Letter to the Alabama Governor regarding the transition to Alabama College

Letter to the Alabama Governor regarding the transition to Alabama College

March 14, 1924

The Board of Trustees, Alabama College

A letter to the Governor of Alabama, William W. Brandon from the Alabama College Board of Trustees. This is the first page of the full letter from the Board which outlines the completion of the transition to the new name of Alabama College as well as enrollment numbers for the upcoming semester.

The letter discusses the difficulty that the College faced in recruiting classes until their staff was completed and they were able to pull in the numbers of students they required until they finally had to expand the available housing and then begin to deny requests as there was no longer any available room. It also mentions how parents were concerned for the availability of dormitory space availability and that some professors forwent their accommodations on campus for housing in the town of Montevallo. The numbers show a break-down of the class sizes and includes totals for the semester.

English

1924

University of Montevallo

Letter

Brian M. Bufalo

The Board of Trustees, Alabama College

Letter

Letter

Montevallo, Alabama March 14, 1924

To his Excellency William W. Brandon, Governor, and the Honorable The Board of Trustees, Alabama College:

Dear Sire: The Governor, upon the request of the Executive Committee, changed the time of yoru meeting from May 16 to March 20, 1924. This was made necessary because there are some important matters that need your attention before the close of the session.

To his Excellency William W. Brandon, Governor, and the Honorable the Board of Trustees, Alabama College:

Dear Sire: The Governor, upon the request of the Executive Committee, changed the time of your meeting from May 16 to March 20, 1924. This was made necessary because there are some important matters that need your attention before the close of the session.

Before taking up these topics, permit me to state that the session of 1923-24 has been the most successful in the history of the institution. The change of the name by the Legislature to Alabama College met with hearty approval thruout [sic.] the state.

The publication of a four-year college course in the catalogue of 1923 did not arouse much interest at first, but as announcements were made from time to time of the appointment of teachers of full college rank, the interest in the institution increased. When it was realized that a college faculty was actually a certainty, applications for enrollment cam in rapidly. In a short time, all rooms were engaged by prospective students, and may names were placed on the waiting list. To make room for more students, most of the teachers gave up their rooms in the dormitory and found lodging elsewhere. The citizens of Montevallo became deeply concerned, and through the Exchange Club proposed to erect a temporary dormitory to accommodate sixty students. This was soon filled, and even then some applicants, eager to come, had to be denied admission because parents did not wish their daughters to room elsewhere than in college buildings.

Enrollment

The total enrollment is six hundred fifty-two, distributed by classes as follows:

Seniors 31
Juniors 68
Sophmores 130
Freshmen 316
Specials 18
565
High School 89
Total 652

Students were admitted again to the third and fourth years of high school work because no announcement had been made to the contrary and it was not definitely known when the catalog was in preparation that the college standard would be attained by teh opening of the session. The few high school students not graduating this year will be allowed to continue in the dormitory for next session, but no new high school students will be admitted.

Letter