so, how would you re-phrase the original statement?

ORIGINAL STATEMENT: "Mount Marty opened as a junior college (in the midst of the Great Depression) in 1936, and its first four-year bachelor degrees were awarded on May 29, 1951."

SUGGESTED ALTERNATIVE: "Mount Marty opened as a junior college (in the midst of the Great Depression) in 1936, and began to grant the four-year Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951."