Case School: The Evolving History

Academics, 1900-1929


 

President Cady Staley resigned in 1902 leaving behind an uprising School with engineering focus and four buildings. The second President of Case, Dr. Charles Howe, was a renown engineering education scholar who helped establish engineering education at national level. Howe  re-instituted demanding entrance exams and made English a requirement for all engineers. He also sustained an intense fundraising activity and was able to add two new buildings, the Rockefeller Physics laboratory in 1906,  and the Rockefeller Mining and Metallurgy Building.  His leadership made Case School known for its innovative educational program.  At his resignation in 1929, Dr. Howe left a well established School, added several new programs

By 1906, CSAS graduated a total of 530 students and the enrollment was continuously growing. However, by 1918 there was observed a decrease in enrollment due to the World War I. In March 1917, when US entered World War I, the Trustees established military drill as a requirement for all students.  In August 1918 Case became part of the Student Army Training Corps and military officers took over the instruction and academic programs were accelerated to graduate students faster to go on war duty. A Department of Military Science and Tactics was established and all students did Military Drills and Engineering for 5 hours per week.  The undergraduate curriculum was organized as eight terms of 12 weeks each and organized into five engineering departments: Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Metallurgical, and Chemical. In the spring of 1919, the Reserve Officers' Corps was organized as an Infantry Unit for the academic year. 

Classes returned to the way they were before the war in 1921.

Secondly, the Spanish flu outbreak  brought a month-long quarantine in October/November 1918.



dean for students - organizational changes - why? Prof. Theodore M. Focke '92 became Case's first dean.


In early 1920’s, there was a push for creating a University of Cleveland by merging CSAS and Western Reserve University. The push was so strong that the Trustees of the two school appointed a commission the study the merger.  In 1926, a joint statement from the two institutions reported that such a merger would be impossible.

At its October 22, 1925 meeting, Case corporation approved to change the seal by adding the word "The" before "Case School of Applied Science" and formally set the size of the seal at 2 1/4 inches. This format lasted until October 19, 1932, when the Case corporation approved the seal size to be reduced to 1 3/4 inches.




 

 

Departments, 1900-1929

 

Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

In 1904, chemical engineering appeared as an emphasis and the department changed its name to Department of Chemistry including Engineering Chemistry. In 1907, the department change its name again to become Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. However, the granting of separate degree did not start until 1926. 

The first degree in Chemical Engineering was awarded in 1909, then in 1915, the first B.S. in Chemical Engineering was awarded. The first M.S. was awarded much later in 1922. 

In 1911, there were thirty-two sophomores, juniors and seniors declared as chemistry majors, and by 1915, the number of undergraduate chemistry majors increased to forty-nine.


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Department of Physics

Due to Dr. Charles Howe's fundraising efforts, John D. Rockefeller accepted to fund the construction of two buildings, the Rockefeller Physics building and the Rockeffeler Mining and Metallurgy building.  The Rockefeller Physics laboratory opened in 1906 and continues to be used until current times.

The Physics department was at the forefront of the advancements in the field, both as technology and course offerings. With the help of the United States Weather Bureau, the department installed a weather station on the roof of the Physics laboratory in 1916. The station was equipped with a complete set of meteorological instruments and Dr. W.H. Alexander, the official in charge of the Cleveland U.S. Weather Bureau station, gave lectures to Case students. In 1925, the Deartment also installed a radio receiving station with the most up-to-date equipment available at that time.
 
By 1922, the course offerings included a course in Theory of Radio Communication taught by Dr. John R. Martin and  courses in X-Ray and Crystal Structures that were taught by Dr. Christian Nusbaum.  

