The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-10-08
When Presidents Of State In
stitutions Meet Next Week
Marshall Will Have interest
ing Data.
IS EXPENSE TO STATE
ENTIRELY TOO MUCH?
Marshall for Some Time Has
Thought Per Capita Cost at
State Institutions Was Ex-
ceSSive One.
palladium Specially


Indianapolis. Oct. S.-When the
presidents of the state and non-state
colleges of Indiana come to this city
next week for a conference with Gov
ernor Marshall on the question of the
cost Of operating the institutions they
will find that the governor has col
lected a large amount of very inter-
esting Information on that subject
which he will lay before them. The
governor has for long time had the
idea that 1t was costing too much per
capita to educate the students in the
state schools of higher education. He
has never cast any reflections on the
quality of the work done at these in
situations which are supported by the
state, but he has picked up the no
ton that they have been duplicating
their work to some extent and that
this, in measure, was responsible
for q part of the cost of educating the
students.
To Consider a Plan.
tanning the actual cost and of ascer-
tanning also whether there could not
be q plan worked out by which the
work of the three state institutions,
Indiana University, Purdue and the
State Normal could be so arranged
as to reduce the per capita cost OF
maintaining the institutions and at the
same time keep the work up to the
present high standard. He asked the
heads Of these three institutions and
the presidents of the non-state
schools, such as Depauw, Earlham,
Franklin, Hanover and others, to meet
with him next week In this city and
consider this matter. They were ask
ed to bring with them figures show
ing what 1t costs per capita to educate
their students. In this way the gov
ernor hopes to reach some kind of
conclusion as to whether the state is
paying too much for its schools.
Soon after the conference was call
ed. the governor instructed Mark
Thistlethwaite, his private secretary.
to write to the state schools of sew
eral other states and ask them for
III
ance per capita. Not all Of the states
answered, but most of them did, and
the figures they sent in are interest
ing. They were asked to give the
cost of operation per year for each
student enrolled, as we'll as the price
charged per year for students from
outside the state. 1t has been point
ed out that students from other states
come into Indiana and receive their
education in the institutions main
tanned by the state without paying
what they should pay for such educa-
ton. In other words. there are said
to be something like 500 students from
outside the state that are being edu-
Gated at the expense of the taxpayers
of Indiana. This was one matter that
Governor Marshall wishes to look in
to also.
Estimate Of Cost.
An estimate made some time ago
showed that 1t was costing about 1925
per capita per year to run the three
Indiana institutions of higher educa-
ton. while the grade schools cost
only about $3.50 year for each pu-
pill. This surprising difference set a
good many people to thinking.
It Is understood now, however that
a more careful estimate has been
made and the matter has been con-
sidered by the authorities in all of
its phases, and that it has been found
that the per capita cost of the three
institutions runs about $3.50 a year.
This figure will compare very favor
ably with the cost reported by most
OF the other states.
For instance, the per capita cost at
the University of California is $241,
and each outside student pays an
annual charge Of $50.
The University of Missouri main
tains two schools. The one at Co
lumbia, Mo-. has a per capita cost of
$3.50 and the school of mines, at Rolla
costs $341 per capita per year. At
each school the outside student pays
$50 year.