Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History

Sauer, Anne

Branco, Jessica

Bennett, John

Crowley, Zachary

2000

College Within, 1971-1977

 

The College Within was a short-lived undergraduate program founded at Tufts University in 1971. It attempted to offer an alternative for students who couldn't function at their best in a conventional course framework.

Attempts to create an individualized, interdisciplinary program date back to 1964, but it wasn't until 1970 that John Wade Professor of Modern Languages Seymour Simches' proposal to create an entity called the College Within was approved. College Within was organized in modules of five to seven students, with a faculty member and two graduate students as advisors. Students were allowed to pursue more independent work and explore areas of particular personal interest. Projects completed during College Within's first year included "Children's Education and Minority Culture in Depressed Areas of the United States," and "Perspective of Life in a Kibbutz." Students had to come up with a project topic, submit biweekly reports, and had to present their research once during the semester to their entire module. The length of the papers varied, with longer projects receiving more credits at the end of the semester.

College Within met with problems after only one year in existence. The program experienced a fifty percent drop in enrollment after the first year, and by April, 1972, organizers were faced with the threat of mass desertion of the faculty. Many students didn't realize the amount of work necessary to keep up with the program, and a lack of publicity kept many upperclassmen from finding out about the program at all. Also, program administrators encountered a fear of unconventional programs among students worried about finding a job out of college in a tough market. Financially, College Within developed early problems. Although the program had won a $600,000 grant from the Spaulding-Potter Fund, it could only be used if Tufts raised matching funds. Tufts never solicited donors to match the grant, and it was lost.

By the end of 1972, the College Within had begun to stabilize, and used its available funds to initiate a lecture series and sponsor a number of forums dealing with important campus issues. In fact, a non-university committee commissioned to study the program in 1974 found that College Within was better than it was reputed to be, although it did face major problems, including a university wide lack of integration between the various disciplines. By 1977, the College Within was forced to disband, citing a lack of funding and a lack of student interest.

Source: UA019/5, OBS

 
 
Subject terms:
Description
  • The encyclopedia seeks to capture more than 150 years of Tufts' achievements, societal contributions and outstanding alumni and faculty in concise entries. As a source of accurate factual information, the Encyclopedia can be used by anyone interested in the history of Tufts and of the people who have made it the unique institution it is.
This object is in collection Subject Temporal Permanent URL
ID:
f1881x54h
Component ID:
tufts:UA069.005.DO.00001
To Cite:
TARC Citation Guide    EndNote
Usage:
Detailed Rights
View all images in this book
 Introduction
 Content
Numeric Entries
A
B
C
D
Dame, Lorin Low, 1838-1903
Dana, Charles A., 1881-1975
Dana Laboratory, 1963
Daniel Ounjian Prize in Economics,
Davies, Caroline Stodder, 1864-1939
Davies House, 1894
De Florez Prize in Human Engineering, 1964
de Pacheco, Kaye MacKinnon, ca. 1910-ca. 1985
Dean Hall, 1887-1963
Dean, Oliver, 1783-1871
Dearborn, Heman Allen, 1831-1897
Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, 1893
Department of Anesthesia, 1970
Department of Art and Art History, 1930
Department of Biochemistry, 1893
Department of Chemistry, 1882
Department of Community Health, 1930
Department of Dermatology, 1897
The Department of Economics, 1946
Department of Medicine, 1893
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology
Department of Neurology, 1893
Department of Neuroscience, 1983
Department of Neurosurgery, 1951
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1893
Department of Ophthamology, 1893
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, 1906
Department of Otolaryngology, 1895
Department of Pathology, 1893
Department of Pediatrics, 1930
Department of Pharmacology, 1915
Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1854
Department of Physiology, 1893
Department of Psychiatry, 1928
Department of Radiation Oncology, 1968
Department of Radiology, 1915
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, 1955
Department of Surgery, 1893
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy, 1973
Department of Urology, 1910
Dental Health Sciences Building, 1969
Dewick, Cora Alma (Polk), 1875-1977
Dewick/MacPhie Dining Hall, 1959
Dickson Professorship of English and American History, 1913
Dirlam, Arland A., 1905-1979
Dog Cart, 1900
Dolbear, Amos Emerson, 1837-1910
Donald A. Cowdery Memorial Scholarship, 1946
Dr. Benjamin Andrews Professorship of Surgery, 1987
Dr. Philip E. A. Sheridan Prize, 1977
The Drug Bust, 1970
Dudley, Henry Watson, 1831-1906
Dugger, Edward Jr., 1919-75
Durkee, Frank W., 1861-1939
Durkee, Henrietta Noble Brown, 1871-1946
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
Z
 List of Sources