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1903-1906
Plans are underway for a Girls Industrial College of
Texas, which is to provide the students with a literary
education and a knowledge of "practical industries" (Bulletin
No. 1, Feb. 20, 1903)
In
1903, the newly formed Girls Industrial College of Texas
opened its doors for its first term, which included a
diploma plan called English-Science. Several years of
changes would follow as the school established itself
and as it developed programs of study such as the one
that would become the Department of English, Speech, and
Foreign Languages. This began with the creation of the
Department of Elocution, Physical Culture, and Vocal
Music in the following year under the leadership of Miss
Lucy E. Fay. Included in its course offerings were
courses in speech arts and literary interpretation. The
following year, the Girls Industrial College of Texas
became the College of Industrial Arts (CIA). Also
notable during this first few years was creation of the
Daedelian Quarterly, which began publication in
1906 as the Chaparral Monthly, the name changing
to Daedelian later, finally becoming the
Daedalian Quarterly in 1914.
1907-1918
"All
students are required to study English no matter what
course is taken, for any knowledge without the power to
express that knowledge correctly, both orally and in
writing, is inadequate" (Bulletin No 18, June, 1907).
Miss
Beatrice Montgomery succeeded Miss Lucy E. Fay in 1907.
The following year, Miss Etta M. Lacy would succeed Miss
Montgomery. Also in 1908, the course of study named
“English-Science” became “Literary Course,” more
accurately reflecting the courses actually taught. In
addition, all non-literary course were renamed “rhetoric
and composition,” reflecting a different emphasis on
such issues as grammar, exposition and argument, and
narration. The College of Industrial Arts continued to
grow, with student enrollment increasing from 258 in
1909 to 1463 in 1919. This created overcrowding
problems, causing dismay for then President William
Bennett Bizzell. As many as fifty students were crowded
into a single English class. Still, the department
continued its activities, offering a new course in
mythology for the first time in 1911, and with course
offering in literature for the first time outweighing
offerings in composition. Moreover, the Department of
English Language and Literature would add Miss M. Helen
Higgins as an assistant instructor in English language
in 1912, increasing the department faculty members to
two.
The
aim of the College of Industrial Arts is to "send out
well-rounded young women. And it will never send them
out until it sends out a girl who can write as well as
she can cook, who can interpret great minds as well as
she can sew, and who can think and assimilate the ideals
of others as well as she can furnish as house" (Sixth
Biennial Report of the Board of Regents, August 32,
1913-1914).
Miss
Mary A. Shouse succeeded Miss Lacy in 1914. That same
year marks the first year of degree work in the
Department of English Language and Literature, which
would become the Department of English a year later. The
department continued to grow, with the number of English
faculty growing to five in 1915. January of 1915 would
see the first publication of the Lass-O, which
included a literary insert, the Daedalian Quarterly.
The College of Industrial Arts would also confer its
first degrees that year, one of the three graduates
having been an English major. In 1918, the Department of
Elocution was disbanded and speech/oratory, debate, and
physical expression move to the newly created Department
of Reading. In the Department of English, composition
offerings at the time were limited to two freshman
writing classes and one advanced writing class.
1919-1946
Bulletin No. 100 (April 1, 1922) consists of "Programs
and Suggestions for Study for Women's Clubs by The
Members of the English Department."
Professor Lee Monroe Ellison began his 28 year tenure as
head of the Department of English in 1919, the same year
that Autrey Nell Wiley, who would succeed Professor
Ellison as head of the department, graduated. The
following year saw the departmental faculty grow in
number to eleven. That same year, American Poet William
Butler Yeats visited CIA as a lecturer. Several notable
American literary figures would visit CIA over the
coming years. Robert Frost would visit our campus in
1922 and 1938, and Carl Sandburg would visit four times,
in 1924, 1932, 1937, and 1942. During this time, the
Language Department would continue to offer classes in
French, German, Spanish, and Latin. The Journalism
Department would be established in 1925 and would assume
responsibility of the Lass-O (Years later, the
hyphen would be dropped from the title, thus diminishing
the effect of the original pun). The 1929-30 year would
be an important year as CIA became the first woman’s
college in Texas to offer graduate courses leading to a
master’s degree. The College of Industrial Arts then
conferred its first Masters degrees in June of 1931,
with three of the graduates receiving MA’s in English.
Professor Ellison’s tenure as head of the Department of
English continued as the College of Industrial Arts
became the Texas State College for Women in 1934. Four
years later, student uniforms would be abolished.
