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The University Choral Union performs Handel’s “The Messiah” on Dec. 16, 1945, in Hill Auditorium. (Photo courtesy of the University Musical Society)

This week in history (73 years ago)

After the bombing Dec. 7, 1941, of Pearl Harbor, male students held a rally Dec. 16 in Hill Auditorium. They were addressed by Gov. Murray Van Wagoner and President Alexander Ruthven, who, citing the need for college-trained officers, urged the students to stay in school. The following month Ruthven appointed a University War Board to oversee university planning for the war effort. Among the board’s first recommendations was an accelerated three-term, year-round academic program, which won approval by the Board of Regents. A student could now earn a degree in two years and eight months.

— Bentley Historical Library

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