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Richard W. Silvester (b. 1857) served as president from 1892 to 1912.
Silvester studied agriculture at the Virginia Military Institute and
served as principal of the Charlotte Hall Academy in St. Mary's County,
Maryland, transforming it into a practical farmer's school.He followed a program similar to Henry Alvord's, emphasizing vocational education. He lowered costs and reinstituted pre-collegiate courses. He also established two short certificate courses, one 10 weeks long and the other two years long. The curriculum contained two tracks, agriculture and engineering, eliminating liberal arts almost entirely. His tenure saw the addition of seven new buildings.
In 1912, a fire destroyed the main and the new administration buildings,
and Silvester, discouraged by this loss, resigned.
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