North Central College: What's Changed, What's Stayed the Same

As  celebrates its sesquicentennial, we at Naperville Patch began to wonder about the differences between college life then and now.

Wondering what life on campus was like 150 years ago we enlisted the help of two trusty North Central College employees to answer a few questions. Some of those questions were much easier to answer than others, for some there were no comparisons and some questions were just unanswerable, such as how much a textbook cost then versus now.

The sleuthing team of Ted Slowik, director of PR and media relations and Kim Butler, an archivist, were able to round up some interesting factoids.

And, at their disposal — providing most the information on the early college history — was Clarence Roberts' book published in 1961, North Central College: A Century of Liberal Education.  A new, updated history of the college written by history professors Ann Durkin Keating and B. Pierre Lebeau will soon be available, according to Slowik.

Residents who want to learn more about the college and its extensive archives will have the opportunity through the college’s Community Education program. A course on the college’s archives will be offered this fall.

Faculty

Then: Three

At the opening of Plainfield College on Nov. 11, 1861, there were three faculty members. John E. Rhodes was appointed as professor of mathematics and modern languages, John Edwin Miller was professor of ancient languages and literature, and Catherine M. Harlacher taught English branches (or lower grades).

Now: 238 faculty (139 full-time)

Graduates

Then: Three

In 1866 the college had its first graduating class, which included three students.

Now: 652

The Class of 2011 included 529 students earning undergraduate degrees, along with 123 earning master’s degrees.

Number of students enrolled then

In the 1860s most of the college’s students were preparatory/sub-collegiate and not ready for college courses. According to the research, this was not unusual for higher education institutions at the time because there were not a lot of educational opportunities or public education to prepare students.

Average course cost per term

Then: $4 to $8

During the Plainfield years (1861-1870), tuition for instruction in the common English branches was $4 per term. Algebra, philosophy and higher English were $5 a term. Ancient and modern languages were $7. And music courses were $8.

Now: $29,493 is the cost for full-time undergraduate tuition for 2011-12.

Male/female ratio

Then and Now: 50:50

The research shows that North Central has been co-educational from its very beginnings, with women allowed and actually encouraged to enroll in the collegiate level coursework. In general, the ratio of male and female students has remained steadily balanced through the years.

Size of campus (acreage)

Then: 8 acres

In 1870, Delcar Sleight donated 8 acres of land in Naperville to entice the college to select the town as its new home. Old Main was built that year and fall classes opened in the new location.

Now: 59 acres is the current campus size.

“Majors”

Then: Collegiate Course

The basic college offering at Plainfield was called the Collegiate Course during the first two years of the institution's history. Beginning in 1863, however, it took on the name "Classical." There were no 'majors' or areas of study then. All college students took the same coursework as proscribed by the catalogs.

Now: Marketing, management, elementary education, psychology and finance are among the most popular majors. North Central’s newest major is chemical microscopy.

Number of students living on campus

Then:In Plainfield and then in Naperville, the college had very limited facilities for housing students, so the largest number boarded in private homes in the area.  The college purchased its first house to supply student housing in 1921. While at Plainfield, the cost of board for students living in private homes increased from $1.50 per week in 1861 to $2.50 by 1865 and the charge for board including laundry rose from $2.25 to $3.50 per week.

Now: More than 1,300 of the college’s 2,900 students (2,600 undergraduates, 300 graduate students) live on campus.

It is fair to say that a student’s daily life has also changed over the years.

A typical day in the life of a student looked like this in 1861:

5:30 a.m.: Study

Breakfast

8 a.m. — noon: Study and recitations

12  — 1 p.m.: Lunch

1 p.m. — 4 p.m.: Study and recitations

7 — 9 p.m.: Study (fall and winter)

7:30 — 9:30 p.m.: Study (spring)

During those study hours students were either in their own rooms or at recitations. They were not to annoy the occupants of adjoining rooms. The weekend activities of students were carefully planned by the authorities but they were allowed some freedom on Saturday when the morning study hour extended from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. only.

The afternoon hour from 2 to 3 p.m. was allocated for business correspondence; then from 3 to 5 p.m. came the chance to write to friends or relatives. All students had to attend worship on Sunday and all reading and study was confined to the Bible, religious papers or sacred publications.

To learn more about the Community Education program offerings and to view the fall 2011 Community Education catalog for details about the various courses offered, visit northcentralcollege.edu/communityed, email commed@noctrl.edu or call the Community Education Office at 630-637-5560.