Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-27
1R[ IOWA UNIVERSITY
Something About its Wants and the
Prospect Of Having Them
Supplied.
President Mclean Creating Better
Atmosphere in Iowa University
Circles New Interest
Legislature and People Becoming
More Friendly as They Under.
stand Institutions Needs.
Special to Times.Republican.

n.
Des Moines, Nov. 27-The State Uni
versity will come before the legislature
this winter with high hopes and with
better prospect of getting what it de-
serves than it has had before for some
years. There is new feeling toward
the university and concerning its needs
and its future. 1t is coming to be better
understood and it will be still better un-
derstood The trouble. chiefly, in the
past has been that the people of the
state have not understood the universi-
ty, its possibilities and it's true place in
the educa tional system of the state. The
new president, DR.. George E. MacLean,
is going to let the people know W hat
they have and what they might have in
their State University. In other words,
he believes in advertising and he knows
how to do it effectively. He is satisfied,
as all the friends of the university are,
| that if the people knew the conditions
perfectly, they would not let the people
of other staes inquire Whats the mat
ter with Iowa?" in regard to her state
university. that 1T is allowed to have
such a low standard. Why are the peo-
pie satisfied to have other states of less
wealth, more debt and poorer prospects
than Iowa SO far outstrip her in main
tanning high educational standard 2 1t
is no longer necessary to repeat the hui
initiating figures that show Iowa to be
behind all neighboring states in the sup
port of her university, for the fact is
we'll known. The salaries paid to the
| professors, assistant professors and in
structors in the Iowa State University
are so low that the institution becomes
a training school for other universities
and colleges. The best men are con-
stantly receiving offers to go elsewhere
at higher salaries, and some of them
| feel that they must, in justice to them
selves. leave Iowa to go where they can
| do better for themselves. The salaries
paid in Minnesota and Nebraska are 20
| per cent higher than in Iowa. When a
| first class man fit to teach in an univer-
\ sity, who must have had from six to
/ eight years of university training and
| who should have demons trated his abil-
lity to teach as WELL is asked to work
| for $500 a year, and sometimes $500, as
an instructor, it is only to be expected
/ that the best men will be strongly
tempted to go elsewhere as soon as they
| have developed
/ Some of these men have been hanging
Ion in the hope that more liberal polcy
| would finally be adopted. and now they
are more hopeful than ever before that
| the state will give the university at
Ileast some of the indispensa bles. How
many people in the state know that there
| is no assembly hall at the university .
| no place where all the students and fac
ulty of all departments may be brought
4 together Not in Iowa City is there such
\ a room A local hall has to be hired
when ever there is any sort OF gather
ling embracing the entire university,
| and it does not furnish room enough. OF
course it is impossible to conduct real
university, in the full scope and true
spirit of university, in the face of such
conditions. 1t makes the university
merely grouping of number OF spe-
| cial schools, that remain almost as dls-
/ tinct through the year as II they We're
located in different towns. There Is a
lack of that broad spirit that should
strengthen the whole institution, tor
there is no opportunity for the general
administrative policy to be felt as 1t
should be.
The greatest need Of the University
is for additional support fund. chiefly
for instruction, for the esta bsh ment OF
new chairs, essential to a complete
university, and for strengthening those
| already established, but which are re-
stricted in their work by insufficient
| teaching force and equipment. 1t is
the nope that some of the best men in
| the University will not find few hun
dred dollars a year such a tenpta tion
| that they will be leaving the state to
go where their work will be better ap-
nreciated The state has been sitting
on the fence and watching this thing
( long enough and now proposes. If the
| new policy is sustained, to hold its own
with other states when 1t comes to
| bidding for talent The details Of this.
the use that is to be made OF the $4,000
that is asked to be added to the annual
| support fund, will be set forth in such a
/ manner that no one can fail to see the
| Justice and strength of the request No
reasonable person can deny the abso-
/ Lutte necessity of the sum asked, which
! is a modest and conServa tive estimate
| of the most urgent requirements. 1t
| must be remembered that these esti-
mates of the regents are not the high
water marks of appropria tons, but on
/ the contrary, the scaling down. the par
! ing. has already been done. The heads
/ of departments made their estimates
i far above the recon- men dation of the
/ regents. The heads of departments were
| told to make estimates OF what was abb
solutely necessary for the development
of their several departments. and were
| cautioned to make these estimates con-
servative. They asked for nearly twice
| what the regents have recommended,
and they listed nothing unnecessary.
The regents have reduced 1t to the las
possible limit, and it is hoped this ma y
be allowed.
/ Besides the assembly hall and armory
and drill room for the use of the mill
tary company during the winter and
the gymnasium the year around, the
building most needed are amuseum and
i library. The museum material now on
hand would make the best collection in
the lines represented that u in exist