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Parsons College was a private Liberal Arts College in Fairfield , Iowa . It existed for nearly 100 years before permanently closing in 1973. It was founded in 1875 based on the wishes of General Lewis B. Parsons . In his will written in 1855: :''...I do therefore after payment of the foregoing bequests and the reasonable expenses of administration, give and bequeath the residue of my estate, together with my Natural History of New York and my small cabinet of minerals, to my said executors and the survivors or survivor of them. In Trust to be by them used and expended in founding and endowing an Institution of learning in the state of Iowa, or to be expended in enhancing an existing institution... :''...And on October 17th 1874 steps were taken by the Synod of Iowa (south) of the Presbyterian Church which had been looking to establish a school for higher education in a meeting in Keokuk developed a committee to establish such a school. On that committee of twelve which included Rev. Willis Craig, Rev. Carson Reed, and Rev. John G. Armstrong comprised the executive committee. :''Prior to this.... :''The executors of General Parsons visited Iowa in 1869 and appointed an advisory committee of 3 ministers Rev. G. Sprees of Dubuque, Rev. John Armstrong of Muscatine and Rev. Willis Craig of Keokuk to locate an appropriate institution or town in which to invest their funds. So Fairfield among other Iowa towns volunteered as a place where this could happen...a meeting was held and the Location Committee was invited to Fairfield"...William Elliot presided and opened the meeting with a prayer. This fact was noted by General Parsons the senior executor of his father's trust, and made an impression on him, as it was the only place of all which the committee had visited where prayer was offered." From: 50 Years of Parsons College 1875-1925 On February 24, 1875, a call went out to 25 people of Fairfield who adopted articles of association. $27,516.00 was raised. A board was established to oversee the founding and guide the growth of Parsons which included prominent business and clergy from surrounding towns. Included in this board was Rev. Willis Craig. A plot of land north of town was designated as the site of the fledgling school. Using a mansion on the grounds, Parsons opened as a sectarian college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and quietly grew. The college slowly established itself. Through funds raised by local businessmen, a large building housing science labs, administration offices and lecture halls was later constructed. Grounds were landscaped and additional structures were raised through the generosity of Mr. T.D. Foster and others. "...steps were taken in 1902 to provide if possible, for additional buildings (after a disastrous fire destroyed a main building on campus...Ankeny Hall.)" When Andrew Carnegie was a youth, he was involved in the construction of a railroad bridge in Keokuk, Iowa. While in Keokuk, he was a member of the church whose minister was future Parsons board member, Rev. Willis Craig. {Link without Title} As Chairman of the Board, Dr. Willis G. Craig and the President of the College went to New York to see if Mr. Andrew Carnegie would build a library for the growing Parsons College. {Link without Title} Mr. Carnegie promised a gift of $15,000 for a library building, provided a like amount was raised by the college for endowment and upkeep. {Link without Title} This was considered by the college board to be too severe a condition at the time, so the matter was dropped. After a fire destroyed the main building, Ankney Hall, other needs of the growing college were felt. In the summer of 1905 while crossing the Atlantic, T.D. Foster (for whom Foster Hall was named) found that Andrew Carnegie was a fellow passenger. On board, T. D. "presented the matter again, when Mr. Carnegie generously waived all conditions and gave $15,000 outright for the building." Up until 1955, the college was like many other small colleges in the Midwest. Its history was unexceptional and its reputation was purely local. For more than 75 years Parsons grew slowly, accepting anyone who wanted to come (mostly from Fairfield's environs), accumulating little endowment and many deficits. In the 1950's, Parsons had an enrollment of a few hundred and an administration beset with financial hardship. In 1955, the trustees adapted a "fifteen-year plan" to develop the college. They appointed Millard G. Roberts, a Presbyterian minister from New York City, as president of the college. Although he had no experience in educational administration, the trustees believed that he had the ability to promote the college, raise more money from donors, attract more students and possibly manage the school more efficiently. Throughout the twelve years that Millard Roberts was President of Parsons, controversy was one of the many unforeseen outcomes of his Presidency. However, among the positive outcomes, Roberts promoted a nationwide campaign for students. Enrollment grew from 350 to 5000 students, its income rocketed, and the professors entered a circle of the highest paid teachers in the nation all due to a program Roberts called "The Parsons College Plan." The "Parsons Plan" included academic help in all areas of instruction. A ranked professor taught a 3 credit course with 3 hours per week of formal lecture. An academic specialist (usually a masters degree holder or instructor) would have a small classroom seminar 2 days per week to review the lecture notes and add weekly quizzes. A tutorial center in the Wright Library was available to all students where they could review all course work. The "Publish or Perish" rule for faculty was not as widely enforced at Parsons as it was at other schools. A "Scholar in Residence" program was established exposing students to top academic instructors. This resulted in published authors teaching freshman level humanities and history courses. Dr Roberts also brought to Parsons his able and greatly appreciated wife, Dr. Louise Roberts, who taught Humanities courses and introduced many students to the Greek Classics. Her humane and comfortable teaching style inspired many halfhearted students to rise above their humble academic expectations. One third of all students were recruited from the East, one third from the Midwest and one third from the West Coast. One third were in the top third academically, one third were middle level and one third were "academically challenged". Students were permitted to learn at a rate that was unique to them, often manifesting in the student repeating the course a following trimester with no loss of standing as an enrolled student. This was called "double starring" by students. Thus, it was possible for a student to maintain overall cumulative grade point averages of acceptable levels. Some students would attend Parsons then transfer to more prestigious