The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-03
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Effort Will Be Made to Secure
Two Normal Schools.
One at Dodge City, the Other
at COncOrdia.
CONFERENCE is HERE.
Another Effort to Harmnniza
CONFERENCE is HERE
Another Effort to Harmonic
State Institutions.
Governor Hoch Submits Letters
Covering the Problem.

me next legislature will be asked
to establish two more normal schools
for Kansas, one at Concordia and one
at either Dodge City or Garden CITY.
This Is the report which reaches To-
peka on the eve of the Harmony con-
ference" which meets at 4 O'Clock this
afternoon for the purpose of agreeing
upon some method for centralizing
the work and management of the
State university, State Agricultural
college and State Normal.
Kansas already has three normal
schools, one at Pittsburg. one at Hayes
and the old state Normal at Emporia
me Pittsburg and Hayes schools are
supposed to offer subordinate courses,
but they are clamoring for and have
partially received the privilege of put
ting in the same courses offered at
Emporia. The proposed new normals
at Concordia and Dodge City will, If
established, still further scatter the eff
forts of the higher educational inter-
ests, and add vastly to the cost of
maintaining the schools.
The harmony conference was called
chiefly for the purpose of adopting
some plan for compelling the State un-
iversity and State Agricultural college
to cease duplicating courses, and
working at cross purposes. The ten
dency is to build up two great state
universities in Kansas, just as has been
done in Iowa, where the State univer-
sity and the AmeS Agricultural college
are both offering practically the same
courses. But the indications are that
the harmony conference" will also
have some business in checking the es-
tablishment of more normal schools,
to still further add to the already vast
expense of the higher educational in
situations of the state.
! The conference this afternoon will
be attended by two representatives OF
each of the big institutions. These
representatives are:
State university: T. NJ. Potter and
J. w. GIeed.
l State Agricultural college; A. NJ. story
| and Edwin Taylor.
State Normal school; NJ. F. Amrine and
L. B. Kellogg.
| 1t is the understanding that each OF
| these representatives shall present IN
writing his plan for the unification of the
| management of the Institutions
| 1t is believed likely that the board will
| recommend that the next legislature pass
| a law placing all of the state institutions
of higher learning under one board; TINS rs
| courses, and check the bitter rivalry
! which is growing up.
But it is extremely doubtful whether
| the legislature will pass such a law. be-
cause the three Institutions will fight it
| Each institution will think that it is go
will pull enough, political wires to beat
| the plan. At least this has happened ir
| Iowa and other states which have tried
| to put their state institutions on such {
/ basis of management.
Governor Hoch has written letters to &
| large number of the leading educationa
men of the United States, asking for theil
| views on the method of managing the
state institutions. The replies to these
| letters will be presented to the conference
/ this afternoon.
| The almost unanimous opinion of thes,
| educational leaders is that Kansas has
| hard problem on its hands, and a problem
| which will become more and more diff
| cult as years go by. Some of them in
| dictate that the only way to solve The
| problem is to combine the State university
] and State Agricultural college into one
} school The only alternative which seems
| feasible is that of placing both schools
| under the same board of regents.