Nels A. Bengston

Original caption: "Junior Division Chief Dr. Benston."

Chloe Herbert, History 250: The Historian Craft, Fall 2021

Throughout his life, Dr. Nels A. Bengston occupied the roles of professor, author, geographer, soil surveyor, United States Trade Commissioner, and dean. Born in Sweden in 1879, Bengston immigrated to the United States with his family as a young child. Although he would later become most famous for his work as a geographer, Bengston was an educator first and foremost. He graduated from Peru State Normal School with Bachelor of Education degree in 1904. He later obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in geography from Clark University. Bengston was a professor at the University of Nebraska for forty years, from 1908 until his retirement in 1948. Under Bengston, the Department of Geography became its own department – it had previously been combined with the geology department – and he was the department chair for eighteen years. Beyond the Department of Geography, Bengston was the dean and among the creators of the University Junior Division. The University Junior Division served to assist incoming freshmen students in their transition into college and help them discern their vocations. Bengston’s professorship and contributions to the development of geography education, coupled with his leadership in the University Junior Division and concern for students’ learning, made him a figure worthy of recognition and remembrance.[1]

The study of geography became increasingly important in colleges and universities throughout the United States during the first half of the twentieth century. Following World War I, there was an increased demand for geographical knowledge. Between 1900 and 1948, there was a “1,000 percent increase” in the number of students pursuing geography at the college level in the United States. As a scholastic institution, however, geography fell short of maintaining longevity at the collegiate level. Geography was never fully established as its own independent field of study at most of America’s leading research universities. Due to shifts in political attitudes towards American isolationism and the increased division between physical and social sciences, the study of geography at the collegiate level struggled to remain intact and relevant. While geography at other universities lost its foothold – Harvard University famously closed its geography department in 1948 – geography at the University of Nebraska remained present and relevant. The University of Nebraska’s geography department was founded in 1928, and Bengston was instrumental in creating the stand-alone department which had originally been incorporated into the geology department. Attestation of the success of the University of Nebraska’s geography program was their students’ presence in the American Association of Geographers (AAG). The University of Nebraska was ranked fourth in the nation for producing the highest number of AAG members who had obtained their master’s degrees in geography and ranked seventh in doctoral degrees during Bengston’s professorshipBut Bengston was able to teach geography to students far beyond the University of Nebraska campus.[2]

Fundamentals of Economic Geography, written by Bengston and his colleague William Van Rooyen, was originally published in 1935. The textbook quickly became one of the three most widely used textbooks in geography education, and by 1961 it was in its fifth edition and more than 150,000 copies had been sold. Fundamentals of Economic Geography was foundational in the teaching of geography throughout the United States. Through the breadth of copies sold, Fundamentals of Economic Geography enabled Bengston to teach more than 450,000 students over the course of his academic career. The success of his textbook meant that the University of Nebraska professor reached 440,000 more students than the average college professor did during the mid-twentieth century period. Further connecting his passion for teaching and knowledge of geography to education, Bengston was the president of the of National Council of Geography Teachers, a group dedicated to solving problems of geographic education and creating curriculum, in 1929. Along with his published works and nationwide leadership position, Bengston impacted students in his geography classes and across the University of Nebraska campus.[3]

Bengston’s passion for education was just as apparent in his successful work Fundamentals of Economic Geography as it was in his daily life as a professor and dean. Concerned with students first and foremost, Bengston was exceptionally warm and welcoming to everyone on campus. His office door remained open to all for both academic inquiries and other business, and he was known for inviting students and faculty members into his home. During the school day, Bengston would occasionally hop into the lunch lines with students at the Nebraska Union. Additionally, he actively contributed to the formation of the University of Nebraska’s first Cosmopolitan Club in 1912, a group that sought “to further understanding between nationalities.” The Cosmopolitan Club originally contained about twelve students belonging to various European ethnic groups and was one of the first campus groups to focus on student inclusivity. Though Bengston was primarily concerned with his role as an educator and teacher, his expertise pushed him to fulfill a variety of roles outside of the university. Students would always be his top priority, but the outbreak of World War I forced Bengston to use his skills and knowledge far beyond the University of Nebraska campus.[4]

As the United States became involved in World War I, Bengston was commissioned to use his geographic skills and knowledge to serve on the War Trade Board and Department of Commerce station in Norway in 1919. After the war, he served as the vice president of the Association of American Geographers in 1923 and later again in 1942. Bengston’s experience and expertise was evident in the array of works he published. From 1905 to 1962 he contributed to 126 publications, which included commerce reports, articles for the American Economic Review and Geographical Review, U.S. Bureau of Soils reports, and Britannica Junior’s section on the history of the United States. Beyond his written contributions and meaningful presence on campus, Bengston’s most instrumental accomplishment outside of geography came from his work within the University Junior Division.[5]

