President Plane. The office of the dean of campus life was eliminated, and its duties taken over
by the dean of student life, C. Norbert Smalling. F. William Fiesinger '37 became director of
athletics and recreation as a full-time position; he had held that position since 1974 in
conjunction with his duties as alumni director.
Trustee Sisson Died.
Trustee Emeritus Rufus Sisson, Jr., died on March 9, 1977. Born in
Potsdam in 1892, he graduated from Potsdam Normal in 1910 and Dartmouth in 1914. He had
served Clarkson's Board of Trustees from 1920 through 1937, and from 1947 through 1968. In
1921, as head of Potsdam's Chamber of Commerce, he led the financial appeal to the village for
money to move the College "to the hill." (See 1921) He was presented an honorary degree in
1972 in recognition of both his professional career and his extensive service to the College.
Mini-courses Offered.
On the assumption that learning at Clarkson goes far beyond the
classroom walls, the Office of Student Activities offered mini-courses as informal and
enjoyable learning experiences for Clarkson students, faculty, and staff.
Taking place nightly in either the residence halls, Lewis House, Woodstock Lodge, or
other activity centers, these free, non-credit courses included Beginning Auto Mechanics, the
Clarkson Singers, Consumer Finance, Leather Crafts, Introductory 35mm Photography,
Dancercise, Supergraphics, and Ballroom Dancing, and others.
Ed Misiaszek.
Professor of civil and environmental engineering and associate dean of
engineering, Edward T. Misiaszek, was elected to a two-year term as the national president of
Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honorary society. This society has a membership of some
200,000 persons and maintains collegiate chapters at 172 engineering schools in the United
States. Clarkson's chapter was installed in 1941. (See 1941)
Student Killed.
Paul Stevens, Clarkson junior, was killed while walking along Clarkson
Avenue near the top of the hill across from Riverside Apartments. After this accident, and
because of the danger to the numerous student pedestrians crossing at the crest of that hill
adjacent to the driveway leading to the Science Center, the NY State Department of
Transportation erected two danger signals warning motorists of the crossing.
Course in Every School.
Raised in one of President Plane's "informal faculty discussions" in
spring 1977, the suggestion that every student take at least one course in each of the (then) three
schools at Clarkson developed considerable support among the faculty and alumni. In
November, the Faculty Senate executive committee proposed the following policy and
implementation measures:
Policy.
For graduation, all Clarkson students are required to complete successfully at least one
course in each School of the College.
Because required courses in Arts and Sciences already existed in all curricula, this
policy affected only the Schools of Management and Engineering. To meet this requirement,
each school provided a list of suitable courses and determined how this graduation requirement
was to be incorporated into its curricula to best meet the needs of its students.
