, 1908-04-03
FORMER PRESIDENT OF UNlvER-
SlTY OF WYOMING WRITES
To VOICE HIS OPINION
ON HIS REMOVAL.
Contends That His Vindication Lies in
Fact That Essential Truth of the
Circular Letter is Now Practically
Admitted by Everybody Except
Certain Five Members of Board Of
Trustees of University.

The following self-explanatory letter
was handed to The Republican by DR..
Frederick M. Tisdel:
The action of the board of trustees
at the meeting on March 2S seems 10
make necessary a few public words
from me. Because the president of d
state university deems it his duty to
make public his opinion on important
university problems and voices in 4
letter to the alumni and friends of the
institution an almost universal senti-
ment, a bare majority of the board of
trustees, at a special meeting called
for another purpose, and in a seeming
spirit of malice, removes the presi-
dent of the university on charges of
"maladministration, INSTRUMENTATION,
and untruthfulness." He is no v
given time to prepare defense. Before
he even hears of the charges n be.
fore they are brought up for consider
alton in the board, the entire proceed
ings are in type at The Republican"
BY their action these five trustees have
vilified a university president, humil-
lated an entire state. and brought re-
proach upon the system of state uni
versity education everywhere.
An analysis of the resolutions and of
the supplementary statement shows
three specific charges:
l. The president issued a public
letter embodying false, unfair and
malicious statements
2. These statements are directly
contrary to his testimony given before
the Investigating commission in July.
8. He has unfairly alleged to the
people that certain changes and re-
forms should be made in the admins.
tration- of university affairs without
candidly informing them that the gov
ernor of the state and the trustees Of
the university have for some time
past been laboring for such changes.
l. The letter containing the alleged
false, unfair and malicious state
ments" is a discussion of certain prin-
ciples of university administration up
on which the recommendations of the
investigating commission are based.
In the discussion the belief is ex-
pressed that the administration of the
university is too closely associated
with politics and that authority is not
sufficiently centralized in the presi-
dents office. On these points the
chairman of the commission writes:
"Wheatland, Wyo., March 25, 1908.
IF. NJ. Tisdel, President, Laramie, Wyo.
Dear DR.. Tisdel:-Your letter of
22d inst. at hand n contents noted.
| beg to assure you that l am with
you in your efforts to elevate the chief
educational institution of the state to
a plane above partisanship and petty
politics. Until this is done the state
university cannot hope to rank as a
great school. So long as the univer-
sity is governed by a partisan board,
just so long will it suffer from
charges of graft, fayoritism, ETC.,
v Whether true or untrue, and just so
long will it suffer from the blight of
party quarrels. In thus voicing my
own thoughts | am but voicing the
conclusions of my colleagues on the
late investigating commission, as evil
denced in our report to the governor.
Permit me to say further that many
prominent men of both parties ex-
pressed to me after the commission
had made its report, their hearty com
mendation of the recommendations
made by the commission, for a non
partisan board, and that the university
be removed from partisan control.
Another thing: The commission
found the conditions at the university
were such that the president of that
institution was a mere ~flgurehead in
stead of the directing power in its af.
fairs as he should have been. The
commission felt that you as president
should be the real head of the univer-
sity instead of in name only, and then
you should be held accountable for its
success or failure. Hence, the recon-
mendations to thai effect made by the
commission.
Il agreed with my colleagues or the
commission hat if our recommends
tons We're carried out and you were
given full and complete authority, that
you would put our state university on
a much better basis and give it a
standing worthy of its name and that
If a great state. l have the same con.
fidence in you now that l had then,
and | trust that you may have the OPP
portunity to demonstrate that my on
fidence and that of other members of
the commission was not misplaced.
Doctor, if l cah be of service to
you or the university, please command
me. The investigating committee, as
you know, was a voluntary affair, ap-
pointed without authority of law or
without legal power to summon wit
nesses or compel them to testify, de-
pendent upon voluntary testimony of
! the friends and foes alike of the uni