Springfield College. Secretarial Department
Historical Note
The two-year program in YMCA work was considerably enlarged within a few months of the School’s founding, with courses covering the field, aim, history, organization, buildings, business management, methods of work by departments (district, state, international), and work for special groups (including college and railroad) of the YMCA. Leaders in the YMCA movement (including Robert R. McBurney and Luther Wishard) offered special lectures on such topics as practical methods of Bible teaching and unexpected difficulties in the first year’s work of a Secretary. All students were also required to work for local YMCAs during their time at Springfield. In 1890 the Association departments (Secretarial and Physical) separated from the School for Christian Workers and incorporated as a distinct institution called the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College). That year the admissions policy became more rigorous. During the 1890-1891 academic year, correspondence courses were begun to serve men already working at YMCAs and who found it impossible to enroll in the regular course. The 1893-1894 year saw an increased emphasis on students’ practical work with local Associations, work that counted toward the student’s grade. After a trial of four years, the correspondence courses in the Secretarial and Physical departments were discontinued at the end of the 1894-1895 school year. For the fiftieth anniversary of the YMCA, George Williams, the founder of the London Association in 1844, sent a letter and four-minute audio message to the graduating class. In 1895 a faculty committee thoroughly revised the curriculum, resulting in an extension of the regular program to three years beginning in September 1895. The curriculum was now designed to focus on four themes: the Bible, Man (including a general study of the physical, mental, and moral nature and relationships of individuals), Association work, and Practice (including athletics, gymnastics and shop work in the industrial training department).