Registration, Office of

The Office of Registrations originated as the primary administrative office of the Maryland Agricultural College, established in 1859. The office was responsible for recording information about entering students, and students' classroom performance. The office also collected student fees and conducted entrance examinations.

Dr. John C. Wharton, one of the small stockholders of the college, became the first registrar, serving in that capacity from 1859-1865. It was his responsibility to collect all fees and to hold and distribute any pocket money to the students. All communications relating to money matters were to be sent to his office. The registrar also supervised the students' work on the college farm, since there were no physical training classes at this time.

Except for a brief period when the university was closed (the 1866-1867 academic year), the office of registrations was headed by a number of registrars:

E. Madison Mitchell (1870 to 1873)

Major Francis Soper (1874 to 1876)

Thomas Jones, professor of agriculture (1877 to 1885?)

Position vacant (1886 to 1887)

W. Horace Roper (1888 to 1889)

Position vacant (1889 to 1890)

Joseph Owens, M.D. (1890 to 1908)

Frank Kent (1909 to 1910)

Herschel Ford (1911 to 1915)

Upon the death of Herschel Ford in 1915, it appears that the Office of Registrations ceased to exist. Many of the functions of that office were taken over by the faculty committee on catalog, student enrollment and college entrance, formed in 1918 to facilitate the growth of student enrollment at the college.

From the guide to the Office of Registration records, 1859-1916, null, (University of Maryland)