused quite a sensation then. That has changed today.

Back to Missouri and our visits to smaller institutions. There were many different types. Two military academies, four two-year women’s colleges, Cottey College, School of the Ozarks, another Baptist school where we were also served Baptist beef for lunch and regular junior colleges. We visited a Catholic seminary in St. Louis where priests were trained. Great visits because we were served drinks before lunch and waited on by nuns. I imagine that has changed.

Northeastern Missouri State College has changed to Truman State University. Southwestern Missouri State College in Springfield is now Missouri State University. Lots of changes.

One other example of educational institution changes in Missouri and I will get out of that state. The University of Missouri was a single institution in Columbia in those days. Its School of Mines and Mineralogy was clear down in Rolla, but it was just part of the university.

The vice-chancellor put me on a committee which he headed and which changed all of that. We changed it into a four-campus university with a chancellor heading each and a president over the entire thing. Today, it is the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of Missouri-Rolla. Whether that was good or bad, we made big changes and I had a hand in doing it.

Of course, there have been changes in Kansas education, too. One of the minor reasons I came to Emporia was because the institution here — once the Kansas Normal School — was going to go through changes. It went from Kansas State Teachers College to Emporia State College, to Emporia State University during my time. It was the last state-supported teachers college in the country. I found that and its changes interesting.

Our other institutions underwent changes, too. Junior colleges became community colleges, some private colleges became universities while others went out of business, and on-and-on. We have had lots of changes.

One other area of considerable educational institutional change. When the federal land grant program came into being years ago, each state got funds. Some states simply made their state university the land grant institution. Other states gave a second institution that designation and called it their A & M institution. That stood for agriculture and mechanics. Oklahoma State, for example, used to be Oklahoma A & M. Most of them have changed — both in name and function. Texas A & M and Texas A & M -Commerce are the only ones I can think of still so designated.

Enough! It is amazing what just going to a basketball game with Southwestern Baptist can do to my goofy mind. It made me think about changes in educational institution names and functions. I found thinking about the subject fun. I hope some of you will, too. You would, if I had my way.