University of Virginia Library

Experimental U. Plans
Program Expansion

By Jeffrey Ruggles
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

The Experimental University, Virginia's
entry into "the realm of learning
where content and setting are subject
only to the limits of imagination and
desire," is currently organizing its curriculum
for the second semester.

The Experimental University is dependent
totally upon the members of the
University community for courses and
teachers. Anybody who is interested in
leading a course can come by the
cloakroom adjacent to the main information
desk in Newcomb Hall any weekday between
12-2 and 5-7 p.m. A member of the
Coordinating Committee will be there to
answer any questions which might arise.

Course Leaders

Anyone who wants to lead a course should
fill out a course description blank (available at
the cloakroom) and return it to the cloakroom
or to Experimental University, Box 395X,
Newcomb Hall Station, by January 17.

Distribution of catalogues and registration
for courses will take place after semester break.

The Experimental University was established
in the fall of 1968, basing its foundation on the
need to fill the gap between what education
and the college experience should be, and what
they actually turn out to be.

No Lecture Hall

Experimental University tries to take education
out of the lecture hall and away from the
restrictive demands of grade-consciousness,
degree requirements, and performance evaluation.
It substitutes groups run by members of
the community who may or may not be
teachers, meeting in classrooms, churches, and
private homes, intended only for the education
and enrichment of the participants.

The first semester of its existence 25 courses
were offered and 300 people enrolled. This past
semester 700 people registered for 600 courses,
and the Coordinating Committee had expanded
from its original four members to thirteen.

In the fall of this year the coordinating
committee met to discuss new directions in
which the Experimental University might move
in extending the educational process beyond
the classroom; and even beyond the seminar
structure previously established. It concentrated
its efforts on the establishment of a
Human Resource Center.

More Problems Than Curriculum

The Committee, in discussions with professors,
counselors, and members of the local
clergy, has realized that dissatisfaction and
frustration of many students stems from more
than just the problem of the curriculum.

In order to alleviate some of these feelings
the committee hopes to establish a continuous
communal experience; a house occupied by the
coordinators of the EU and RC, that will be a
constant, pulsating, learning experience.

"People will be learning and helping,
listening and listened to, befriending and
receiving friendship, and most of all sharing
amongst themselves the wide range of human
experiences," according to the coordinating
committee.

In its short history, the Experimental
University has accomplished much, but the
greatest potential lies with the future.

Photo By Bob Gill

President Edgar F. Shannon Speaking At The Westminster Church

His Informal Discussion Concerned His Recent Experiences In England.