A US Army servicewoman with an English friend at Shrivenham American University in 1945
In Spring 1945, the U.S. Army's Information and Educational Branch made formal plans to establish overseas university campuses for American service men and women, awaiting demobilization, or redeployment to another theater. Three University centers were eventually established in the French resort town of Biarritz, the English town of Shrivenham, Berkshire, and in Florence, Italy. These three campuses were set up to provide a transition between army life and a successful transition to civilian life, with career training and possibly attendance at a university in the US. Most students attended for just one term.
Students removed their caps, and therefore the distinction between officers and enlisted personnel was eliminated.[1]
The first American university for service personnel was established in June 1945 at the School of Aeronautics in Florence, Italy. Some 7,500 soldier-students were to pass through the university during its four one-month sessions from July to November 1945.[2]
Under General Samuel L. McCroskey, the hotels and casinos of Biarritz in France were converted into quarters, labs, and class spaces for U.S. service personnel. The university opened 10 August 1945, and approximately 10,000 students attended at least one eight-week term. BAU ran the longest of any of the centers and made a significant impact on both faculty and students, as well as the local community. The curriculum covered the range of subject of any state-side university, students established a full symphony orchestra, a choir, a theater group, and two basketball teams; a local hotel was rebuilt by the engineering class, a daily newspaper was published by the journalism program, and the theater program performed in local orphanages and hospitals. It was a return to "normal" and a stepping stone to a future for many.[3] After three successful terms, the university closed in March 1946.[4]
Walter F. Hendricks, who would go on to found three colleges in Vermont between 1946 and 1966 served as director of English at the university. The music department was directed by Edwin Stringham from Queens College and included Seth Bingham.[5] Other instructors included Édouard Herriot and Charles Rist. A student newspaper The Banner was published five times a week.[4]
The social highlight of the BAU's existence was a fashion show and beauty contest held as benefits for French war orphans, which Marlene Dietrich attended.[4]
Under General C. M. Thiele, a British Army Camp near Swindon was converted into a university campus. After two successful terms, the university closed in December 1945. About 4,000 students attended each term.[6]
^ abcSchmidt, George P.; Umstattd, J. G. (1946). "The American Army University at Biarritz, France". Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors. 32 (2): 303–316. doi:10.2307/40220155. JSTOR40220155.
Loss, Christopher P. Between Citizens and the State: The Politics of American Higher Education in the 20th Century (2012) Princeton University Press. 108–111.
MacKenzie, Norman. "Shrivenham." New Statesman and Nation, 17 Nov 1945, p. 329.
Schmidt, George P.; Umstattd, J. G. (1946). "The American Army University at Biarritz, France". Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors. 32 (2): 303–316. doi:10.2307/40220155. JSTOR40220155.
