“The Old Order Changeth…”

“The Old Order Changeth . . .”
by
Freda D. Malone

“The old order changeth . . .” I surmise if one stood and watched these forty years go by, he would have to admit that change is a, if not the, most significant characteristic. Before the opening in 1946, there was the vision of a community college in the minds of some farsighted individuals and the will to bring to pass an institution to meet the needs of the county citizens. That vision took a physical reality in the fall of 1946, a college housed in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School building. Classes were held from 4 to 10 p.m. (a proof that the school buildings are functional after so-called school hours) with 186 students, four administrators (some also taught), and nine faculty, a number of whom were part-time with practical experience in their special field of study. Now see the change, the growth from that beginning to three campuses with 17,600 students, 53 administrators, and 920 full- and part-time faculty, an institution contributing to many kinds of community activities and projects in the county. Oh, I have not mentioned the staff, the important service people who make progress possible. What could we have done without them?

I came to the College in 1947, so I missed the challenges of that first year; but there was still so much to be done, and we kept before us the goal of accreditation and its significance.

In those early days we had to set the pattern for an educational and social institution. Rules and regulations had to be formulated, codified and eventually published. Curriculums had to be set up, changed and rechanged as needs indicated. Faculty relationships and responsibilities had to be identified and expressed in usable college form. Responsibilities for the social life and health of students were aspects we faced daily. For instance, for many years we had no place for a sick person to lie down. I said we must have a cot. And for several years we had one in my office until the College became sufficiently affluent to provide a sick bay and a nurse.

That brings me to another problem: we didn’t have ready money to spend. We had to prove “truth positive” that what we were asking for was really needed. Perhaps the demands on our initiative and skills were our greatest asset for both students and faculty. I remember the man from Hershey, Pennsylvania, on our first accreditation team saying to me, “You are so fortunate. When you and students want something done, you work together to accomplish it, and that is life enrichment. We at Hershey have no money problem, and thus we miss the challenges you have here.” And I wondered if struggling along and having to “make do” really develop skills for living the better life.

Those early years were happy ones. Dean Price was always inspired, and we caught the spirit, each in his own way. And the College moved ahead, meeting its accreditation periods and growing into what it is today: a place where anyone from the county, the state, the nation, the world can enroll and study to broaden his knowledge and develop skills.

Watching the growth and development of an idea for twenty-three years and being an active part of it has been a tremendous experience.

Bethesda and Takoma Park Campuses: English Department, 1947–1969; Professor Emerita.