Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-24
s61. $50. 900 SOL. OK

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These seven universities have a total in
come Of STATS. $780,. or over $1,000, 900 each.
The income Of all the colleges in the country
foots up to the neighborhood of $40, O0O, 900,
an average of s47.0 900 each. AS every college
lives UP to its income, these figures in
dictate that it costs an average of Sis pei
year to impart a liberal education to Ameri-
can college youth.
The difference between the incomes Of the
wealthiest institutions and their poorer
sisters is matched by the difference in the
cost of instruction. While the average for
the country is only $115, the amount in each
of the universities before referred to Is
from three to four times this.
Harvard pays out $500 per year for each
OF its nearly 1000 students. Cornell spends
1915, Columbia $3.50 and Yale 1910. AS the
tuition fees in these institutions vary from
800 to 5000, in no case rising above the
latter amount, the figures seem to sustain
the contention made by their managers
that the student receives more for his money
in the great universities than in the smaller
colleges.
Taking into account all the colleges in the
country, the average charge to students for
tuition fees is about SIS, while the cost of
instruction to the colleges themselves is
Sis. In the wealthiest universities the tut
ton charge averages $3.50 and the cost OF
instruction $3.50.
College Students Charity Boys.
1t may be seen from this comparison that
all college education in this country is, to a
degree, charitable education. There Is no
institution entitled to be called a university
that is supported from its fees. Everyone
has and must have ar income aside from
that drawn from its students. The funds
to provide this income come either from
states or from individuals. Moreover, the
larger the university the greater must be
it's endowment and the greater its use for
benefactions.
The fact that the college loses money, SO
to speak, on every student 1t receives, has
brought about one of the unique features Of
college management. 1t Is generally sup
posed to be- the aim Of every institution to
get as many students as possible. AS a mat
her of fact, however, in the most populous
universities the problem Is Just the opposite
how to keep the number OF students within
the limits that the institution can afford to
receive.
This Is done ordinarily by raising the cost
Of tuition or by increasing the require
ments OF entrance. Harvard, Yale and, in
fact, nearly all the largest universities, have
had to resort to these means to prevent a
too rapid growth. This is the real reason
of the higher tuition and entrance require
ments of the great universities. and not. as
is sometimes charged, a desire for educa-
tional exclusiveness
So far as the management of its per-
manent funds 10 concerned, the problems
offered by a great university are largely
the same as those presented by an in
surance society. First of all the investment
must be safe. Speculation is out of the
question, In the second place 1t is highly
desirable that 1t should be permanent.
Moreover, it is advantageous that the in
vestmcnts should have a variety of forms, go
that hard times. bad management or
financial disaster in any one enterprise may
not cripple the work OF the institution.
Two Unfortunate Colleges.
The danger OF having a colleges funds
all tied up in a single line OF securities has
been illustrated within the last few years
by the troubles of Lehigh and Johns Hop
universities. Asa Packer, the founder
OF the former, left its endowment In
securities OF the Lehigh Valley railroad.
while Johns Hopkins founded his institution
with his holdings in the Baltimore & Ohio,