Bucknell of Yesteryear & Today

Capstone 490 -- Spring 2010

Professor Russell Dennis

This course, which will be captured in its entirety here, provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to explore Bucknell's history, culture and development. In this course, Professor Dennis explores the continuity and change of a Bucknell education from the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century. The course covers the historical periods 1865, 1895, 1915, 1945, 1965 and 1985 to the present. The class will also tour campus to examine the University's architecture and will tour the nearby Lewisburg cemetery to see the gravesites of important historical figures associated with Bucknell.

All course materials will be provided here, including videos of Professor Dennis' lectures and the tours of campus, as well as the extensive archival materials he has assembled, which encompass more than 100 related articles, media reports, and rare historical documents. Spring 2010 marks the last time Professor Dennis will teach this course, and the University is proud to share his knowledge and insights with the Bucknell community in this way.

The videos of each class noted below will be posted as the course continues.

University at Lewisburg from 1846 to 1886

Friday, Jan. 22, 2010: Topics covered: Main Building, Academy Building, and the Female Institute Building Monday, Jan. 25, 2010: Topics covered: Main Building, Academy Building, and the Female Institute Building Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010: Topics Covered: History of the University in mid-19th century with emphasis on Presidents Malcom and Loomis, university life in the 1860s, 1870s and 1880s, student life, and the interaction between students and faculty. Friday, Jan. 29, 2010: Topics Covered: Field trip to Special Collections/University Archives Monday, Feb. 1, 2010: Topics Covered: The University at Lewisburg, and the Civil War; and The Saga of Andrew Gregg Tucker Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010: Topics Covered: History of Bucknell athletics, including baseball, basketball, field & track, and football. Friday, Feb. 5, 2010: Topics Covered: History of the Library, Theta Alpha, and Euepia.

Growth and transformation from 1887 to 1929

Monday, Feb. 8, 2010: Topics covered: Bucknell University in the 1890s. Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010: Topics covered: John Howard Harris and some of his views on higher education. Friday, Feb. 12, 2010: Topics covered: Buildings on the campus inthe 1880s and 1890s, and the rise of science Monday, Feb. 15, 2010: Topics covered: Student life in the 1890s. Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010: Topics covered: Discussion of Yearbook assignment. Friday, Feb. 19, 2010: Topics covered: 1915 Map Monday, Feb. 22, 2010: Topics covered: Development of science, engineering and biology facilities, and first free standing library, the Carnegie building. Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010: Topics covered: L'Agenda, Class Scraps Friday, Feb. 26, 2010: 2nd visit to Special Collections/University Archives Monday, March 1, 2010: Topics covered: Purchase of the Miller Famr and the building of Memorial Stadium

The Great Depression, World War II and its aftermath: 1930 to 1949

Wednesday, March 3, 2010: Topics covered: Old Main fire and the Larson Plan Friday, March 5, 2010: Topics covered: Rainey's views on faculty and students; Marts on fundraising. Monday, March 8, 2010: Topics covered: Rainey's views on health services, student government, and the rise of research. Wednesday, March 10, 2010: Topics covered: Preparatory remarks about a video that the class was going to watch Friday, March 12, 2010: Monday, March 15-19, Spring recess Monday, March 22, 2010: Topics covered: Discussion of film viewed during previous class. Wednesday, March 24, 2010: Topics covered: Discussion of the effect of WWII on the campus and the V-12 program. Friday, March 26, 2010: Topics covered: Third visit to archive collections.

Bucknell in the second half of the twentieth century 1950 - 2000

Monday, March 29 2010: Topics covered: Post war at Bucknell, veterans coming, and Bucknell Village 1940s and 1950s Wednesday, March 31, 2010: Topics covered: Campus tour Friday, April 2, 2010 Topics covered: Discussion of freshmen handbooks, Bucknell songs, and how the schedule changes from the early 50s to the early 60s Monday, April 5, 2010: Topics covered: the evolution of the class memorial, architectural terms, and more. Wednesday, April 7, 2010: Topics covered: Campus map from 1962, tour of Larson campus Friday, April 9, 2010: Topics covered: Bucknell in the 1960s, viewed two videos Monday, April 12, 2010: Topics covered: Bucknell in the 1970s and 1980s Wednesday, April 14, 2010: Topics covered: Visit by John F. Zeller, VP for Business & Finance and General Counsel, Emeritus Friday, April 16, 2010: Topics covered: Physical Space, Builidings and Landscape Monday, April 19, 2010: Topics covered: Tour of the Lewisburg cemetery Wednesday, April 21, 2010: Topics covered: Bucknell in the 1980s. Guest speaker: management professor Doug Allen. Friday, April 23, 2010: Topics covered: Review of historical images of campus buildings. Monday, April 26, 2010: Topics covered: Viewing & discussion of two Bucknell produced videos from the 90s. Wednesday, April 28, 2010: Topics covered: Final visit to University Archives. Friday, April 30, 2010: Topics covered: Wrap up of semester; discussion of changes and continuity found at Bucknell University.