Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/303

 THE FIRST YEAR 265 of the collegiate alumni of the University of Chicago, and side by side with the graduates of the Old University are the names of the present graduating class. The chasm, I feel, has been bridged. The story of the third Convocation might well close the story of the first year. Activities enough have already been recorded. But these have been, for the most part, the activities of the faculty and students. And during all of these months, the friends of the University, the Board of Trustees, the University itself had not been idle. On the contrary they had been extraordinarily busy. The University had called to its halls eminent lecturers to supple- ment the daily classroom work. In February a Bible Institute was held lasting through three days, and this was followed by the organization of classes for Bible-study. The first of the high- school teachers' conferences was held. Indeed such was the inter- est in the first of these, held in the autumn, that it was followed by a second one in the spring, and such a conference became an annual event. On January i, 1893, evening and Saturday classes were opened, in the three divisions of the city, for teachers and any others who wished to pursue college studies, but whose callings made attend- ance at the University impossible. This very important step led directly to the establishment of what became known as University College, enrolling annually hundreds of students. The Employment Bureau for students was organized and became a permanent and highly useful institution. During the first year also the University entered into affiliation with a number of schools and colleges. The work of the University Extension was carried on with remarkable energy and success. At the January Convocation the President said: In many respects the results accomplished have exceeded all expectation. The number of centers organized, the number of those who attended the lecture studies, and the general interest manifested have been almost phenomenal. .... Up to this time one hundred and twenty-two courses have been given, and these courses have been attended by nearly twenty thousand people. Through many difficulties the University Press was got under way. The University, not having funds to expend in establishing