Wesleyan-Trinity Summer School
The Wesleyan-Trinity Summer School was a joint summer school program which took place in 1942, allowing students to accelerate their education before joining the military.
During the first year of America's involvement in World War II, though enrollment did not sharply decline, Trinity encouraged students to complete as much of their education as possible before following their “obligations to their nation.” In order to carry out this goal, the College introduced several measures to accelerate the undergraduate curricula, such as shortened vacations and exam periods, and an earlier Commencement, which took place on May 17, 1942.
That summer, the College introduced the Wesleyan-Trinity Summer School. It consisted of a joint summer term where from May 18 to June 27, Wesleyan faculty offered six weeks of courses in Middletown, followed by a second six weeks of courses in Hartford taught by Trinity faculty.
The project was successful despite some initial doubts, with President Remsen Ogilby stating, “Trinity and Wesleyan, close neighbors and therefore naturally rivals, may be safely termed today natural friends.”
Though the program was successful, it did not continue the following year. Instead, Trinity followed a three-term school year.
Sources
Trinity College in the Twentieth Century (2000) by Peter and Anne Knapp, p. 97.
Trinity College Bulletin, 1942 (Wesleyan-Trinity Summer Term).