Dr. Dayton Miller, in collaboration with Edward Morley,  continued the experiments of aether drift detection started by Michelson, and confirmed the null results in 1904. His work resulted in developing the most sensitive interferometer in the world at that time. Miller had many research interests, including x-rays and acoustics. He was the first to take a full body x-ray.  . He had an impressive collections of flutes he used to develop a machine capable to record sound waves., phodeik. His experience in acoustics aided the U.S. Government during the WWI research on sound and shell shock.
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Department of Mathematics and Astronomy

In 1902, Prof. Howe became the second president of Case School of Applied Science and many of his Math Department duties were turned over to Dr. Focke, who became the fourth Kerr Professor and remained so until 1944.

By 1918 there were eight faculty and instructors in mathematics and astronomy.

The department opened a new Observatory in 1920 with the generous support of Warner and Swaysey, two local >>> . Its dedication meant the closing of the small observatory located on campus, also nicknamed the "tin can observatory," which functioned between 1897-1920.The Warner and Swasey Observatory was located on a hill at Brunswick Circle, East Cleveland.



 

Civil Engineering Department

Prof. Neff becomes head of the departments in 1902 and continued as head until 1931.

Like the other School departments, the Civil Engineering department was focusing on keeping up with new developments and the industry needs. Thus, in 1904, the department offered course in railroad engineering, along with highway engineering, roads and bridges and details of construction. However, when the importance of railroad engineering reduced by 1929, the department's  emphasis changed to highway engineering and mechanics of structures.

The Department occupied twelve rooms in the Main building and used campus and adjacent grounds to teach surveying. In 1907,  the rooms were used as recitation rooms, drafting rooms, library and reading rooms, cement and concrete laboratories, and offices. The library contained 1000 volumes, 2200 indexed pamphlets and 7000 prints and photographs. "The instrument room contained a precise level of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Model, a 100-foot standard bar for comparison of tapes, 20 complete engineer's transits, 12 engineer's shovels, chains, level and sight rods of all types, and many cases of structural models and materials.''

To increase practical opportunities for students, the department established the first off-campus Surveying Camp in 1907. Known as Case Camp, the location moved every other year or so, until 1918 when it moved to Waynersburg and remained there until 1938.



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Department of Mechanical Engineering 

Cleveland was fast becoming a center of the machine tool field and the need for professionally trained men increased rapidly.There beginning of the new century was a little difficult due to several staff turnovers but the growing demand for trained mechanical engineers to fulfill industrial needs necessitated course expansion and additions to the staff. The growth of the department was supported by the generous equipment gifts from the local firms.

The department shared the Mechanical Engineering laboratory building with the Mining Engineering Departments until 1905, when the Mining Department moved to their new location, Rockefeller Mining and Metallurgy Building.  The main floor of the Mechanical Engineering laboratory was devoted to machine work exclusive and the pattern making space was located on the 2nd floor. The shop was equipped with the latest machinery of the time. In 1909, the shop added a Lucas horizontal boring machine, Brown & Sharpe Universal Milling machine, Brown & Sharpe Universal grinder, Pratt and Whitney tool room lathe, Potter and Johnson shaper and an Allen drill. In 1918 the drafting room was improved by the addition of a Wagenhorst Electric Blue Printer.

In 1903, the department added a 10,000 square foot power plant laboratory with enough capacity to heat multiple buildings. The power plant was equipped with an air compressor, the Westighouse gas engine, the De Laval steam turbine, new condenser, the boiler room  with 125 horsepower Babcock & Wilcox boiler, new feed pump, and heater. In 1905, the department installed a new engine for lighting and power. in 1906, the department accepted a donation of a five ton refrigerating plant, several automobile engines and the automobile testing floor from the Artic Ice Machine Company

The WWI slowed a little the growth of the department, but the rhythm accelerated after the war. The increased enrollment in the department required larger and more modern spaces available. In 1925, Mr. Charles W. Bingham, a trustee, offered President Howe $500,000 toward the erection of a new laboratory for Mechanical Engineering, support that was continued by his son, who gave another $500,000 to endow and maintain the new building. The new building  In addition to offices, lecture rooms, drawing rooms, library, etc. the Power Plant, Machine Shop, Foundry and Heat Treating Laboratory were spacious, and equipped with up-to-the minute equipment in addition to allowing for expansion. The students had available what they had previously had to observe at the various industrial plants on their plant visits. The new space and equipment also allowed for curricula expansion.

