The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-23
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Mk5 AND MOzES

Valley City Times Record: The
Bismarck Tribune and The Fargo
News are devoting not a little of their
space to discussion of the so-called
board OF control" management for the
educa tional institutions of the state.
1t is not clear from these discussions
that the editors of these papers clearly
understand the exact nature OF the
consolidated management of state in
stitutions. There are two distinct
plans for such management, one which
contemplates the educational manage
ment, the former is the board of con-
troll proper and the other is simply a
common board of regents. Minnesota
has board of control which manages
the financial affairs of the state i'm
stitutions, but leaves the educational
administration to institutional boards,
while in South Dakota and Iowa there
is a common board of regents for all
state institutions. It is proposed in
North Dakota to place both the finan-
cial and educational control of all edu-
cationaI institutions in the hands of a
board of control. While at first glance
this would seem a most admirable ar
sideration, there is grave doubt as to
its advantages.
In the first place an erroneous i'm
preston has gone out over the state
that the heads of the educational in
situations are determined to defeat such
measure. At their recent confer
ence in this city. it was the concensus
of opinion that the educators were
willing to run thelE respective insti
tutions as the people of the state
willed. but after careful consideration
which lasted an entire day, they failed
to find anything in the proposed board
which commended itself to them as
likely to increase the efficiency of the
educational system of the state. While
it was the concensus of opinion that
the board of control would be most
undesirable for the state educational
institutions. no action was taken and
the whole matter will be more fully
considered at a meeting called TO meet
early next month in Fargo at which
not only the presidents of the state in
stitutions will be present, but the MEM
bers of the various boards. 1t is prob
able that at this meeting some action
mendations to the legislature.
| While there may be sound arguments
| In favor of financial board OF con-
troll for state institutions. there are
| absolu tely none for common board
of regents to shape the policies of the
various departments OF the education
al Institutions. There is as wide a
difference between the management OF
an agricultural college and normal
school as there is between the man
agement of woodward and printing
| office The proposed board of regents
! is quite as practical as 1t would be tc
| place the management OF the First
National bank OF this city, the People
Fuel Co, Algeo's meat market, Gray's
department store and The Times Rec
ord Printing Co. under. the manage
ment OF one board of directors IN
/ Minnesota the plan was tried under the
most favorable conditions and was
abandoned as vicious although the fl
1 nancial control is retained under the
new law by q single board. One has
| but to turn to South Dakota to be con
WINGED Of the failure of the control oil
state educational institutions by a SIM
gle board. While their institutions are
I quite as old as those of North Dakota
they do not compare in any way with
those Of their sister state. While ouI
! own normal, the state university and
| agricultural college have nation wide
reputation, the corresponding institu-
tions in South Dakota are feeble AND
all but unknown For a great state
Iowa's educational institutions are fan
inferior to her much younger sister