WAR CREDIT
College States Its Position Regarding Service Study
In reply to numerous inquiries from Dartmouth men who wish to obtain academic credit for courses completed while in training for military service, Dean Neidlinger has prepared the following statement which the MAGAZINE is glad to reprint for the benefit and interest of its alumni readers in general.
THE only answer that can be given to these inquiries at this time is that Dartmouth after careful consideration of the complex problems involved in granting credit for academic work included in the training activities of the armed forces has concluded that no sound or consistent policy for relating these activities to college degree requirements can be determined until future developments provide a clearer picture of the conditions under which veterans will be able to complete their education. Until a consistent policy can be determined the College must postpone making decisions in individual cases. Since the academic value of training activities does not ordinarily enter into an enlisted man's decision to engage in them, the College's delay in evaluating these activities will not impose any hardship upon former Dartmouth students who are in service.
Meanwhile, to facilitate action at the appropriate time, men who wish to obtain college credit for academic work included in their military activities are urged to obtain credentials from their commanding officer indicating the nature of the courses included in any training program that they have successfully completed and to forward a copy of these credentials to the Dean of the College for safe-keeping. It will be easier to obtain such credentials now than later, and an examination of them will aid the College in evaluating different types of training activities.
MILITARY STUDY ENCOURAGED
There is common agreement among the officers of the College, the Faculty, and the Trustees that Dartmouth should encourage former students to take full advantage of the opportunities that military life affords to continue their education. We intend to be fair and liberal in granting credit for the academic content of training activities. We intend to make it practicable for men to return to Dartmouth after the war and earn the baccalaureate degree within a reasonable length of time. We intend to give proper consideration to each veteran's age and experience, and the length of time he has been away from academic studies, before establishing the particular requirements he must meet to obtain his degree after returning to Dartmouth. The duration of the war is therefore one of the future developments referred to above which we must foresee before determining the College's policy.
The American Council on Education which represents all of the major colleges and universities is now engaged in a detailed study of all of the various types of training programs conducted by the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and other government services. When this study is completed the Council will evaluate each program in terms of semester hours according to its academic content. Dartmouth and all other colleges will be guided to a large extent by this evaluation in granting credit for such programs as V-12, ASTP General, ASTP Area and Language, Signal Corps School, Meteorology School, Aviation Cadet Primary, Aviation Cadet Advanced, etc. It is expected that most of the training programs that are not definitely at the high school or trade school level will be approved for some academic credit, but the amount of credit is still indefinite.
CREDIT FOR ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE
Dartmouth will allow credit for courses taken by service men in the Armed Forces Institute. This institute is a cooperative project by means of which a number of universities have prepared courses to be given service men by correspondence or in classes under the supervision of commissioned officers. The catalogue of the courses available may be obtained by writing the Armed Forces Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, or from the Personnel Officer at the headquarters of any large Army or Navy unit. Many of the subjects offered are not at the college level but for courses in subjects ordinarily offered at Dartmouth credit will be allowed.
Dartmouth does not give credit for independent reading or research. Nevertheless, former students who have time for such work and access to the books they might need may become, eligible for advanced courses in one or more subjects by demonstrating that they have acquired command of the material of the more elementary course by independent reading. Men who will return to college as juniors or seniors may also use their leisure time profitably by anticipating the extensive reading and research that will be required in preparation for their comprehensive examination or thesis. Departmental chairmen at Dartmouth will be glad to correspond with service men who want to plan such a study project. It is reasonably certain that the passing of a comprehensive examination or thesis in the. major subject will remain as the ultimate test of competence for every candidate for a degree from Dartmouth.
In conclusion there appears to be agreement among all groups making up the Dartmouth constituency that one principle should govern the College in all questions of awarding recognition for war service; namely, that great as is the merit of such service, it should not be confused with academic achievement. A record of national service may well be in any given case a greater mark of distinction than a college degree but one is not in any way the equivalent of the other. The validity of the Dartmouth degree as a mark of academic accomplishment must depend upon its being awarded only to men who have earned it by academic achievement. To others Dartmouth will make available some testimonial of positive sort, certifying the extent of their education and acknowledging their status as respected members of the alumni body of Dartmouth College.