In 1920 the courses included: Pattern Making and Foundry Practice; Machine Shop Practice; Machine Detail Drawing, Thermodynamics of Gases and Vapors; Heat Engines; Machine Design; Power Plant Engineering; Heating, Ventilation and Refrigeration; Heat Power Engineering, and Engineering Contracts and Specifications. Courses were taught by six teaching staff






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Metallurgical and Mining Engineering

First degsignated B.S. in mining in 1903
1903 Department of Geology and Mineralogy becomes a seperate department with Dr. Frank Van Horn as head,
1904 
Dr. Charles D. Howe, president of Case, approaches Mr. John D. Rockefeller Sr. and recieves a large gift to build the Rockefeller Physics
In 1905, the department moved to its own building, the Rockefeller Laboratory for Mining and Metallurgy, 
In 1907 Mining & Metallurgical Engineering; in 1908, Curriculum splits mining engineering and metallurgical engineering into seperate programs (Engineer of Mines and Metallurgical Engineer)

1910 First B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering awarded

1911 Courses in Mining and Metallurgy offered were: Topographical mapping, mining and metallurgy machinery, drawing and mine surveying, metallurgy and electric smelting, metal refining and gas analysis for engineers, ore treatment, mining law, mining engineering, metallography, metallurgical analysis, ore and rock analysis, and ore mill and metallurgical plant design. Dr. Charles Fulton (Mining and Metallurgy) joins the department and becomes department head

1912 First degrees of Metallurgical Engineer (M.E.) are awarded to R.R. Abbott and M.A. Ammon
1918 The library of the Mining and Metallurgy Department contains 1130 bound volumes, 1170 pamphlets, and 34 periodicals. By 1927 "Metallurgy library reorganized and enlarged (1857 bound volumes, 1600 pamphlets and 17 periodicals)"

1921 Metallurgical and Mining Engineering;
Last designated M.S. degrees in metallurgy were granted 
 
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Electrical Engineering Department

In 1901, courses of the department  included Applied Electricity, Electro-Chemistry and Metallurrgy, Electrical Laboratory ( 2 afternoons a week for juniors), Applied Electricity, Analytical and Graphic Treatment of the Theory of Alternating Currrents, Dynamo and Motor Design, The Operation, Construction and Installation of Alternating Current Machinery, and Power Distribution and Electric Railways.
Courses expanded to meet the demands of the time.

1903 Inspection trips to various electrical industries of Cleveland and neighboring citiesstarted and continued for many years. Inspection trip reports were required

1908 Electrical Engineering Club formed by Junior and Senior Students, meetings were held once each week. Most of Electrical Students were affiliated with the Armerican Institute of Electrical Engineering, Cleveland Section. Papers and Lectures were given to the group by outstanding E.E Engingers.

1915 
Electrical Engineering: "Staff was raised to five men including two professors and three instructors. By 1916 the seniors in Electrical Engineering were taking a semester's study of Science and the Art of Illumination., largely given by lecturers from the General Electric Company., the Welsbach Company and; other experts.

1921
Equipment increased and includes a,omg others a small automatic telephone exchange, a wireless receiving set and other apparatus for wireless telegraphy and telephony. Departmental library expanded to include several hundred volumes on electrical engineering subjects. There were many periodicals, bound for reference"

1925
"first MS. to T .D. Owens. and 2nd M.S to John Martin in 1926
the inspection trips took the juniors to Fort Wyne, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1927 the inspection trips took the juniors to Ningara Falls, the General. Electric Company at Schnectady and Pittsfield, Massachusetts and to New York City and Washington D.C .. "
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Department of Geology and Mineralogy


1903 Department of Geology and Mineralogy becomes a seperate department with Dr. Frank Van Horn as head,

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