Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-30
MT.PLEAsANT men
BOOST COLLEGE
COMMERCIAL CLUB CONSIDERS
WESLEYAN TOWNS
BEST ASSET.

Mt. Pleasant, April 29.-Without
doubt the most important step ever
taken by the commercial club Of this
! city, was inaugurated last evening
when that organization pledged the
whole strength of its weight and In
fiuence towards the upbuliding of Iowa
| Wesleyan college, strictly as bust
ness factor of general good to the
town, county and community. An
advisory committee Of thirty of the
!: most prominent business and profess
sional men of the city was appointed
| by the club to boost and facilitate the
new movement.
The question of the improvement
and maintenance Of the college is to
subordinate any other proposition,
and the city of Mt Pleasant will sup
port it in preference to factories and
other commercial enterprises. 1t has
been estimated by careful statistics,
compiled for some months. that the
students who come here from out OF
town, the families which move here
to take advantage of the college, and
the local students who enroll instead
Of going elsewhere as would be the
case if 1t were not for the college,
coupled with the annual budget of the
institution that nearly a quarter of a
million of dollars are put in circula-
ton annually here directly by the
college.
Satisfies prove chat the average
minimum expenditure of nonresident
students, exclusive of tuition amounts
during the nine months to three hun
dred and fifty dollars. The CONNER
cial club will Immediately start a
campaign, and a competent commit
tee has been appointed for this pur-
pose to increase the enrolment in the
next two years by one hundred. This
will bring and put into circulation
$35, 900 annually.
After struggling with milestone of
debt ever since its inception over
seventy years ago the college has at
last freed itself of this burden, and
1t Is the plan of the commercial club
to see that it does not get in that con-
dition again. Until all the endowment
is productive and to meet urgent re-
pairs a sustaining fund of $4,000 per
annum for Ave years must be raised.
The commercial club will guarantee
sixty per cent of this. while the officers
of the college will secure the rest IN
the conference.
The state of Iowa requires that by
1916 to remain in class A, Iowa Wes-
leyan must have an income of $685.
900 exclusive of tuition and fees. Ten
thousand dollars of this was guaran-
teed by the Iowa conference. The
endowment will produce practically
another $4,000 and it is the plan to
raise an additional 100000 of endow-
ment to secure the remaining $4,000.
The major portion of this will come
from Mt. Pleasant and Henry county.
A most extensive building program
was mapped out and the campaign
for funds will be started in short
time. The chapel building, which is
one of the finest in the state, will be
completely overhauled and redecorat-
ed. The other building will be re-
paired and a new library building,
science hall and school of agriculture
will be built within the next tN ,
years. The growth of the college in
the past eight years has been remark,
able, and the citizens of this city and
county are going to make Wesleyan
the best equipped minor college in the
state. Eight years ago the college
faced an $4,000 debt. no endowment,
and a collegiate enrolment of seven
ty-four Since that time the debt has
been liquidated, nearly three hundred
thousand dollars of endowment has
been raised and the enrolment in
creased to over the three hundred
mark. Too much credit cannot be
given DR.. Schell as president for the
~ ~, VII h1o chewing