Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-09-12
PRESIDENT RAYMOND
OF tho State University, Replies to Criti-
cisms and Statements Concerning Him
self and the UniversIty.

VI inc state university, hePAlob 20 Skxtf-
clsms and Statements Concerning Him.
self and the UniversIty.
no the Editor Of the Register
MORGANTOwN, w. Va, Sep
tember 7, 1899 Referring to your
editorial in yesterdays Register
and your invitation to me to make
some statement regarding the matter
referred to, beg to say:
l. Teachers in ! the University are
employed by the Board of Regents, and
not by me. The Board expects me to
make recommendations, and this am
accustomed to do. When [ recommend
a teacher, make full statement to
the Board regarding the qualifications
of the teacher, submitting all the pa
formation before it. the Board then
acts according to its best judgment.
] am responsible, of course, for my
recommendations to the Board. The
Board insists that 4 shall give it my
best judgment, and this | endeayor to
do. Whenever possible, l prefer to
recommend citizens of West Virginia
for positions in the University. 1t is
difficult, however, to find properly
qualified West Virginians for all the
University positions, and in some cases
it is absolutely impossible. New ideas,
new methods, are as necessary in edu-
cation as they are in naval warfare.
We must have the best trained teachers
for our students that it is possible to
obtain; and when no West Virglnlan
can be found who has given special
study to a subject in which a teacher
is needed, it is necessary to go outside
the State. In the case of one position
which had to be filed this summer,
searched the State for some qualified
person to recommend to the Board OF
Regents, but | found only three who
were qualified and at all available. OF
these three, any one of whom l would
have been glad to recommend, one de-
clined because he said he had not made
sufficient preparation for the special
work to be done, and both the other two
were already engaged in such lucrative
employment that they could not be
obtained for the amount of a profess
sor's salary. In other cases, there were
no candidates from the State at all.
Indeed of the six positions filled this
summer, there were West Virginia
candidates for only one, and neither of
the West Virginia candidates for this
position had had any special prepare
ton for the work to be done. 1t may
be worth noting that all six of the
teachers elected at the last meeting of
the Board were elected on the first
ballot, in each case, and by a unani-
trained by years of advanced study for
their particular work, and have all had
successful experience in teaching their
special subjects in other universities
and colleges. 1t should be remembered
that in any case only a few West Vir-
ginians could be given places in the
University, for there are only few
places to be filled each year; and the
University does not exist for the benefit
of the professors, but for the benefit
of the students. We had SIS students
last year, and the coming year we shall
probably have about 1000. Shall we
sacrifice the highest interest of these
thousand young men and women to the
interests of few professors? Is it not
important that the very best talent
obtainable anywhere should be at the
service of the young West Virginians
who come to the University for train
ing for future usefulness? Whenever
it is a question between a poorly pre-
well-prepared candidate from another
State, the latter should always be pre-
ferred. When the two are equal, or
when the West Virginian is superior,
the latter is, of course, preferred. To
be at the head of a University depart
ment requires extended previous study,
and those West Virginians who have
had such study are usually so we'll sit
uated already that they cannot be OBJ
tanned.
2. None of the appropriations made
by the last Legislature have been or
will be misapplied. The Legislature
did not refuse to grant the appropria-
ton for pipe organ. We found that
we had funds available for this pur-
pose, partly received from private sub
scriptions from music-loving friends of
the University, and the request for this
item was withdrawn before the Finance
Committee made their report to the
Legislature, so that the question of
appropriating money for an organ new
er came before the Legislature. The
organ has not yet been put in, though
contracted for. We expect it to be adj