# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S426
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

426 Report of Board for Higher Education

professors were visited. In certain instances a survey was made ‘of
the local community and the surrounding territory. ; ;

The Survey Director requested that his own institution in Bronx
‘ville, N. Y., be studied: by another person. Hence Dr: 0," P
Kretzmann, Secretary of the Board for Higher Education, conducte
the survey in Bronxville. Concordia Theological Seminary, St. Louis; 3
Mo., was surveyed by a committee of three: the Rev. Martin Walker
Professor Walter. Gast, and the Survey Director.
Concordia Theological Seminary, Springfield, Ill, was visited three
times. Consultation with faculty members and the president . wa:
had on two of these visits. On the first visit the Survey Director me
with the Board of Control and attended a faculty meeting. ‘
In the survey of Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, Ill, and";
Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebr., the Survey Director had.’
the invaluable assistance of another member of the Board, Supt. S.
Roth of Detroit, Mich. In the company of Mr. Roth a number. of

It was inevitable that with our. country’s entry into the World:
War many unforeseen difficulties should arise to complicate our task:”’
The Selective Service Act at first threatened to bring about a com:
plete dislocation of our pretheological training and teacher training,
due to the fact that our students would be drafted. In: connection.
with this problem an extensive study was made of student ages and
the possible effect of the rigid application of the Selective Service ..!
regulations. to our schools. A system of student declarations certify-
ing their intention to enter the. service of the Church was then:
developed. A further study was made of the curriculum in its rel
tion to the chaplaincy requirements of the U. S. Army and Navy. rg
A separate brief on this matter was Prepared in co-operation with:
Professor F. E. Mayer of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.

‘War conditions, likewise, in a large measure dictated the removal-
of the survey office to Bronxville in December, 1942, since Concordia.
Collegiate Institute had lost its chemistry teacher, who was substi-
tuting for Professor Theo. W. Hausmann, through military. induction: -

Apart-from the innumerable handicaps and delays imposed by war.
conditions, several other factors have made the work of surveying the
educational system an unusually difficult task. An insight’ into the
many trends and practices of an institution can be obtained only: by.
an examination of past records. In'very many instances these records :
were either non-existent or were in a form which could not possibly’
yield the desired information without extensive re-casting. The wide
scope of.the problems assigned for study to. the Survey Director like
wise. presented difficulties that could not be resolved without givin
considerable time to the acquisition of the backgrounds necessary. for .
a competent judgment: ' , re a

Due to: such unforeseen factors, which were certainly beyond the '