Importance of
1817
So what’s so special about 1817? On August 26, 1817, Augustus Woodward drafted a charter for an institution called Catholepistemiad, or the University of Michigania. The word Catholepistemiad was defined as “the system of universal science” (Tobin). The college, which consisted of one building, was located in Detroit on Bates Street, a block from Cadillac Square. In February 1818, H.M. Dickie organized the first classes. The University of Michigania was more like a high school to receive training before they actually went into one of the few colleges. There, they learned Greek, Latin, and most importantly, Science. There was also an elementary school aspect for younger students.
The legal founding date for U of M is 1817. In 1930, the year was changed from 1837 to 1817 because it was “a legal entity” (Tobin). The appalling thing is the same ruling was made back in 1856. The centennial that was celebrated in 1937 was to celebrate the re-establishment in Ann Arbor. The only thing constant since 1817 was the name (Tobin)
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Article By: Faith Dysard
The solution came in 1850 with the amending of the constitution. The major change was officials would no longer be appointed, but elected and would serve a six year term. In 1852, Henry Philip Tappan was elected President. Tappan was an admirer or German Universities, which put emphasis on high scholarship and science. In his presidency, he expanded the library and created an observatory. In 1855, Tappan added civil engineering to the disciplines, making U of M the second school in nation to teach in the technical fields, after Harvard. The University didn’t always have a stellar reputation. During the beginning years of the running of the university problems arose and enrollment declined. This was widely do to the fact that there was no chancellor. Other problems that arose was the debate whether it was legal to use funds from the land grant in order to run the university and the issue of allowing fraternities. Religion was a huge part of the formation of the University. The first officials didn’t include clergy so they felt it was an “ungodly influence” for the campus. The four houses that were on the campus was used for each of the major denominations; Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Episcopal. Governor officials thought by letting each serve for a term for one year would fix the problem but it didn’t. There was some controversy surrounding Tappan and his methods. His attitude was not liked around the board and was forced to resign in 1863 (Bently HIstorical).
1850"s Constitution
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