The Topeka state journal., 1906-04-14
WHY he QUIT.
President WilkersOn of the State
Normal Heard From.
Tells How He Was Annoyed by
Petty Opposition.
STIRRED UP TROUBLE.
Members of Alumni Who Wanted
Hill for President.
Was Not to Blame for Decrease
in Attendance.
STIRRED UP TROUBLE.

President J. n. Wilkinson. Of the
Kansas State Normal, is in Topeka to-
day on his way home from Hays City,
where he rendered to the board of
Normal regents his resignation from
the position of president Of the Nor
NAL. The resignation was accepted to
take effect July 1.
The regents will meet in Emporia
in June to elect Mr.. Wilkinson's sue
cessor and it is considered practically
certain that Prof Joseph H. Hill,
vice president of the Normal school,
will be chosen.
The following is the formal resigna-
ton which was submitted to the board
by President Wilkinson:
Hays, Kansas. April 18th, 1906.
Gentlemen of the Board of Regents:
"In accordance with my letter to
each of you individually as written on
April 5th, [ hereby tender my resigna-
ton of the presidency.
Thanking you for the support you
have given me. am,
Yours truly,
u. n. WILKINSON
Up to this time, President Wilkin-
son has made no statement concerning
his withdrawal from the Normal,
which came in such an unexpected
manner IO0ay he said.
There has been friction among the
members of the faculty on account of
the trouble about Prof T. NJ Iden of
the science department. Those mem
bers of the faculty who have sided
with Prof. Iden have tried to make
trouble for me. There are also some
members of the alumni of the school
who were very much disappointed
when I was elected president instead
of Prof. Hill, and they have been con-
tinually trying to stir up trouble. The
Iden matter furnished an opportunity
for this opposition to centralize
against me.
''The claim was made that I was
responsible for the failure of Prof
Iden to get his salary raised at the
same time the mathematics professor
had his salary raised. That was a
matter which rested wholly with the
board Prof. Iden was receiving $1S9
per month, and the mathematics pro-
fessor 5000. Prof. Iden held me re-
sponsible for this, though the board
was wholly responsible / do not in
terfere with the salary question so
/ far as it relates to the higher profess
sors. The board would consider it an
Interference with their rights If ]
should.
AT the meeting Of the board Of re-
gents at Hays yesterday, [ did make
! the suggestion that enough money be
+ paid to Prof. Iden to make his salary
81 500 from the first of the current
school year. This was in exact ac-
cord with, what Mr.. Iden thought
would be right The board of regents
/ did not act upon this suggestion. They
asked Mr.. Iden to withdraw his resig-
nation, without any action whatever
on his salary for the present. The
whole question of salaries for next
year was referred to a special COM
nitteer composed of three members OF
the board.
"It was hardly to be expected that
/ the board would consent to be bluffed
into raising the salary of one of its
professors. Every member of the
board has probably received a hun
dred letters asking that Prof. Iden's
salary be raised and that he be re-
tanned. And the writer's of these let
ters attributed Mr.. Iden's failure tc
secure raise to opposition from me
There has also been disposition tc
charge the decrease in attendance al
the Normal to my administration of the
| affairs pf the school. This decrease was
predicted by me when it was decided
to change the course of study at the
| Normal, making the course of study
more exacting. I knew that it would
cause a temporary backset in attend
ance, and told the board and faculty
| that 1t would. 1t turned out exactly as
I expected, but the attendance now is
| larger than at any time since the change
went into effect, and it will continue tc
gain
7 know that have the confidence oi
the individual members of the board
but I felt that the time had come fol
me to sever my connection with this
State Normal. did not tender my
resignation with any kind of a string tC
it: 7 fully expected to sever my con
| nection with the school. 1t is a harC
position: it means hard work in tht
legislature and while I believe that
have done as well with thet legislature
as any of my predecessors, I decided
/ that I did not care to put in another
session as a lobbyist.
Il believe that have some knowledge
as an educator that II valuable, and FOL
the present I expect % be free lance
I am not prepared to say what I will do
I shall continue to be in full charge o.
the work Of the State Normal until July
l."