Literary figures continued to grace our campus,
including Edna St. Vincent Millay in 1938-39 and
1945-46. Despite a wane in enrollment in traditional
areas in the early 1940s, including English, the English
Department continued its progress, beginning with the
Writers’ Conference, one of the most prestigious events
sponsored by the English Department, first occurring in
1939. In 1946, the Beta Epsilon Chapter of Sigma Tau
Delta, the national honor society for upper-class
English students, was established at TSCW. In 1947,
Professor Lee Monroe Ellison concluded his tenure as
head of the English Department, concluding 47 years of
service, including 28 as department head.
1947-1970
Dr.
Autrey Nell Wiley, 1919 graduate of CIA, began her
tenure as head of the English Department at TSCW in
1947. The department continued its growth and progress,
with the establishment of the freshman English honor
society, Omega Rho Alpha, in 1948, as well as by
offering, in 1949, summer workshops on Current Trends in
English, the only workshops of this kind. In 1957, the
Texas State College for Women became Texas Woman’s
University, reflecting the university’s emphasis on
research and graduate work. In 1966, the University
Honors Program began, which included English. Two years
later, in 1968, the first Graduate Teaching Assistants
were admitted into the English Department. A major
development occurred at the end of Dr. Wiley’s tenure as
head of the English Department, as the Coordinating
Board approves the Departments application to implement
a new graduate degree, the Doctor of Philosophy in
English with a Concentration in Rhetoric in 1970. A year
later, Dr. Autrey Nell Wiley retired, having give 47
years of service, including 24 years as head of the
English Department and 12 years (since 1959) as Dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences.
1971-1981
Dr.
Lavon B. Fulwiler followed Dr. Wiley as Head of the
English Department. In the coming years, the department
continued in its progress and growth. The first graduate
with the PhD in English with a Concentration in Rhetoric
was Dr. Gladys Rios, in 1973. The next year marked the
first year of the Annual Symposium in Rhetoric, held at
TWU. In 1975, the Writing Lab (now the Write Site)
opened its doors for tutoring. In 1978, The English
Department and the Speech Department merged to become
the English and Speech Department. The year 1980 was an
eventful year. The Daedalian Quarterly and the
yearbook merged to become an annual magazine called
Daedalian. This was the first year that the English
Department offered courses in Applied Rhetoric in
Dallas. Finally, Howard Nemerov, winner of the Pulitzer
Prize and of the National Book Award, spoke at the
Creative Writing Workshop. In 1982, Dr. Fulwiler,
completes her tenure after over a decade as head of what
had become the English and Speech Department.
1982-1997
In
1982, the Department of Foreign Languages joined the
Department of English and Speech to become the
Department of Language and Literature, with Dr. Frank
Longoria the new Chair of the department. In the late
1980’s, the department saw continued growth, with
enrollment in English courses growing 44.3% from 1985 to
1990. In addition, the department continued to be
active, with Dr. Joyce Thompson coordinating an
interdisciplinary workshop, “Texas Women: The Myth, the
Reality” in 1985. In 1988, the department published its
first departmental newsletter. That same year would be
the golden anniversary of the Writers’ Conference and
the last time the conference was held at TWU. The
following year, the Department of Language and
Literature became the Department of English, Speech, and
Foreign Languages, more accurately reflecting its three
components. In 1992, the TWU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta
would first publish its literary journal, The Reading
Room, the name of which would change to A Room of
Our Own after the closing of the Department’s
Reading Room in 1998-99. Dr. Longoria would continue in
his tenure as Chair of the Department until 1998.
1998-2005
Dr.
Hugh Burns joined the faculty of the Department of
English, Speech, and Foreign Languages as Chair in 1998.
That same year Curriculum changes to the PhD program in
Rhetoric were approved, and Omega Rho Alpha celebrated
its fiftieth anniversary. Two important events would
occur in 1999. The TWUMOO would host the Second Biennial
Feminism(s) and Rhetoric(s) Conference. And the
Distinguished Rhetoricians Seminar would bring to campus
nine outstanding rhetoricians throughout the spring
semester. The following year, TWU would host the
Sixteenth National Computers and Writing Conference in
Forth Worth. In Fall of 2004, Dr. Hugh Burns resigned
from the position as Chair, with Dr. Lou Thompson
following his as Interim Chair. Having completed a
century of existence, moving from a diploma plan in
English-Science to now granting a BA, MA, PhD, and
teacher certification, the Department has seen much
growth and progress and looks forward to another
fruitful century. |
