Law professor John Manningwith his students, 1892

Determined to organize the university in a more rational and efficient manner, President Francis Venable increased direct university control over the schools of law, medicine, pharmacy, and education by personally appointing deans to lead these schools. His next goal was to earn accreditation for them, which required increased funding and additional entry and curricular requirements to meet national standards. Some resisted the upgrading of the professional schools. For example, during the 1920s, there was opposition to requiring students to have a bachelor's degree before admission to the law school. The medical school did not offer a four-year program in Chapel Hill until 1951.