Rashid graduates from Oregon Agricultural college, 1908
Annotation
Indian and other Asian immigrants attended land grant universities across the United States in the early twentieth century. These universities offered degrees in agriculture that were important to imperial subjects like Muhammad Abdul Rashid because of agriculture’s importance in the global economy. In colonial Punjab, the local press often reported that British officials, employing extractive methods, failed to invest in the development of local regions. Many Indians even supported the idea that local men immigrate to Europe, the United States, and Japan to acquire knowledge about agriculture, engineering, and other fields and then return to India to help build and sustain local economies in India. Indian students who arrived in the United States joined the growing ranks of international students in engineering, medicine, and agriculture. Even at the height of U.S. immigration restriction targeting Asian immigrants, many Asian students such as Rashid were able to enter the United States. These immigrants had enough wealth to complete their education without working, whereas others worked and attended college. The arrival of these students expanded and transformed the nature of American educational institutions at a moment when higher education remained out of reach for most Americans. In addition to listing Rashid as graduating the article notes, "There are also several Hindu students at O. A. C. who are making excellent progress." Listed with Rashid are a Pala Singh Harbana who earned a degree in mining engineering and an S.L. Ravi who graduated in Mechanical Engineering.
This source is part of the Indian Immigrants and U.S. Citizenship in an Imperial Context teaching module.
Transcription
O. A. C. GRADUATES ARE EIGHTY-TWO
Class of '08 the largest — Every Oregon County Is
Represented; :List.
(Special Dispatch to The Journal)
Corvallis, Or. June 12. Next Wednesday will witness the graduation of the largest class ever sent out from the Oregon Agricultural college. All counties In the state are represented, as
well a many neighboring and distant states sending their quota of students. There are also several Hindu students at O. A. C who are making excellent progress. The names of the '08 class members, with the courses of study which they
are completing, follow:
Electrical Engineering — Walter B. Baker. Sherman A. Brown, L. B. Chambers, N. E. Chapin, Conrad Christiansen, Claud Davolt, W. H. Davolt, Joel Emily, Fred Fox, Thomas R. Sleight, E.S. Thayer, Rupert Wall, E. C. Wiggen, Walter Wood, David Wright, Howard W. Tabor.
Pharmacy — Glen DeHaven, Margaret Dunlap, D. W. Elrod, E. W. P. Harding, Clarence W. Johnson, Fred Kerr, Liva Charles McLain, Joseph Howards Marcus
Struve, Lyman Bundy, Walter R. Wagoner.
Literary Commerce — Kate Adams, Mabel Cady, George Carmlchael, Grace
Cramer, Greta Gray, Lora Hannell, Bessie R. Herbert. Pearl Leonard, H. S. Leonard, John G. Schroeder. Alva Stovall. C.E. Williamson, R.E. Willis, E.R. Woods.
Household Science — Carrie Buchanan, Mildred Buchanan, Lillie Currin, Mildred Dyer, Cleo Johnson, Vesta Kerr, Bertha King, Mabel Kinnison, May Ovlatt, Faye Roadruck. Mary Scoggin.
Grace E. Starr.
Agriculture — Renton K. Brodle, C J. Currin. F. L. Griffin. Charles Hays, R. V. Lake, M. A. Rashid, Ralph Reynolds,
Claude Sprague.
Mining Engineering, Herbert B. Cooke, Burton L. Cunningham, B. H. Greenhaw. Pala Singh Harbana, John Melhase, Ralph S. Mills.
Mechanical Engineering — Arvid Anderson. W. T. Farnsworth, S. H. Graf,
John Hanny. David McMillan, James D. Paul. S. L. Ravi, Earl W. Wallace, John
Winniford, William Dunlap.
Civil Engineering — Willford Gardner, Percy A. Lockwood, C.T. Parker, Ralph I. Thompson.
Credits
Historic Oregon Newspapers, University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn85042444/1908-06-12/ed-1/seq-7/