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MUM50 - Miami's Academic Centers

This is the third in a series of historical vignettes tracing the work of the community and Miami University that led to the opening of Miami University Middletown in September 1966.

This is the third in a series of historical vignettes tracing the work of the community and Miami University that led to the opening of Miami University Middletown in September 1966.

This graphic element represents Miami University Middletown being Ohio's first permanent branch campus with classes opening on September 1, 1966.

In Miami University, 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives the authors noted that the history ofMiami University offering extension courses dates as far back as 1914 with courses being offered by the Teachers College (the forerunner of the College of Education, Health and Society). A minimum enrollment of 15 students was required, and the program gradually grew so that by the 1930-31 academic year there were fifteen centers in southwestern Ohio serving nearly 800 students.

With the exponential growth of college enrollments in the post-World War II period, the Ohio legislature provided special appropriations for state universities to establish off-campus centers. Miami's announcement of the new program in the fall of 1946 stated that the goal was "to provide the first year of a college education for those war veterans and high school graduates who were unsuccessful in securing admission to college and universities because of the unusual number of young people seeking a college education at the present time."

By the fall of 1947 Miami had established the first two centers in Hamilton and Middletown, offering "a complete first-year program of accredited college courses." The following year there were 500 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses in ten centers.

Seeking to consolidate outreach efforts, the University Senate passed a resolution in July 1954 to formalize the extension programs and consolidate them into four or five centers. The Hamilton and Middletown centers were joined by operations in Dayton and Norwood, Piqua was added in the fall of 1956, and Miami President John D. Millett appointed Earl Thesken to oversee their operations.

Using classrooms and laboratories in local high schools, courses were scheduled at 4 pm and 7 pm on weekdays, and as programs and enrollments grew Saturday courses were added.

In its 1960 Academic Centers publication, Miami reported that "[in] southwestern Ohio no student lives more than an hour's drive from one of the Miami University Academic Centers. In fact, the large majority are within fifteen miles of one." Serving an increasing number of students, the academic offerings also expanded, so that by the fall of 1963 the Academic Centers booklet noted that up to three years of college courses were now available to students through the Centers.

Local school administrators were recruited to supervise the operations on site. Robert Erbaugh coordinated Dayton classes at Nettie Lee Roth High School on Hoover Avenue, while Robert Winter served in the same capacity at the Piqua High School on College Street. At Norwood High School on Sherman Avenue, Albert Gesselbracht and Charlotte Kehm served as supervisors. The Center in Hamilton was at Garfield High School on Fair Avenue, led by Ray Taylor, while Herman Lawrence supervised operations at Middletown High School on Girard Avenue.

Photo 1: Miami’s Academic Center at Norwood High School. Photo 2: 1956-57 Extension Division booklet. Photo 3: Academic Center students in variety of classes.

Left: Miami's Academic Center at Norwood High School.

Middle: 1956-57 Extension Division booklet.

Right: Academic Center students in variety of classes.

Photo Credits: Images provide by the Miami University Archives.

To read other stories in this series, visit http://bit.ly/1cQM9Gt.