The Washington herald., 1920-10-11
COLLEGE GAINS
RAISE PROBLEM
How to Meet Demand for
Higher Education Stirs
Discussion.
VAST EXPANSION NEED
Chairman Barnes, Institute
For Public Service, Offers
Data to President.
VAST EXPANSION NEED

which colleges and universities must
now be preparing the Institute for
Public Service will issue today a sum-
mary for 210 colleges and universi-
ties which shows for the third year
before the war, the third year after
and the year 1917, the number of
students in college and professional
courses excluding summer and ex-
tension classes. The summary shows
also what the registration will be
in 1880 and 1850 II the growth of the
last six years is continued. These
colleges which in 1914 had $4,000
students and last year $4,000 will
have 471.000 in 1880 and $4,000 In
1850 IL they continue the same num-
Der increase each year; IL they keep
on growing at the average percent
age rate Of the last six years they
will have $4,000 in 1880 and 1,13s,-
900 in 1850.
The cooperative study which
these figures summarize was pro-
posed last July by Julius H. Barnes,
chairman of the Institute for Public
Service. In writing to college pres
idents he offered to have all returns
compiled and increases estimated for
1880 and 1850 "to help both support
ers andbenefciaries OF higher edu-
cation estimate the promise of great
er national efficiency and greater So
cial justice to which these estimates
may apply"
Demand for Education.
In giving out the summary Mr..
Barnes said in part: Comparable
returns have come from 210 colleges
and universities Of which ffty-eight
are supported from taxes, endow-
ments and fees and 152 from prf-
vate contributions, endowments and
fees. The publicly supported insti-
tutions include most of the State
universities and many Of the agrt-
cultural and engineering colleges,
while the private Institutions in
clude Columbia, Temple, Northwest
ern, Pennsylvania, Cornell, Harvard
George Washington, Southern Cali
fornia Georgetown, Tulane, Johns
Hopkins, Smith, Tufts, Western Re
serve, Princeton, Drake, Dartmouth
Oberlin, Brown, Vassar, Mount
Holyoke, Lehigh, Knox, Carleton
Swarthmore, etc. The demand for
higher education which is reflected
in these returns is representative
Increases have not depended upon
location, size or public support.
Nor does the war explain the
growth from $4,000 to $4,000 in
six years, for the rate of increase
in the largest public universities
was identically the same in the
three years before the war as In
the three years following the war
while in the privately supported
universities having over 1000 stu
dents the Increase was greater II
the three years before the war thar
IN the three years following the
war. In other words, the problem
which confronts the country has Il
do with an attitude toward highei
education which requires far NOR,
extensive development Of facilitie!
than educational statesmanship o
either public or private institutions
has heretofore felt safe in proposing
and promoting.
Increases Break Records
IF there are any forces at wori
which will make higher education
seem less desirable in the futur'
they are not yet apparent On thu
contrary, reports from all over tn,
country indicate that this years
increases break all records. Tht
six-year increase since 1914 is equa
to IS institutions the size of Colum
bia in 1914 or 100 colleges the siz'
of Vassar. Taking the lower esti
mate for 1900, it means finding
facilities over three times the tota
for 1920 at six or seven times tn
salary cost; 1t means adding $4,000
students or 200 colleges the size o
Yale last year, 50 universities tn
size of California, 400 colleges tn
size of Oberlin, ovor 1000 colleges
the size of Williams, lao college
the size of Bryn Mawr. Even Il
these 210 colleges arrange to ad
vance to 1,13s,000 they will hav
reached only a small fraction o.
high school graduates.
will the money come from taxa
ton, endowment. private gifts ant
larger fees? VIII some plan of de
fcrred payments be found by which
students, out of graduation earn
ings will pay the full cost of edu
eating themselves? Where will thu
throngs be housed? Must present
universities grow or more univer
stiles be built? VIII higher edu,
cation be taken to or near all per
sons who have the ability and the
ambition for il through junior col
leges and extension courses or will
college education be denied to thos,
who cannot afford to leave homt
while acquiring it, What. II any
radical changes must be made il
purposes and requirements? Thes,
and similar questions cannot bt
answered until employers, parent,
and educators have thoroughly dis
cussed them. To STIMULATE such dis
cussion comment and proposals b,
educational leaders are invited"
OF 30 Institutions only fourteen
had fewer students than six year,
ago, losing all told ssS students. II
percentage growth twenty-eight In