The arrangement of courses at the University of Chicago is unique among American universi ties. The academic year consists of tour terms; and these four terms, equally divided, complete the calendar as well as the scholastic year. In struction is arranged with a single term of twelve ',Necks as the unit, instead of for the Unit the scholastic year. Students are permitted to drop or take up university work at the beginning of any term, and a degree is given whenever the requisite amount of 'curses, computed by units, has been completed. The courses tire arranged by majors and minors, according to the group sys tem, and the student is required to take courses; in definite groups. This system has the advantage of eradicating such artificial barriers to obtaining an education as are likely to follow from mntMo ous courses of nine months each and from arbi trarily required studies. The degrees conferred by the university are: A.B., 111.11., B.S., A.
Ph.M., Ph.D., Th.B., B.D., D.D., LL.D. These degrees are given upon comple tion of work in the senior colleges of the university. Chicago, however. has also junior colleges, and graduation from these entitle the students to the degree or title of Asso ciate in the arts, philosophy, or science. The \\ ol: of the junior colleges is roughly equivalent to the work ordinarily done in the best Ameri can colleges in the freshman and sophonmre years. A degree is given on the completion of this work, mainly to give recognition to such students as are for any reason unable to com plete the course.
The University of Chicago has grown with ex traordinary rapidity since it was first opened to students in IS92,. This growth has been made possible by many large gifts. Of the benefac tors of the college should be especially mentioned: Mr. John D. Rockefeller. whose gifts have amounted to over $9,000.000; Mr. Marshall Field, who gave the original site for the university: Mr. S. A. Kent. Mr. Silas B. Cobb, Mr. Martin A. Ryerson, Mr. Charles
T. Yerkcs, Miss Helen Culver. and Mrs. Anne Hitchcock. The present buildings of the uni versity, which have been erected almost entirely from private donations, include Cobb Lec ture Ilall, Kent Chemical Lahoratory, Walker Museum, Ryerson Physical Laboratory. Haskell Oriental Museum, a group of graduate and divin ity dormitories, Snell Hall, Beecher, Kelly, and Nancy Foster halls for wrnnen. gymnasiums, four biological laboratories (comprising the Charles .1. Hull group. 1S96-97: Yerkes Observatory, Geneva. 1S97 : and Green Hall. for women, 18981. Provision also has been made for the erection of some ten further buildings in the near future. As shown by the president's report, the general assets of the university on -lone 30. 1902— amounted to $15,ffil1.000. of which $S.000,000 represented investments, and the remainder buildings, g,rounds• and equipments. The (mr rent expenditures for the year previous had to $1,04S,737. and for the following year they were estimated at $1.00.000. Gifts to meet the excess of current liabilities over fixed income have been made since the foundation of the imi versity, mainly by Mr. John 1). Rockefeller. In the autumn quarter of 1901 the total munher of students entered was 2fitti, not deducting repeti tions; while deductin” repetitions the number was 2.431. These students were distributed as follows: Divinity school, 192; graduate school, 435 ; the colleges, 1641 ; tiled ica I school 271 ; school of education, 107. In 1892 the attendance at the university was 594, thus showing nearly a fivefold increase within ten years.
The president of the university, holding office since its foundation in IS91, is William Rainey _Harper, Ph.D., D.D., LL.D., formerly professor of Semitic and biblical literature in Yale CM versity. The administrative and scholastic methods of the university have been largely molded by Dr. Bolter, and a large of the university's immediate success is ascribed to his influence.