# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S189
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES 189

- Section B. The Senior College

Much consideration has been given to the question of whether
is an absolute need for a senior college program in the proc~
there training Lutheran ministers. After studying many factors
ess of iod of the past five years the Board is still convinced
over « vid was entirely correct when the Centennial Convention
that sm to progress toward giving its ministers full college training.
reso iring the past 50 years there has been a decided change in
the educational climate of our Church. This must be assumed on
basis of the fact that a change of tremendous importance has
the red in the environment in which our Church is located and
performs its main work: the U.S.A. In our country the increase
in the number of men and women attending colleges and uni-
rsities has been so rapid that those who have lived through the
. iod have scarcely understood its meaning. A mere recital of
ae figures is impressive enough, but that does not really indicate
the significance of the revolutionary change which is involved or
the tremendous effect which widespread higher education will
have on our Synod.

A quick look at the figures indicates that in 1900 the total
college population of the nation was 238,000. Already, however,
it had begun to grow more rapidly than the census. By 1920 more
than twice as many youth were seeking higher education, a total
of 598,000. In 1930 this number had grown to 1,100,000, an almost
100% increase in a single decade. This was followed by the great
depression, but the colleges and universities continued to grow,
with the result that there was a college population of 1,494,000 in
1940. Today the full impact of the war plans which were laid to
take care of the youth who had gone to war instead of going
to school is being felt; we now have a total of 2,400,000 in the col-
leges.and universities of our land.

Thus the college population increased almost 1,000% between
1900 and 1948, while the census showed an increase of only about

ing 20% by 1948, According to the most conservative estimates,
3,000,000 of our youth will be attending colleges and universities
by 1960.

fine, but it Seems certain that a continuation of the accelerating