Both students and faculty contributed toward the purchase of a fine billiard and pool
table for all to enjoy. It also had a library to which members loaned books and periodicals from
their own personal collections.
Bronze Medal Award.
Clarkson was awarded a bronze medal by the International Jury in
Group III, Higher Education, Technical Schools for its display as part of the New York State
educational exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition held in St. Louis, Mo., in the summer
of 1904.
Clarkson’s exhibit consisted of 600 sheets, ranging in size from 8x10 inches to 22x28
inches, illustrating the written and graphic work of students as regularly executed in several
courses of instruction. It included the subjects of chemistry and chemical engineering, physical
and electrical laboratory work, courses in home science, elements of mechanism, mechanical
drawing, machine drawing and design, descriptive geometry, electrical charts and diagrams,
and shop work exercise.
Clarkson was further illustrated by bound volumes of catalogs, circulars, and a complete
set of administrative blanks. A set of photographs in a wall cabinet displayed interior and
exterior pictures of the campus, laboratories, and workshops as well as specimens of student
work.
On Campus.
Costs for attending the 36 weeks of college that year ranged between $276 and
$304. Clarkson awarded its first chemical engineering degree to F.C. Zapf.
Young Men’s Christian Association.
Formed in 1904, this branch of the YMCA joined the
many others branches on collegiate campuses across the nation to promote righteousness and
high moral action. Twelve Charter members enrolled.
Graduation Requirements.
The 1904
Bulletin
reported that to be graduated from Clarkson in
these early years, students needed 142 semester hours for a baccalaureate degree, and 68 for a
certificate in Home Economics. One semester-hour credit toward graduation was granted for
one lecture or recitation per week for a semester of 18 weeks, or for a practice period of three
hours per week for the same length of time.
Additionally, candidates for graduation were required to present a satisfactory thesis
which embodied the results of scientific work, experiment, and investigation along the lines of
their respective major fields of study, and which dealt in a competent manner with problems
similar to those arising from professional work. No student could be recommended to the
Trustees as a candidate for graduation until all fees due to the school had been settled, and the
accepted typed copy of the thesis placed in the library of the institution.
Clarkson’s bachelor of science degree was certified by a diploma bearing the seal and
official signatures of both the institution and the University of the State of New York. It also
offered certificates for the two-year course in Home Economics signed by the director of
Clarkson and by the president and secretary of the Board of Trustees.
For comparative purposes with today’s requirements, here are the requirements for the
freshman and sophomore years in engineering:
FRESHMAN YEAR
I Semester
