Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-04
EDUCATIONAL BOARD.
What Some of the University
Men Who Met at Des Moines
Think of the Project
1T WORKS WELL IN MONTANA

| Advises Against Proposed Iowa Pro-
iect and Favors Election of Regents
by the PeopIe-Dr. Craig of Montana
| Interviewed.
Des Moines, Nov. 4.-Montana has
what might be called a single board
of control of state educational tnstttu-
lions, similar in some respects but
quite dissimilar in others to the sys-
tenn which it has been proposed to es-
! tablish in Iowa, and the ACCESSIBILITY OF
which is being investigated, now. by
committee of the state legislature
President o. j. Craig of the Mon
tana University favors the board OF
control idea as embodied in the sys-
tenn in that state so far as it has been
! tried; but he is doubtful If the plan
proposed for Iowa would work satisfac-
torily.
| President Craig Is the only man
seen among the presidents of univer-
sites and colleges who now are or
| have been holding conventions in Des
Moines this week who has gone SO
far even as to favor the board Of con-
troll system as practiced IN Montana.
Every educator who has been ap-
preached has been opposed to the idea.
There are four state institutions in
Montana doing higher educational
| work. They are the university, the ag-
ricultural college, the normal and the
| school of mines. They are located at
different points. Each has it's own
land grant. Each receives a separate
appropriation for it's maintenance, di-
rectly from the legislature.
They are under what is termed the
Montana state board Of education. This
not only controls the state institutions,
but also the educational system of the
state in some respects. For instance,
it grants state certificates and life d.
plomas, function reserved in Iowa
for the state board of educational ex-
aminers This board is composed Of
the governor, attorney general and SUI
perintendent OF public instruction, as
eX-officio members and eight others
appointed by the governor.
1t meets twice a year. The members
receive no compensation. They only
have! their travelling expenses.
The normal school, the school of
mines and the agricultural college have
each a local board which exercises
ministerial powers.
| The university has a local finance
committee which is appointed by the
state board Of education and which
carries out the instructions of the state
board. Its duties consist principally in
auditing the claims and bills of the I'M
iversity. These go first to the president
who recommends as to their payment
or disallowance. This is after investi-
cation by himself. AS soon as they are
passed upon by him they are sent to
the local finance committee referred to,
and by it, wher approved. to the state
board Of examiners. This is a general
auditing board for all departments and
has no connection with the state board
Of education. The board Of examin-
ers send the bills to the state treas
ury. The local committee receives no
compensation. It has no ministerial
powers Its membership has remained
unchanged since the university was
founded in 1895. The board of educa-
course.
During my connection with the uni
versity," said DR.. Craig, yesterday,
1.-The local board has been unchanged
while there have been three governors
and the personnel Of the state board
has been almost completely changed. l
was called to the presidency of the in
stitution when it was founded. The
state board becomes practically q
board Of regents for the university for
it is closer to the institution than to
the others on account Of the fact that
the local committee has no ministerial
powers.
.'The system has proved quite salts
factory. The final appeal in all cases
is to the board Of education. This re-
lates to policy, finances and courses OF
study. The local committee is COM
posed of one banker, one lawyer In ac-
tive practice and a lawyer who has
been federal Judge for many years. Inc
committee is composed of business
men and mon of the highe~t education
al attachments. Its judgment is ex-
cellent.
Method OF Appropriation.
"As to funds, the legislature appro-
PIRATES directly for the institutions.
The board of education will meet De-
cember s. shall then present my
budget for the ensuing year, and which
the local committee also has passed
upon. Each of the educational institu-
tions will do the same. The board Will
approve or modify it as made, and the
governor will present it to the legisla-
ture. The legislature has been quite
liberal with the institutions. The gov
ernor and other members of the board
of course assist in securing the legls-
lation.
NATURALLY, there is no friction be-
tween the institutions. There is no log
rolling. Indeed, there is only a good
natured rivalry between the university
and the agricultural college. -Four years
ago a proposition was made to consol-
idate the institutions. A committee
was named to investigate it, That COM
rnittee reported to the last e~is'ature.
unanimously, against the consolida"
ton.
"a member Of the universi ty faculty
has just been elected president OF the
Montana agricultural college.
ut is true that under the Montana
law the president of the university
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