venues. Sports was a very big part of Parsons College. Football was the most popular sport and provided a link between the college and the community. The first football game ever played at Parsons was on September 16, 1893. It was Parsons vs. Elliot Business College of Burlington, Iowa. Parsons won by a score of 70-0. Students were enthusiastic about sports for the next 78 years. This monumental winning promoted the building of Parsons' own stadium and field for their 1894 season. An alum from the early days said that football "was a huge event and very great fun to attend the games". In 1966, a new 5,000 seat stadium was built on the campus. Iowa Wesleyan College was Parsons' main rival for 70 years. The two teams played each other 60 times. Parsons won 34 of the games, and Iowa Wesleyan won 21 games. During a 41 year span, Parsons won the Conference Championship five times and six of their players were members of the Parsons College Football Hall of Fame. Altogether, the teams played over 600 games. Parsons College was invited to the Hula Bowl in Hawaii and the Pecan Bowl in Texas. Basketball was another popular sport at Parsons. The first basketball game they played as an independent school was in 1963. Other sports Parsons athletes participated in were wrestling, tennis, baseball, skeet club, golf, soccer, and cross-country. The more unique sports were fencing and sharpchuting. Fencing began in 1964 and members learned the art of medieval sword play. Sharpchuters also began in 1964 (the sport is now known as parachuting). Parsons College radio station (established in the '60s) broadcast these events to the avid student fans. THE STUDENTS OF PARSONS After the arrival of President Roberts in 1955, the full-time enrollment of students at Parsons College began to increase dramatically. Enrollment goals for 1963-1964 had been substantially met and there was a possibility of a slight over-enrollment in the Fall of 1964. At one time, the Board of Trustees had placed a limit of 3,000 students on campus at any given time. By 1968, the enrollment topped 5,000 students with a dramatic building plan creating low cost housing units, "quads", co-ed housing and standard dormitories (unfortunately often housing three students to rooms designed for two). Roberts created the college's own construction company thus essentially putting money back into the school's own coffers and lowering costs. A difficult, but interesting problem of Parsons College was how to fill the summer trimester. This problem led to a scheduling solution that was very different from other colleges. Parsons' third trimester began on June 8 instead of in April like other colleges. As the trimester system continued at Parsons, they were charging $1,650 tuition for 3 semesters. They offered a full tuition scholarship of $600 during the summer semester if the students maintained a C average. Those who could manage on a D got $250. The students still had to pay room and board charges. Parsons offered many opportunities for the financially stressed students with work-study grants employing students as kitchen staff, serving staff and dishwashers. To attract women to the overwhelmingly male populated campus "milk maids" (attractive co-eds serving milk in pitchers roaming the dining halls) received full board grants. Full room and board grants were provided for grounds workers and dorm monitors. At one time, transfers made up 43% of the student body and never dropped lower than 22%. This was the main reason that Parsons was often referred to as "Flunk-Out U" or as a college "for rich dumb kids." An unfortunate article in Life Magazine (April 1966) highlighted many wisecracking students and prominently featured the highspirited recreational adventures of many of the students. Parsons became known mainly as a college for students who couldn't get into any other colleges or had been refused readmission from another college due to poor grades. However, not all students went there because of that. Some of them just liked the atmosphere. The Parsons Campus had a classical ivy path with a park-like atmosphere. There were gothic cathedral and collonaded porticos on the Hall that Andrew Carnegie built for a library. Most of the students attending Parsons were from the middle-class. The rate of students leaving school before graduation was high. Over 70% of students who entered Parsons in the fall of 1960 left the school by the end of their second year. Parsons had a loose retention policy. Grades didn't have to stay too high for students to stay in good standing with the institution. The teachers were successful with most students, regardless of their ability. They only had problems with those who went to class grudgingly; however, many students didn't go at all. Girls at Parsons were outnumbered 4 to 1. Despite the shortage, most students gave Parsons a four-star rating as a party college. Townspeople complained bitterly about the drinking parties and the wild driving that followed these parties. One example is of a classic party held in a cemetery crypt. The proliferation of Greek letter Fraternities and Sororites as well as "independent" social groups provided party houses and socialization opportunities off campus. The campus was "dry" and the women had "hours", curfews and monitoring. Town wide celebrations such as homecoming parades, Greek Week (with chariot races) and "Town and Gown" events (with Parsons College fine Drama Department) enhanced cultural life in Fairfield. The townspeople of Fairfield wondered if the hard drinking hot-rodding invasion of Parsons boys was a mixed blessing. Students from other communities would flock to Fairfield to sample the atmosphere. However, in the end, the fame of Parsons didn't last very long. This was due to a combination of reasons: # Academic competition from other schools, # The discouraging effect of the Life Magazine article and # The financial dependence on a steady flow of new students without which the financial structure of the college would fail. Shedding itself of the maligned and controversial Dr. Milard Roberts, the leadership was placed into the capable leadership of Dr. Robert Tree. The college went to great lengths to satisfy its creditors, including selling the rich Iowa topsoil from the graceful campus. Sadly, all efforts to save the college were destined to fail. Parsons' accreditation was restored, but it was too late. Many Parsons students went on to academic excellence in other institutions. They became great assets to their communities, having mastered social skills in the farm land of Iowa of the '60s. The graceful buildings and stately grounds have sadly undergone destruction as the campus' new incarnation as the home of Maharishi University. A dome now arises for trancendental medition on the former gridiron where Parsons football heroes once fought great competitive battles. EXTERNAL LINKS
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