WVU/HR&E History

History of the College

The College of Education was officially established on July 2, 1927, by an order of the Board of Governors with the recommendation of the State Board of Education. Prior to 1927 "education" and the preparation of teachers was conducted by a department within the College of Arts and Sciences, under the direction of Jasper Newton Deahl. Deahl held undergraduate degrees from George Peabody and Harvard and earned a master's degree and doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University.

picture of Jasper Deahl

Deahl effectively lobbied for separate establishment of a College of Education and was supported by West Virginia University President, Dr. Frank Trotter (1916-1927). Trotter and Deahl believed the College was necessary for the competent, professional preparation of teachers and administrators.

Establishing the College of Education created political maneuvering and a power struggle with the College of Arts and Sciences. Traditionalists in the College of Arts and Sciences believed the College of Education would duplicate their courses and denigrate the bachelor of arts degree. This conflict eventually led to the resignation of President Trotter. To distinguish between the degrees offered by the colleges, the College of Education was ordered to label its diplomas with "Bachelor of Science in Education" and "Master of Arts" with no label.

Jasper N. Deahl became the first dean of the College, which at the time offered degrees in seven divisions: agricultural education, industrial education, home economics, rural education, visual education, professional teacher training and the University High School. Established in 1925, University High School served as the laboratory school for the Department of Education in the new College of Education. The high school modeled its program after the well-known Dalton School developed by the progressive educator Helen Parkhurst in Dalton, Massachusetts. The students attending University High School were from the Cass, Union, and Clinton school districts which did not have a high school at the time. Deahl believed these students better represented rural West Virginia and thus provided future teachers exposure to the type of student they might face in the classroom.

In the early years, according to former professor emeritus Thomas J. Brennan, a decision was made "not to duplicate the extensive teacher education programs of the state colleges. The College of Education was predominantly a two-year college." At that time students who wanted to become teachers took subjects in various WVU colleges then transferred into the College of Education for their final two years of professional training. Undergraduate degrees until well after World War II were only awarded to people who were going into secondary education.

The College of Education moved into training primary school teachers shortly after the war, a decision that alarmed the state colleges. The College formed a program and lobbied a bill, which became law in 1947, fostering training in elementary education. The College granted its first undergraduate degree in elementary education in 1950.

The College of Education further expanded in the mid 1960's when the College of Human Resources and Education was created. In addition to the Division of Education and the Division of Clinical Studies (which included counseling and guidance, speech, audiology, special education, rehabilitation counseling and developmental reading) there were two other divisions: Home Economics and Social Work.

In 1969 the addition to Percival Hall known as Allen Hall was completed and the College moved from the downtown campus to its new home on the Evansdale campus where it still remains.

Now, over seventy-five years after its establishment, the College of Human Resources and Education continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the community that it serves. The five-year dual-degree teacher education program, which graduated its first class in May 2000, is an example of the responsiveness of the College to changing educational needs.

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	History of the College The College of Education was officially established on July 2, 1927, by an order of the Board of Governors with the recommendation of the State Board of Education. Prior to 1927 "education" and the preparation of teachers was conducted by a department within the College of Arts and Sciences, under the direction of Jasper Newton Deahl. Deahl held undergraduate degrees from George Peabody and Harvard and earned a master's degree and doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University. Deahl effectively lobbied for separate establishment of a College of Education and was supported by West Virginia University President, Dr. Frank Trotter (1916-1927). Trotter and Deahl believed the College was necessary for the competent, professional preparation of teachers and administrators. Establishing the College of Education created political maneuvering and a power struggle with the College of Arts and Sciences. Traditionalists in the College of Arts and Sciences believed the College of Education would duplicate their courses and denigrate the bachelor of arts degree. This conflict eventually led to the resignation of President Trotter. To distinguish between the degrees offered by the colleges, the College of Education was ordered to label its diplomas with "Bachelor of Science in Education" and "Master of Arts" with no label. Jasper N. Deahl became the first dean of the College, which at the time offered degrees in seven divisions: agricultural education, industrial education, home economics, rural education, visual education, professional teacher training and the University High School. Established in 1925, University High School served as the laboratory school for the Department of Education in the new College of Education. The high school modeled its program after the well-known Dalton School developed by the progressive educator Helen Parkhurst in Dalton, Massachusetts. The students attending University High School were from the Cass, Union, and Clinton school districts which did not have a high school at the time. Deahl believed these students better represented rural West Virginia and thus provided future teachers exposure to the type of student they might face in the classroom. In the early years, according to former professor emeritus Thomas J. Brennan, a decision was made "not to duplicate the extensive teacher education programs of the state colleges. The College of Education was predominantly a two-year college." At that time students who wanted to become teachers took subjects in various WVU colleges then transferred into the College of Education for their final two years of professional training. Undergraduate degrees until well after World War II were only awarded to people who were going into secondary education. The College of Education moved into training primary school teachers shortly after the war, a decision that alarmed the state colleges. The College formed a program and lobbied a bill, which became law in 1947, fostering training in elementary education. The College granted its first undergraduate degree in elementary education in 1950. The College of Education further expanded in the mid 1960's when the College of Human Resources and Education was created. In addition to the Division of Education and the Division of Clinical Studies (which included counseling and guidance, speech, audiology, special education, rehabilitation counseling and developmental reading) there were two other divisions: Home Economics and Social Work. In 1969 the addition to Percival Hall known as Allen Hall was completed and the College moved from the downtown campus to its new home on the Evansdale campus where it still remains. Now, over seventy-five years after its establishment, the College of Human Resources and Education continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the community that it serves. The five-year dual-degree teacher education program, which graduated its first class in May 2000, is an example of the responsiveness of the College to changing educational needs.