Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-10-07
President Adams is Giving It His
Hearty Endorse
mGnt.
The University Faculty Takes
Action Relative
to 1t.
An Extension Department to Be
Organized, With DR.. Powell
Secretary.

TAKEN llle ulOSI lupOilduC Slep ever
made in university extension in Wis
cousin, if not in the northwest. IN
terest III university extension has been
more spontaneous in Wisconsin than i'll
any other state. The university made
no effor5 to organize local centerS be
sides sending out circular announC-
ing the course offered. Yet 1O1 re-
quests for lecture courses came an
from IS towns and there We're not
enough lecturers to satisfy the demand.
Long before the close of the year it
had become clear that an additional
force Of lecturers must be secured fol
this year. To this end several lecturers
especially qualified for the work have
been engaged. Several university pro-
fessors, besides those of last ear, have
also prepared lectures, and more than
twice us many courses as We're offered
last year will be announced i'll the pre-
liminaly circular which will be sent out
in Il few days.
President G.. X. Adams has taken up
the policy of his predecessor and is
giving to university extension 4 hearty
support. He was chairman of that
committee which secured from the
New York legislature, while he was
president of Cornell, the annual apprO-
prlation of $4,000, for the develop
ment Of university extension in the
state of New York. Prof. r. T. Ely,
whose new school of graduate econ
omics at the University of Wisconsin
is already the largest in the country,
believes so thoroughly i'll university cN-
tension that he will lecture under the
auspices before the peoples institute
1T Milwaukee and will support the move
ment in other substantial ways
1t has long been clear to the faculty
in general that Il definite organization
is needed at this time in order to con
vert the enormous stock of intellectual
curiouSity into abiding enthusiastic
In the remarkable success of the move
ment last year lies the real danger for
the present year. The movement. it
would seem, belongs to the people
They signified their desire for lectures
by sending in last year 1O7 requests
They have Il right to expect from the
university the satisfaction of all de
mands this year and, at the same time,
instruction as to the proper method
for perpctuating the local centerS that
were last year organized in II towns
IN the state
A meeting of the university faculty
has just been held at which much en-
thusiasm was displayed and the re-
suits of which are given for the first
time in these columns. AT the request
of President Adams, Lyman p. Pow
ell, who comes from the east with
Prof. Ely to succeed Prof Turner as
extension lecturer on history, outlined
q plan of organization which was tlnani,
mously adopted by the faculty
The plan proposed the organization Of
a university eXtentiOn department Of
the University Of Wisconsin, of which
department the president of the univer-
Sity shall be president and the univc--
sity lecturers an advisory council. The
executive and administrative functions
are to be given into the hands of sec.
rotary, who is to devote himself to the
development of the work in this section.
Into his hands is committed the organi-
zation of local centers. When this can
not be done by correspondence, the
secretary will visit them in person and
assist in their organization. In England
and in the eastern states the local cen
tiers are accustomed to paying the sec
retary's travelling expenses when he
visits them. Tt is believed that arrange
ments can be made by which every
local center that needs the presence Of
the secretary can secure it without the
payment even of railroad fare
The secretary will serve also as
bureau of information and will assist
local centers to secure the lectures
they desire.
He will form centers into circuits So
that every town, however remote and
however small, may by joining with a
neighborng town secure one course or
MANY courses Of lectures By the aid OF
the lecturers he will organize students
associations at the local centers for the
purpose of creating real student life
through reading circles and frequent
discussions of the subjects unfolded in
the lectures. Correspondence courses
will be given to the students associa-
tons and will be like the local Chautau-
qua circles but they will be strongest
where the Chautaqua circles are weak
est, for they will have the advantage Of a
weekly visit from an earnest and car
able instructor. Wherever possible
unions will be formed with the Chautau-
qua circles.
Intimate relations will be formed
with the local centers by correspond
ence and by personal visits. The growth
of each center will be carefully watch.
ed. Statistics will be collected and filed
among the archives of the secretary.
Normal schools will be encouraged to
incorporate as regular feature of thei-
annual program the plan begun last
year of inviting extention lecturers to
give course before them. Courses will
be offered especially adapted to
farmers
A university extension department
will be established in the Wisconsin
Journal Of Education, under the aditor-
ship of the secretary, and articles will
appear monthly from prominent educa
tors. Correspondents will be secured
and work in the various centers noted |
from month to month. The public |
school teacher is by virtue Of his posi- |
ton often the proper nucleus of a local |
center. He will be encouraged to look |
upon himself as the duly accredited |
agent of university extension in his |