Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-12-02


standpoint, has been already fully
demonstrated. That it is eXtrava-
! CANT and wasteful from an eco
nomic standpoint is equally true.
The people--who pay the bills
are not getting their moneys worth
and from this angle the problem
cannot be passed over by this COM
| mission"
The commission declares that it
is not narrow and bgOted in its
view nor ]. IS unsympathetic to-
ward education. "On the contrary
we are fully convinced that an eff
] fective reorganization and console
! dation of some of our Institutions
would not only result in lessening
their cost to the taxpayers but in
greatly increasing their efficiency
as educational establishments"
Recommend Changes.
The following adjustments are
! recommended in the report %
the consolidation of the university,
the college Of agriculture and me-
chanic arts and the school Of mines,
and (2). the transfer Of the func-
| tons of the Spanish American
/ Normal school at El Rito to the
| Normal university at Las Vegas.
AS TO whether there should be
| further consolidation of normal
schools should be a subject of
careful investigation.
| Taking up the first group of
three, including the university, ag-
ricultural college and school Of
mines. the commission shows that
their combined property is worth
! $l,79S.401.42. Their lands are
valued at over s2,000,000, As to
enrolment, the university last year
had 2S4. the school of mines 90,
| and the college of agriculture and
mechanic arts, 4S7. OF the total
| of S61, 400 are listed as of college
grade, 2S4 at the university. l42 at
the college of agriculture and 70
at the school Of mines. The num-
Der of college students at the COM
bined three schools has increased
40 per cent in the last three years,
| About 30 per cent were from
| outside the county in which each
! institution was located but within
New Mexico in 1916. but in 1920,
| the percentage at the university
was 32. the agricultural college so
and the school of mines II. Stu
dents from outside the state COM
prise 18 per cent of the univer-
sity's enrolment in 1920, 25 per
cent of the college of agriculture
and 40 per cent OF the school Of
mines.
The gross cost of maintenance
per student at the university in
1916 was $440; at the college, $500,
and at The School of Mines, 81, 100.
In all three institutions similar
courses are offered in mathematics,
physics, chemistry, the various
branches of engineering and to n
certain extent in English and Span
ish.
Few in Courses.
In 1916, at the university, of the
| 216 courses given As per cent had
five or fewer students enrolled, 20
per cent had six to 10 students and
rs per cent had more than 10. AT
the college, zoe courses were Civ
en-, Al per cent to five or fewer %
! per cent to from six to 10, and 80
( per cent above 10. At the School
of Mines, &c courses were given, of
which So per cent had fewer than
| five pupils, A per cent from six to
! 0, and only per cent had above
/ ten.
"By combining these three" says
! the commission, IAN institution of
respectable proportion can be built
] up with competent course of in
struetors and body of enthusiastic
students. The overhead expense
can be greatly reduced, The
amount required for salaries may
be as much as a third less than at
present and still provide amply for
sufficient instructors and adequate
salaries. Duplication will of course
be eliminated as well also as the
Duplication of buildings and equip
ments. If the consolidated school
shall be placed at a central point,
7 there will be a material saving in
travelling expenses of the students
and for the institution"
+ After proposing the merging of
the Eel Rito normal school with the
Normal university at Las Vegas, II
is suggested that the four years of
high school and two Of college
would be sufficient, and that the
third and fourth years of college
might be eliminated. For such ad-
vanced work. the commission sug-
gests that teachers attend the uni
versity, where courses suited will
be found in the department of ed
ucation.
The same recommendation rela-
tive to the third and fourth years
of college is made In reference to
tho Military Institute.
Commissions Program.
The commissions program Is
therefore,:
/. The consolidation of the Uni
versity, the Agricultural college,
ana the School of Mines into one
institution.
2. The consolidation of the three
normal schools into one or posi-
bly, two normal schools.
8. The creation of a new board
to be called the institutional ana
/ land board to manage the lands
and act as a consolidated board OF
regents,
4 A. The abolition of the office OF
I commissioner Of public lands.
4 5. The creation of new board
to be known as the penal and re-
form board to control the peniten-
tiary, the reform school and the IN
sane asylum and the abolition OF
the present separate boards