With registration period creeping near, Duke students are currently scrambling to figure out their schedules for the spring semester.The process would have been much different in a different point in Duke's history—they'd have different factors to consider and more options to weigh. Over 40 years ago, university heads were also working to create an effective schedule for its students, by eliminating Saturday classes.
In its Nov. 7, 1969 issue, The Chronicle wrote about a change in the University schedule that they were considering postponing the implementation of until 1971. The University Schedule Committee had met two weeks prior to the publication of the article to discuss and recommend changes in the 1971-72 calendars. These proposed changes were brought up to be eventually discussed with trustees later in December. Non-committee members were encouraged to bring their own recommendations to the committee. One major proposal, to eliminate Saturday classes, will have to be presented to the provost of the university and may be initiated by on the 1971-72 calendars.
Another Chronicle article published on Nov. 4, 1983 announced the close of the Duke School of Nursing. To commemorate the undergraduate School of Nursing, 100 helium balloons were released on graduation day. The school's inception was in 1925 after James B. Duke allotted $10 million to construct a hospital and establish schools of medicine and nursing. The Duke School of Nursing sought to educate its students on the technical and professional aspects of nursing. Through the course of World War II, the school increased its enrollment capacity by 45 percent, and condensed the program from 12 months to nine. By 1948, the program had expanded to training in medical, surgical and infant care—it ranked among the top quarter nursing schools in the nation. The school, however, encountered problems when it tried to create a full-time residential program at an acceptable cost. Faced with rising program and tuition costs at Duke, the Board of Trustees decided in 1980 that the Class of 1984 Duke School of Nursing would be the last to graduate from the program
- Andrew Luo/The Chronicle
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