The Wesleyan-Trinity Summer School program was an opportunity for both students and faculty of Wesleyan and Trinity Colleges to learn and teach together. The program was short-lived, but allowed for many students to graduate early before beginning their service to country.

During the first year of America's involvement in World War II, the College's enrollment did not decline sharply. Still, the College encouraged students to embrace as much of their education as possible before following their “obligations to their nation.”

In order to complete this goal, the College introduced several measures to accelerate the undergraduate curricula. Shortened breaks for example helped the College's 1942 Commencement occur on May 17th.

That summer, the College also introduced a program that shooked alumni- the Wesleyan-Trinity Summer School. In the first six weeks, from May 18th to June 27th, Wesleyan faculty offered courses in Middletown, followed by six weeks in Hartford taught by Trinity faculty.

The project was successful despite the original shock, with President Ogibly stating, “Trinity and Wesleyan, close neighbors and therefore naturally rivals, may be safely termed today natural friends.” Even with this great success, the program did not occur the following year.

Trinity College in the Twentieth Century (2000) by Peter J. Knapp, pp. 97.

Website: Trinity College Digital Repository.