The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1915-12-09
CHANCELLOR ELECT
EDWARD G. ELLIOTT
(By H. A. Davee. }


been more or less uncertainty about
affairs in connection with the insti-
buttons of higher learning. Just
what or where the fault lies is not
material in this discussion. Some
thing has been at fault The State
Board of Education has all this time
been DESTROYS of unifying the educa-
tional interests of this state and de.
velOping each institution to that ex-
tent and along those lines which
will enable it to give the greatest
service to the state. The board how
1 ever, does not claim Instability, nor
does it claim to know in every in
i stance just what the state has a
right to expect of it's institutions Of
higher learning. What is more the
board can not meet often enough to
give these institutions the intelligent
attention which they should receive.
The individual members of the
board are not in position to be-
come we'll informed on problems of
higher education, neither do they
have time or authority, even if
they possess the ability, to act when
the board is not in session. For
these reasons and for many others
the board has for some time felt
the compelling necessity of having
an expert in educational administ-
tration to help in outlining and car
rying into execution an educational
policy for this great state while it's
educational institutions are still
in the formative period of their de-
velopment.
The Leighton Law passed in 1913
authorized the board to employ
such an expert under the designa-
ton of Chancellor of The University
of Montana. The board at it's June
meeting appointed special COM
lnittee to look about in the educa
tional world for suitable person
to fill this position. 1t is needless
to say that the board had dozens of
applicants from men who were anx
ious for the position. The COM
mittee, however, did not confine it's
inquiries to those who applied. It
sought other men, and among the
latter list, and the first on the list
was DR.. Edward G. Elliott, head of
the department of education of the
University of Wisconsin. who was
elected at special meeting of the
board on October 18th.
The board is indeed fortunate to
secure man so peculiarly fitted for
this work as DIR. Elliott. Some of
the things which qualify him for
this great work are these:
1. He is western man and ap-
preciates western life, having spent
his early career on the plains of Ne
braska, where he secured his ele-
mentary and secondary education
and later graduated from the state
| no;< l.
taught in Nebraska and later in Col
orado where he was superintendent
of the city schools at Leadville for
several years. He also travelled and
lectured extensively in the west,
having filled lecture engagements
in practically every western state,
all of which has given him a very
comprehensive knowledge of west
ern life and western institutions
2. He is peculiarly fitted for this
work because of his preparation.
One of the essential qualifications
for a position of this character is
that the person filling it shall know
the scientific method of investiga-
ton and of dealing with problems
DR.. Elliott can qualify in this partic-
ular for he was trained as an ex-
pert chemist and taught chemistry
in the university some years. Since
then he has made a thorough study
of problems of education to which
he has been able to supply the scien-
tific method. He took his doctors
degree at Columbia in Education
and was an assistant professor in
this work in that institution. He
has specialized in problems of edu-
cational administration and knows
the details of school administration
from the ground up.
3. His experience covers all lines
of school work. He has been a
high school principal, city super
intendent, an assistant professor, a
full professor, and now is head of
one of the largest departments in
the University of Wisconsin, the de-
partment of education. In this de-
partment he is also director of the
course for the training of teachers,
and in connection with this work he
has organized and equipped the
Wisconsin High School, one of the
largest and most complete UNIVERSE
ty high schools for the training of
teachers in the country. He also
takes leading part in some of the
most noted school surveys in the
country, among which are the New
York City survey and the Vermont
School survey, which included the
system of elementary, secondary
and higher education in that state.
He is therefore familiar with all
lines and departments of school
work and is not likely to emphasize
the value of one department and one
school over that of another because
of q lack of knowledge Of, or SYM
pathy with the work of other
schools and departments.
4. He is a young man, not yet
forty-one, just in the prime of life
with his best years left to give to
the work in this state.
8. He has the support of all
leading educators in this country.
Just to quote from the last letter