A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF SPECIAL AND CONTINUATION STUDIES (UNIVERSITY COLLEGE): THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WORLD-WIDE EDUCATION PROGRAM, 1947-1956 (ADULT EDUCATION, MILITARY, OVERSEAS)

This history of the University of Maryland College of Special and Continuation Studies (CSCS) chronicles the early development of the college, defines its unique mission, and examines in depth its special involvement with the military. Attention is also given to the development of specialized curricula and innovative policies and procedures that distinguish this college from its peer institutions. Included are the campus struggles, the behind the scenes battles, the disappointments as well as the many successes. For it is after all a study of the people who guided the College of Special and Continuation Studies through turbulent times, nurtured it and finally saw it through to maturity--an institution no longer dependent upon the personal support or whim of a given administrator, but finally accepted, recognized and appreciated as the pioneering "giant" that it became, particularly in terms of providing higher adult education for the military. Many contributed to this evolutionary process, but among them stands one who deserves special mention. William Raymond Ehrensberger was involved with the College of Special and Continuation Studies from its very earliest days, first as a teacher of speech at the Pentagon (1947) and then as the first director of the Overseas Program--Europe (1950). After a brief absence from the university, he returned to head up the college for the next twenty-three years (1952-1975). After a time Ehrensberger came to personalize the College of Special and Continuation Studies, and vice-versa. It was impossible to think of one without the other. It is only natural then that much of this work focuses on his singular contributions to the success of the college and its enviable position among civilian institutions as the leader, nonpareil, in providing off-duty educational opportunities for the military. Finally this history looks beyond the people and events themselves to the less obvious factors that played a part in the development of the college: the intangibles such as timing, the impact of outside forces, and varied leadership styles. The study concludes with an assessment of the unique contributions of the College of Special and Continuation Studies and attempts to place these in a proper context with other important contemporary movements and phenomena in higher adult education.