The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-07-18
SOMETHING TO THINK OVER.

1
| SOMETHING TO THINK OVER.
| The State University of Florida
land the State College for Women at
Tallahassee are supervised by the
state board of control and have made
splendid progress under the reorgan-
| 1zatlon of 1905. In a recent issue of
the ST. Augustine Record, a warning
mote is sounded as to the possibility
OF these two institutions degenerating
into small colleges instead of great
| universities, which they have every
right to become. Both rate with the
highest colleges in the country.
A summary of the lengthy editorial
| in the Record gives the following
| facts: The enrolment in these two
| institutions has increased 900 per
cent, but the states support of the
| University and of the Woman's Col
lege has not been commensurate with
the growth of either, nor with the
needs of the times and the ability of
the state. AT the university in par
t1cular the time has come when the
state must decide whether it desires
to have a small institution of narrow
scope and poor opportunities or to
supply the necessary resources for a
There is need of more dormitory
room and the dining-room is made
quate. There is no auditorium at the
university where commencements may
be held and where the greatly in
creased number of students may meet
for chapel, and where conventions,
such as the Citrus Seminar, the Cat
tlernanS Round Up, etc, may have a
comfortable meeting place.
The Experiment Station staff and
the faculties of the several colleges
OF the university need to be aug
mented. The same number of teach
ers that were expected to teach four
hundred students are now expected to
teach eight hundred. The Experiment
Station staff of five or six men, with
few laboratory assistants, are ex-
pected to make Investigations of new
problems in farm crops, citrus Gull
ture, cattle and swine raising and the
like, in addition to the sugar cane and
pecan growing and other industries.
Unless the state comes to the aid of
the institution and increases its on
Grating fund, the state may lose some
OF the best men on the faculty and
at the Experiment Station. A few
years ago a plant pathologist making
ton was called to California at a sal
airy of $4,000. The chair of electrical
engineering in the college of engineer
ing at the university has been filled
twice during the last session, the in
cumbent being called to other fields
with great advance in salary each
time.
The salary of full professor at the
University of Georgia is $4,000; at the
University of North Carolina it is the
same; the University of South Caro-
lima pays $1,000 and furnishes a resi-
dence; the University of Texas pays
$4,000; the University of Virginia.
$4,000; Mississippi A. and M. Col
lege pays $4,000; Georgia School of
Technology pays $4,000, while the
presidents of all of these institutions
receive from $500 to $1,000. A full
professor at the University of Flor
ida is paid $4,000, while it's president
receives only $4,000.
The assessed valuation of the state
of Mississippi is little over $780,
100000 on a one hundred per cent ba-
sis, while F'lorida's assessment yaIua-
ton of a so per cent basis is $780,,
100000 making Florida weather. than
Mississippi. Yet the legislature of
AAiooiSSippI save 91,1Io,UtoO4 TO her
state university for operating ex-
penses for the next two years and the |
same state gave to the A. and M. |
college, which is separate institu-
ton, an appropriation of $1,457 ,064. |
The total appropriations for all state |
institutions in Mississippi for the |
next two years is $3,529, 479.64. The |
legislature of the state of Mississippi |
during it's recent session appropriated |
more money to the state university |
and the state A. and M. college than
Florida has given to it's two institu-
tions-the university and the state
college for women-during the past |
fifteen years. The total for the fiji
teen years from January /, 1905, to |
December 81, 1919 expended on the
state college for Women is $1,0SS,-
9S4.39. The total amount expended
on state university for current ex-
penses and permanent improvements
is even less, the exact amount being
81, 027, $3.50.
At the next session the state leg
islature will be urged to make an ap-
for these two splendid in
situations of learning commensurate
with their rating, which ranks with
the best colleges of country.