World War I at Southwestern University

World War I at Southwestern University

In 1918, during World War I, the United States War Department created the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) program to help fill positions in the military with trained men. Implemented at hundreds of universities across the nation, the SATC combined both practical and lecture-based military instruction with the general college curriculum. The intended goal was to create a viable population of educated and trained young men who would then join the U.S. military and fight in the war. Southwestern University was one of the colleges with an SATC chapter, which was only active during the fall semester of 1918; Germany’s formal surrender in November rendered its purpose moot. However, as the World War I collection shows, the SATC was a highly valued part of campus life during its existence. <br /><br />The collection of World War I materials from Special Collections prominently features documentation related to the SATC, which is highlighted here on our site. This collection gives us a clear idea of the amount of effort it took to establish, organize, and run this federal military recruitment program. Among these items are correspondence between individuals and institutions, grade reports, photographs of SATC students, curriculum outlines, and pamphlets. Although military instruction was the impetus for the creation of the program, academics were meant to be the central component of the SATC, as shown by the many education-related pamphlets, notices, and letters. The amount of highly detailed correspondence between various agencies, including Southwestern University, the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Naval Reserve, and the War Department, is tangible evidence of the value placed on this program by its founding institutions. <br /><br />You can also find these items on the University of North Texas's <a title="Portal to Texas History" href="http://texashistory.unt.edu/">Portal to Texas History</a>.

World War I Collection, Special Collections, Smith Library Center, Southwestern University.

1918