Effective on September 1, 1940, the University Junior Division was a progressive precursor to what is now the New Student Enrollment program. However, it did much more than simply focus on providing campus orientation and scheduling classes for incoming freshmen students. Bengston – in his unwavering attention to his students and their needs – noticed several areas in which the new undergraduate students were struggling to adjust and adapt coming out of high school. The University Junior Division was created to provide “personal counsel for all entering students as to programs to be followed, choice of colleges, particular needs, ambitions and aptitudes.” Counselling services were offered to incoming freshmen students prior to class registration before the fall semester, providing them with a chance to study vocational opportunities and an opportunity to self-reflect on their reasons and motivations for pursing higher education. Recognition was given to students considered to be “adult specials” – otherwise known as nontraditional students – who were not entering the university directly after their graduation from high school. Special provisions were made to help these students adapt to college in the context of their particular circumstances.[6]

Perhaps what made the University Junior Division program so progressive and unique was that it created terminal and vocational courses. These courses enabled students to pursue an alternative path throughout their time at the University of Nebraska. With an emphasis on learning skills and trades rather than traditional coursework, vocational graduates received certifications rather than bachelor’s degrees. Consequently, this meant that those enrolled in vocational coursework were able to graduate in two years instead of the typical four and then they could enter the workforce or military sooner. Bengston recognized that the university lacked sufficient policies to prevent and address students who were failing their coursework and consequently had drop out of college. He proposed the alternative educational offerings through the terminal and vocational pathway, as well as all-encompassing modifications that would benefit all freshmen throughout the University Junior Division.[7]

Bengston expressed concern over the transitional gap between high school and college and stated that students could not “be expected to have undergone a complete metamorphosis from the enthusiastic and somewhat careless youth . . . into serious-minded adults as students in college when September comes.” Thus, Bengston added the University Orientation Program – a zero credit hour course designed to help students in their adjusting to college – to the University Junior Division program. The University Orientation Program taught freshmen students study skills, budgeting, time management, how to utilize the library’s resources, and where they could access health services while on campus. Reading and study laboratories were also created in order to provide students with practice and assistance throughout the entirety of their underclassmen semesters. The University Orientation Program encapsulated Bengston’s vision for a holistic, transitional aid for freshmen students that supplemented the entirety of the University Junior Division.[8]

As the Dean of the University Junior Division, Bengston ranked equally amongst the deans of the other colleges at the University of Nebraska. In this position, Bengston oversaw the University Junior Division’s Board of Counsellors which was composed of ten members. Six of the ten board members were representatives from the colleges that registered freshmen students, and the other four were various faculty members who were appointed to the position on the basis of their abilities. Together, Bengston and the Board of Counsellors oversaw all of the academic advisors who registered freshmen and the professors who taught underclassmen courses. With this structure and Bengston’s leadership, the University Junior Division was triumphant in fulfilling its mission to care more adequately for first-year students at the University of Nebraska.[9]

The University Junior Division was successful in addressing the issues that Bengston noticed plaguing the underclassmen and the freshman year structure. Hailed as the “most progressive step in University history toward bringing faculty and students together in common understanding of each other and their school,” the University Junior Division helped incoming students to bridge the gap between high school and college life. Bengston’s idea of implementing an alternative pathway – for those whose academic aptitudes left them at risk of failing out – in the form of vocational and terminal coursework came to fruition. Additionally, under his deanship of the University Junior Division, an “unclassified” major option was created for incoming students who either did not yet meet the necessary admissions requirements for their prospective college or simply had not picked out an academic concentration to commit to. The University Junior Division reorganized and restructured the fall semester registration process for freshmen, and the first time it was implemented in 1940 was noted as being much more personalized for the individual students and free of the long lines that had plagued previous registration sessions. Bengston’s vision for improving the entry experience for freshmen students became reality through his leadership in the University Junior Division.[10]

From reaching thousands of students through his textbook Fundamentals of Economic Geography to founding the Cosmopolitan Club on campus to being Dean of the University Junior Division, Bengston made a considerable impact in the field of geography and the University of Nebraska. While his accomplishments were impressive and exhaustive, what made Bengston such an exemplary figure in the University of Nebraska’s history was his unwavering attention to and prioritization of the students. His establishment of the University Junior Division revolutionized not only fall registration processes and freshmen courses, but also the fundamental collegiate pathways available to students. Bengston was a pioneer at the University of Nebraska in calling attention to the need for a holistic account of the student when formulating their educational opportunities, and he ensured that the University Junior Division addressed all aspects of students’ lives. For his dedication to improving education at the University of Nebraska, constant consideration of students’ success and well-being, and contributions to the field of geography, Bengston made his mark on university history and deserved to be remembered.

