The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-29
Only One Bone of Contention Is
Found.
ENGINEERING SCHOOL.
New One at Manhattan Causes
Jealousy at X. U.
Chancellor Strong Says Schools
Should Be Under One Head.

OF the state institutions of higher edu- |
cation held Tuesday afternoon at the |
office of Governor Hoch.
First-There is no lack of harmony |
with the State Normal school.
Second-The fuss is all between the
state university and State Agricultural
college.
Third-The chief source of difficulty
between these two schools is the desire
of the agricultural college to put in
an engineering course and the fear
Of the state university that such a
course will detract from the import
ance of the university school of engi-
neerinS.
Fourth-The frank statement of
Chancellor Strong of the state univer-
sity that the state university and state
agricultural college ought to be under
one management in order to attain the
highest development Of the great mod
ern university idea. He did not think
anything would be gained by placing
the state normal in such combina-
ton.
Before adjourning after being in ses-
sion from 2 o'clock till $50 in the af-
ternoon, the meeting gave Governor
Hoch vote of thanks for calling the
conference, decided to hold another
meeting later in the summer, and auth
| orlzed the governor to appoint two
committees, one to consider the legal
phases of the relations between the in
stitutions, and one to consider ques-
tions of management and conflict Of
courses.
William Allen Whites solution.
William Allen White made one of
| the most practical talks of the entire
session. He said:
1.-The whole source of this Jealousy
and antagonism comes in the granting
| of degrees. We ought to fix things so
| that no two of our state institutions
of higher learning can grant the same
| degree. That will do away with all this
| trouble.
| For example, the regents of the
ESTATE normal have three normal schools
and Pittsburg. There is no jealousy
| or rivalry between these three normals
| because each has it's own work, and
| do not attempt to grant the same de-
grees. The Hays normal does not Of
| fer the same degrees which may be at
| tanned at Emporia, and the Pittsburg
normal offers degrees in manual train
| ing only.
I'VE should arrange things so that
| the state university, state agricultural
| college and state normal will be on the
| same sort of plan. Neither of these
schools should grant the same kind of
| a degree granted at one of the other
| schools We might have a coordinate
committee selected from the boards of
regents of the three schools to fix this
up Or we might centralize the three
| boards; that is, merge them into one
| board. For my part, 1 favor the CEN
| tralization plan. However, we can ap-
| point the committee and get the thing
| lined up without any change in the
| present state law. This is the way to
| straishten out the difficulty. The clash
all comes in the granting OF degrees,
not in the course of study offered"
Meeting a Success.
On the whole the meeting was a
success, and probably will result IN
better relations between the schools
Some funny things happened. There
| evidently had been no preliminary
| conferences to outline the course of
the discussion, for the various speak
ers clashed violently on their state
| ment of facts. One speaker would
admit frankly that there was Jealousy
pickering, and animosity between the
schools; the next speaker would as
sert positively that there never had
been a sigh of a clash, that the pres
ent system of management of each
institution is ideal, and that every
thing should be left exactly as at
present.
Governor Hoch called upon J. w.
Gleed, regent of the university, to ex-
plain why the university is dabblfng
with buttermilk, laundry and bread
making Investigations; why it has
tried to exterminate chinch bugs and
green bugs, and why it has a tendency
to slop over into normal work.
Mr. Gleed explained that some big
manufacturing concern had estab-
Ished a fund to pay for investiga-
tions concerning the by-products of
J buttermi1k, and that the 1nVestlga-
tions are being made entirely without
expense to the state. He said the
! same was true with regard to laundry
| work and breadmaking He said that
the fact that the university had Pror.
Snow, the greatest entomolog1st In
the state in its faculty had made II
the natural center for "bug" investi-
cations.
fassed "I will have to admit that all
of these things really belong to the
state Agricultural college"
s.Do YOU consider" asked Cover
nor Hoch ssthat the State Agricultural
college fulfills the requirements of the
! constitution concerning agricul-
tural department for the university
) mo. I can't say that 1 do" replied
Mr. Gieed. "In fact, think that we
are in rebellion against the constitu-
tion.'
member Of the Agricultural college
trustees to explain why that school
; is spending 100000 on an engineer
y ing school when the State university
has lust completed a very large and
extensive building for the same pur-
j pose.
for the agricultural college. and ex
: plained that the grant made by thu
, ! Government required that mechanica
n arts be taught at the State Agricu!
!. tural college. He said he didn't critl
else the university aed for teacntne 1hae tn, tn
.eric,,lfural college should have tn,