SC005 Quest

Running from 1958-1960, the Quest came at a time of transformation in Shimer’s history. In 1950, the college had adopted the Great Books program, designed by Robert Maynard Hutchins, which would become its hallmark. This was also around the time Shimer adopted its early entrance program, which allowed students to leave high school a year or two early to begin their college education without a high school diploma. This program would continue until 2017, when Shimer became the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College. Having historically only admitted female students due to space constraints after the civil war, Shimer became coeducational in the 1950s as well. These new male students participated in the Quest as writers and staff members.

Along with containing campus news and weekly event calendars, the Quest had a strong literary focus, with editions containing poetry and prose by Shimer students. This made the Quest serve a double purpose. It kept students and faculty informed about news and events taking place on the Shimer campus, and it showcased the literary talent of Shimer students.