Oakland University, like Rome, wasn't built in a day. Yet laying the foundation for the University's academic curriculum arguably seemed more complex.
Unsure how to fully live up to the institution's hype as the "Harvard of the Midwest," OU's faculty took a baptism-by-fire approach to their tutelage, marked by strict grading practices, demanding courses of study and a high student workload.
This photograph, taken on April 18, 1963, eternizes a cathartic moment for OU's first graduating class as they tossed their blue book exam booklets into a blazing inferno. The students had finished the year and ushered in a legacy in the process, and that was something to celebrate.
Nearby, OU faculty and administrators, including Chancellor Durward "Woody" Varner, also celebrated with equal fervor because they, like the students, had ushered in a new legacy, too.
Want to peruse Oakland University's decorated history? Visit University Archives in the basement of the Kresge Library for more information.
June 6, 2017
By Emell Derra Adolphus
