Author J. D. Salinger, who famously wrote The Catcher in the Rye, enrolled in a number of schools as a youth but never graduated from college - despite attending three (NYU, Columbia University, and, yes, Ursinus College).  It is perhaps this penchant for incompletion that inspired the name of the column he wrote for the Ursinus Weekly newspaper during his enrollment in the fall of 1938:  “The Skipped Diploma.”  The columns feature Salinger’s wry commentary on theater productions, movies, books, radio and life on the college campus.  Though the commentaries are often brief, his humor and talent as a writer are evident and abundant.  They also occasionally reveal autobiographical details.  In addition to his column, Salinger also wrote articles reviewing Ursinus College theater productions.  Below are links and some details of each issue, which are all available in the Digital Commons institutional repository.

• October 10, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue appears to allude to Salinger’s relationship with his father.
• October 17, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue contains love advice, the outline of a very brief and humorous play, and theater commentary.
• October 24, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue contains movie, book, theater and radio commentaries.
• October 31, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue features a song about love and campus life as well as theater and movie commentary.
• November 7, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue includes an exam “cram chant” in addition to movie and book commentary.
• November 14, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue features Salinger’s full-length review of the Ursinus College Curtain Club’s production of “Time and the Conways” by J. B. Priestley.  It also contains his commentary on the Marx Brothers’ movie, “Room Service.”
• November 21, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue includes Salinger’s humorous “Campus Dictionary” as well as movie commentary.
• December 5, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue features theater commentary and a humorous definition for “Eight O’Clock Class.”
• December 12, 1938 Ursinus Weekly newspaper.  This issue features Salinger’s full-length review of the Ursinus College senior class theater production of “Lady of Letters” by Turner Bullock.  It also recounts the story of an uncomfortable encounter on a train ride from Philadelphia to New York City.