The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-07-09
PRICE EXPLAINS
HIS RETIREMENT
Lifts Veil from Management of
Ohio State University

Retiring Dean Tells Farmers How
Politics Is Responsible For Part Of
Trouble-Willis Wing, Noted Alfalfa
Man, Says Agricultural Students
Are Disseminated Against by Uni
Versity Management.
Columbus. - Is. ecial.) - The fact
that farmers of Ohio are commencing
to take an increased interest in the
affairs of the college Of agriculture of
Ohio State university, and not only OF
the college in particular, but of the
university in general, as result Of
what has come to be known as the
Dean Price case" is being more and
more impressed on official circles in
Columbus. This interest is crystalliz
ing into what promises to be con
2erted demand for larger farmer rep
resentation on the board of trustees of
the university, which demand has just
been voiced to Governor Willis in an
open letter, published in the Ohio
State Journal, from Willis O. Wing OF
Mechanicsburg.
Ohio State university was founded
as a college of agriculture, but that
fact seemed to have been overlooked
by university authorities until Dean
Price took charge of the college about
twelve years ago. 1t was not until
that time that the college Of agricul
ture commenced to grow. Dean Price
did not content himself with working
only in the schoolroom, with the 200
or 300 boys then in attendance at the
college. Instead ne worked both in
side and outside the schoolroom; he
fought for the college day in and day
out, until last school year the number
of students under him was more than
1900 and the college occupied third
place of all such colleges in the coun'
try.
Dean Price even went so far as to
go to the legislature to tell members
that the college was not getting the
money which its growth demanded
and he succeeded in getting $4,000
which was badly needed. For this ne
was called before the university trus-
tees and scolded, and this was prob
ably one of the reasons for the Eric
tion" because of which Dean Price
was denoted by the board this spring.
Statements lrreconcilabIe.
Dean Prices friends never accepted
the explanations given for his dismis-
sal, one being that while he was a
good teacher ne did not possess the
executive ability necessary in a dean.
The deans friends find it impossible
to reconcile this statement with the
known fact that the college, under
Professor Prices management, has
made such unprecedented strides in
the educational world.
There is another explanation given
which many friends of the university
think more plausible. 1t has been
stated from the university that there
was talk about two years ago of de-
noting Dean Price and giving him a
professorship. Now it was just about
two years ago that under the leader
ship Of Governor Cox the legislature
passed the agricultural bill which
placed all agricultural matters in the
state under one board, in order to
prevent duplication of work and con
sequent duplication Of expense with
out adequate return. This bill made
the dean of the agricultural college a
member of the state board of agricul-
ture.
University authorities opposed this
bill; and it is charged that at least a
part of this opposition came from
President Thompson, for the reason
that he was somewhat miffed at the
honor shown the dean of the agricul-
tural college. 1t was his opinion, il
was said, that If such honors were to
be handed around at the university,
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