Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1917-04-13
MORRIS TAKES STEPS
FOR JUNIOR COLLEGE
First Two Years of University Glass
Work to be Taught Here to Be-
gin Next Year
MAY ADD JUNIOR H. S.
School Board Votes for Consolidated
School Districts Provides Trans
portation

Morris is to have junior college.
The school board at their meeting
Thursday night of last week on the
suggestion of Supt. Simonds decided
to establish a two years course OF
study that will include essential
courses now offered by the School Of
Science, Literature and the Arts, Of
the University of Minnesota during
the freshmen and sophomore years.
This will mean that after the boys
and girls of Morris have been gradu-
ated from the regular four year high
school course, they may enter the
Junior college and having completed
the two years work offered will be
able to enter the state university as
minors d
The plan has been urged by Presi-
dent Vincent for several years be-
cause of the congested conditions in
the freshmen and sophomore classes
at the University of Minnesota. While
President Vincent was here recently
he gave his unqualified approval
of the plan for a Junior college at
Morris. Morris is the educational
center for West Central Minnesota"
he said, "and a junior college is
needed for this part of the state and
Morris is the logical location"
There are at the present three
cities in Minnesota that have junior
colleges. "In these cities, namely,
Jackson, Rochester and Cloquet, the
plan has proved very satisfactory"
said Supt. Simonds. "They have
been approved by the investigating
committee of the University of Min
lnesota, and their scholastic stand
ards have been sufficiently high to
admit the graduates to the state uni
versity as juniors of good standing.
A tuition of 5000 per year is paid by
each pupil and this sum is sufficient
to maintain the cost of added in
struction. The only cost to these
school districts is a small sum for
laboratory and library equipment"
There is at present a bill before
the state legislature for state aid in
establishing Junior colleges" con-
tinued Supt. Simonds, "but if this
is not decided definitely at the pres
ent session, NORRIS will adopt the
plan of Rochester and Cloquet and
charge 5000 tuition for each pupil,
if a minimum number of ten high
school graduates can be obtained to
take the junior college work. Ten
seniors of the Morris High School
have already signif1ed their willing
ness to me to take the work next
year. There should be several from
the towns of the vicinity"
"The plan for a junior college
work is the greatest step Norris has
made in educational progress since
the establishment of the University
farm school here" said Judge George
Beise, member of the school board.
''There are great number of adj
vantages offered by such an institu-
tion. The individual instruction,
the great saving by living at home,
the increased interest in educational
lines and the created desire to con-
tinue a college course, the wedding
out of the drones and the workers
are only a few of the principal ad-
vantages," said Mr.. Beise. "a Junior
college at Morris should draw stud
ents from all parts of West Central
Minnesota"
In some of the first and second
year classes at the state anniversary
there are 100 to $50 students in one
classroom. There is no possibility
of recitation in such instances. The
first year f1edgling loses his identity.
His ability as a student is based
wholly by the examination paper. It
is easy for him to lose his interest
and then the inevitable blue slip in
dicating a failure in class work
is received and he comes back home
with story about getting sick.
Every student must be given the
chance for expression. For every inn
preston there should be an express
sion, is the opinion of Supt. Simonds.
Expression creates an interest and
the memory retains the thought that
was expressed. A junior college is
a school Of expression; the large,
overcrowded classes at the state uni
versity are schools of impression.
The school board also passed fav-
orably on Supt. Simonds' plan for q
Junior high school, embracing the
Seventh, Eighth grades and the
Freshmen year Of High School.
These grades would be supervised by
; a principal with disciplinary control
. and each teacher of the junior high