Evening star., 1915-02-14
UNIVERSITY ON WHEELS
A MINNESOTA NOVELTY
Lecturers and Educators With En-.
tertainers Travel About the
State Each Year.

How a university goes on the road,
how It makes the town halls it's lecture
rooms and the entire state its campus.
giving the public q week of varied
and entertainment. is told by
Richard r. Price. director. general ex-
tension division of tho University of
Minnesota, in an article written ex-
for the Survey press service.
This institution of university
week" tour of small towns. bringing to
them lectures by professors and scien-
lists. glee club concerts and college
dramatics. with the professors and
students fraternizing with tho people
to their mutual betterment, Is described
in detail
The Survey service. which supplies
this article, is an organization whose
purpose is to find out and interpret the
facts of working and living conditions
and to promote Intelligent effort for
social advance.
Two School Systems.
Mr.. Prices article follows:
There are two ways Of conducting a
school. a college or a university. One
way is to buy a site. build buildings.
hire faculty and invite the students
to come. The other way is to pick up
your faculty and go where the students
are. The wisely managed institution
does both of these things.
Likewise. there are two ways in
which the people who support a state
university may find out what 1t is do
ing and what they are getting for their
money. One way is to read the annual
q hu1 of "A
institution, make occasional visits to
the campus and observe the kind of
young people who are being graduated
year after year. The other way is to
have selected members Of the faculty
and student body spend a week every
year in each of a number of towns scat
tered over the state, meeting with the
citizens, delivering popular and scien-
tific lectures. putting on plays. giving
concerts and having good fellowship.
State as Campus.
Both of these plans are good, and
the states that get the most out of
their universities have both plans in
practical operation. Such a state is
Minnesota, and its method of carrying
out the second or more novel plan of
university is a scheme of visitation
now well established under the name
of university weeks
The University of Minnesota has a
apolis and st. Paul. There it teaches
the students who come to 1t prepared
to devote four years or more to study.
But the university weeks are part of
an extension service whose campus is
the state itself
What is a university weekT The
best answer is to tell you concretely
what happened last June
During the first two weeks of June,
1914, twenty-four Minnesota towns
popular lectures, scientific demonstra-
uons. health talks. vocal and instru-
mental concerts, dramatic reading and
plays.
University Week Program.
IN programs were given every aft
ernoon and evening. In one typical
town, for instance. the evening pro-
gram ran as follows:
Monday, a debate between two
squads of students from the university,
introduced by a half-hour program
of vocal and instrumental music. Tues
day. Pinero's play. Sweet Lavender"
put on by dramatic club of students
from the university. Wednesday, an
illustrated lecture by Ernest Harold
Baynes of New Hampshire on "Our
y
the Glee Club. Friday, lecture on
liquid air, with experiments and DEM
onstrations, by a professor from the
Saturday, a concert by a
comprising yiolinist, pianist and vo
calist.
Participants in Work.
Not all the participants were mem
bers of the faculty. The resources of
the university were used so far as they
would go, and then recourse was had
to professional readers, musicians, lee
turers and entertainers. Many of the
instrumental performers were members
of the Minneapolis Symphony Or
chestra.
Twice during the week. at each
town, business men at luncheon heard
a speaker provided to discuss some
subject of interest to commercial
clubs or business men in general
The way in which SO many towns
were reached in two weeks was by an
arrangement of circuits. During the
first week twelve towns were ar
ranged In two circuits of six towns
each. Two complete sets of s,x-day pro-
grams then had to be prepared, so that
the two circuits of six towns each
might be run simultaneously. On each
town became the Tuesday program of
the next town, and SO on progressive
ly through the six days, so that eacn
town in turn received the six pro-
grams, but on different days of the
week.
When the two circuits of he first
week Were completed. the whole
scheme was transferred to Another
part of the state for the second week,
and the same operation for two circuits
was repeated. In this way twenty-four
towns were reached in the .wo weeks
and each one had a six-day program.
During the two weeks l35 different
persons were employed.
Costs of Plan.
Each town was required to con-
tribute S32o for the weeks program
and also to supply the meeting place
and to take care OF local arrange
nents. including local printing For
he 1925 the University supplied the
and paid their railroad and
lotel expenses, furnished the adver-
Using matter in the way of bills.
posters and banners, as well as the !
tickets, and provided Il manager to |
ook after the details and conduct the |