The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-11-15
FOR
| MEN IN The ARMY
Iowa Colleges are Participating in the
War Departments Scheme to
Encourage Members of Army
to Get Education.
IN FORMATIVE STAGE
Plans for Advanced Education for
Soldiers in Regular Fighting
Forces are Not Completed
Yet-Start Soon.
FORMATIVE STAGE

! WASHINGTON, d. c., Eov. Is
Participation by Iowa colleges in the
war departments scheme to encour-
age members OF the United States
army to gain thorough educations
has been pledged by nine OF the
Hawkeye educational institutions, the
war department has been informed.
| Under the war department scheme
made possible by the ready co-opera-
ton of the nations colleges. by the
! autumn of 1921 it will be possible for
more than 100 qualified soldiers to
lay aside their uniforms and enroll
as students in as many educational
institutions OF the country.
While the project Of advanced
education for soldiers is still in a
formative stage, a sufficient number
of colleges have offered to insure full
opportunity for every soldier who
desires these educational advant-
ages. From thirty-eight institutions,
in which Coe college, at Cedar
Rapids, Morningside college at Sioux
City, and the University of Dubuque,
at Dubuque, are included, have come
assurances that tuition and other
assistance will be given students from
the ranks of the United States army.
Parsons college at Fairfield Is IN
cluded in list of fifty-two institu-
tions which have signified their
ability to grant tuition or reduction
in fees, while seventy-four others, in
GLIDING Cornell college, at Mount
Vernon, Ellsworth college at Iowa
Falls, Iowa Wesleyan college at Mt.
Pleasant, Lenox college at Hopkin-
ton, and the University Of Iowa at
Iowa City, have expressed willing
ness to cooperate as far as possible
with the war department, but have
not specifically indicated in what
manner the cooperation will be
offered.
The scholarship question was first
brought to the attention Of the coun-
try's educators through letter ad-
dressed to the presidents of the
leading educational institutions by
Secretary Of War Baker.
In this communication Secretary
Baker explained in detail the
scheme OF elementary education that
lis now being followed in the army,
and urged that by proper co-opera-
ton from the nations colleges. ad-
vanced education could be made
available for men in the service who
desired it.
"In every regiment, camp, post
and station of the United States
army" Secretary Baker wrote, "are
to be found soldiers with ambitions
for such higher education and the
ability to pursue it, but without the
means to that end. Would it not be
possible for the universities of our
country to each establish one patri-
otto scholarship for such deserving
young men? This scholarship TO be
open only to citizens of your state
who have served honorably through
an enlistment, who have received a
character of Excellent on their dis
charge, and who have been specially
selected and recommended for the
scholarship among the enlisted per-
sonnet of the organizations of the
United States army either serving in
your state or allocated to it, by the
commanding officers of these organi-
cations.
81 wish to make it clear that the
beneficiaries Of such scholarships
shall be at liberty to take any course
available at the institution, that
they are to be free from any further
military control or discipline in this
choice, or in their lives at the insti-
tuition"
1t is deemed best that the scholar
ships be not available until the fall
term in 1921, so that proper provi-
sions may be made at the institutions
to assist the elected candidate for
the scholarship. 1t likewise is con-
templated that some agency of the
war department will follow the
career Of each soldier given a schol-
arship, thus morally obligating the
army to keep IN touch with its rep
resentative at each institution