Notes

1. Documents in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln archives contain two spellings of Bengston’s last name: Bengston and Bengtson. For the sake of clarity, I used the former spelling throughout this essay. However, it should be noted that Bengston’s personal correspondences, documentation, and professional works use both variations without an obvious pattern or correlation. The archival collection uses the Bengston spelling.
2.  “Nels August Bengston,” Nebraska Authors, accessed November 10, 2021, https://nebraskaauthors.org/authors/nels-a-bengtson.
3. Robert Stoddard, “A Century of Geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” UNL Geography Alumni News, December 2009, 2-3, http://snr.unl.edu/download/geographygis/newsletter/UNL_Geog_Alumni_News_2009.pdf.
4. Alumni Association Staff, Seventy-five Years of History, 1944, 3-4, RG 12-11-12 Nels Bengston Geography Papers, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.
5. (2)Alexander Murphy, “Geography’s Place in Higher Education,” Journal of Geography in Higher Education, (February 14, 2007): 3-4, https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260601033068.
6. Stoddard, 3.
7. Department of Public Relations statement for release, University of Nebraska News Service, February 8, 1967, 2, Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.
8. (3)Carol Ann Schilesser, Department of Public Relations statement for release, University of Nebraska News Service, April 16, 1961, 1, Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.
9. “Doctor Bengston is Elected Head of National Geographer’s Council,” The Daily Nebraskan, January 9, 1929, 1, https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1929-01-09/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Council+Geographer%27s+National.
10. (4)Schilesser, 2-5.
11. (5)“Nels August Bengston.”
12. “Doctor Bengston is Elected Head of National Geographer’s Council.”
13. Nels A. Bengtson, “List of Publications 1905-1962,” April 23, 1964, Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries..
14. (6)Alumni Association Staff, 4.
15. (7)Nels A. Bengtson, “The University Junior Division It’s Problems, Functions and Operations at the University of Nebraska,” 16-17, 19, RG 12-11-12 Nels Bengston Geography Papers, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries..
16. (8)Nels. A Bengston, “The University Junior Division It’s Problems, Functions and Operations at the University of Nebraska,” 11-12.
17. (9)Report of the Committee on the University Division – a Sub-Committee of the Senate Committee on Instructional Policies and Practices, “A Plan to Care More Adequately for New Students Entering the University of Nebraska,” September 7, 1939, 3, RG 12-11-12 Nels Bengston Geography Papers, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.
18. (10)“Junior Division at Work,” The University, October 1940, 3-4, Box 29/06/06, Folder 29/7/0, Student Affairs Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.

                                                                                                                                             Bibliography

•  Alumni Association Staff. Seventy-five Years of History. 1944. RG 12-11-12 Nels Bengston, Geography Papers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
• “Bengston, Nels A.” Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
•  Bengston, Nels A. “List of Publications 1905-1962.” April 23, 1964, Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
• Bengston, Nels A. “The University Junior Division It’s Problems, Functions and Operations at the University of Nebraska.” 11-19, RG 12-11-12 Nels Bengston Geography Papers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
•  Department of Public Relations statement for release. University of Nebraska News Service, February 8, 1967, Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
•  “Doctor Bengston is Elected Head of National Geographer’s Council.” The Daily Nebraskan, January 9, 1929, 1, https://nebnewspapers.unl.edu/lccn/sn96080312/1929-01-09/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Council+Geographer%27s+National.
•  “Junior Division Chief Dr. Bengston.” Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
•  “Junior Division at Work.” The University. October 1940, Box 29/06/06, Folder 29/7/0, Student Affairs Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
• Murphy, Alexander. “Geography’s Place in Higher Education.” Journal of Geography in Higher Education (February 14, 2007): 3-4. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260601033068.
• Nebraska Authors. “Nels August Bengston.” Accessed November 10, 2021. https://nebraskaauthors.org/authors/nels-a-bengtson.
• Report of the Committee on the University Division – a Sub-Committee of the Senate Committee on Instructional Policies and Practices. “A Plan to Care More Adequately for New Students Entering the University of Nebraska.” September 7, 1939, RG 12-11-12 Nels Bengston Geography Papers, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
• Schilesser, Carol Ann. Department of Public Relations statement for release. University of Nebraska News Service, April 16, 1961, Box 26, Folder Bengston, Nels A Bio/Bib, Biography and Bibliography Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska Libraries.
• Stoddard, Robert. “A Century of Geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.” UNL Geography Alumni News, December 2009, http://snr.unl.edu/download/geographygis/newsletter/UNL_Geog_Alumni_News_2009.pdf