Norwich bulletin., 1921-02-17
sToBRs TRUSTEES COMBAT
 CRITICISM OF COLLEGE

The trustees of the Connecticut Agri- cultural college at storrs met at noon Wednesday and hatly denied the criticism of the college which has recently been made by the state board of finance. In it's recently issued report the board Of finance said that only about If per cent. of the students at the college were taking the agricultural courses, that only 30 per cent. of them came from rural sections, and that it was time the state decided whether it was going to conduct a college of agriculture or university, which should compete with other institutions of higher learning in the state.
 | The college trustees reply that e1 per cent. of the students are studying agri- culture, and that this is the highest per cent. of students in any agricultural col | lege in the United States. operating under similar conditions, taking the agricultural course"
 l Replying to recent statements that the | college was trying to establish a school of journalism" the trustees say that the proposed course consists of a two-hour lecture once a week during one term of one year of the course and that q is en- l tirely optional. The course is designed to
 enable students to prepare articles on
 agriculture for publication.
 Tt seems to me that the state board of l tluduC6 n1lkQL DE HUE QelLCI HllOEIuSu before it begins to criticize an institution like the Connecticut Agricultural college" said Charles L. Beach, president of the college. "one of the great purposes of the college is to train leaders in the agri-
 cultural life of this state, and it Is ac- conplishing this purpose. AS a matter of
 fact, the activities of the college are lspread throughout the entire state
 through it's 9xtension service. Where there is a farm dairy or even a gar , den in Connecticut, the agricultural col } llege is interested. We are training men ! and women to go out and become leaders
 and, in a way, teachers in the agricul- ' tural life of the state. It might be said ' that all the farmers in Connecticut are 3 nonresident students at the college. feel that the board of finance has made some rather unwarranted statements" ~ Trustees Statement. .1 The statement of the trustees follows We have read the statement of tn, ! board of finance, appearing on page fou
 of their report, and concerning the Con
 necticut Agricultural college. It is evi n dent that the statement has led to confu sion in the mind of the public who ar 1 not informed as to it's activities
 The work of the Connecticut Agricul
 tural college is divided into three parts
 l. The experiment station.
 . 2. The extension service; the work o y which is to carry to the working farme y the results of the work of the experimen n istation.
 s 3. The agricultural college itself. Tn '- ieollege does not aim to be university Il It does not compete with Yale, Wesleya $ pr Trinity. Gt may be of interest t Il know that on the board of trustees of tn F agricultural college are graduates c
 each of these three universities) 2. It offers only such academic subjects a
 are essential to the well balanced agri
 cultural graduate. That few of suc if subjects are part of the necessary cul "a riculum of an agricultural college is rec |. ognized by every similar institution i e the United States. Furthermore there 'i no technical school of any kind in thi ,a country which does not give a certai h amount of it's time, varying from 25 pc ,A cent. to 40 per cent, to the study of SC .s called academic subjects such as Englis "a and economics.
 .r Two main courses are given ct tn n college:
 il 1-The fopr-year agriculture cours, n which is designed to fit young men { " become farmers, farm managers, agricu . tural teachers, extension workers. If "A two-year course known as il
 
 - for young men who are unable to | Y away from their farm work except dul = ing the late fall and winter months. 7 There are at present enroned in tt agricultural college in both branches 2s
 male students 2sS of whom are enrolle
 in the agricultural courses, either the tW
 or four-year course, and 2S are enrelle
 in the course in mechanic arts. Tn
 division of instruction is required by tf v fact that the Connecticut Agricultur; .s college is 2 land grant college, receivir = part of it's support from federal source - Referring to the above figures, it wi = be seen that g. per cent. of these st- .as dents are studying agriculture. This = the highest per cent. of students in ar ,. agricultural college in the United State a operating under similar conditions, tai ee ing the agricultural course.
 In addition to the above there are - women students, ST of whom are taki1 IL. M the course in home economies. i' It may be interesting to note in tn
 connection tha- the so-called course
 journalism. upon which so much stre as has been laid by certain newspapers IT, the state. consists of two-hour a we rs. lecture, during one term of one year an the four-year course in agriculture, al at is designed to help agricultural studen w. in the preparation of notices for articl ne which they may in the future need he prepare. This course is optional. by 0. F. KING, Secretary.