Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-12-26
MELBY STRESSES
STATE SCHOOLS
FINANCIAL LAG
DECLARES MONTANA AT BOTTOM
IN WEST FOR SUPPORT
GIVEN EDUCATION

Americas eQuCablOlal IlSJlCuJlO4R
are faced with their greatest response
bility in history in helping to win thu
war and prepare for the problems Of
q postwar world, DR.. E. o. Melby en-
phaszed in a special convocation or
the campus of Montana State uni
versity recently.
Talking to students. faculty, ano
friends of the University on "Educa-
ton in Wartime" the University
president stressed the need for higher
education and its generous support II
"a stable and humane world order is
to be developed"
AS part of countrywide effort to
furnish the leadership required for
this gigantic effort, President Malby
declared that all the six units Of
higher education in Montana must be
equipped TO meet the responsibilities
which the war and postwar world will
bring to their doors"
The postwar world confrontS higher
education with the greatest RESPONSE
bility in its history the educator
pointed out THE conduct Of the war
is necessitating new patterns of gov
eminent and new types of economic
organization. It is making drafts upon
our human resources and our technic-
ally trained men and women which
are difficult to meet"
The United States will have to cope
with the necessity for supplying
leadership for the rest Of the world,
DR.. Melby said.
Re-educatiOn Required
This process Of rebuilding will be
educational and theological as well as
economic and physical Occupied
countries will need to be reeducated
as a result of NaI infiltration of re-
cent years. Food will need to be sup
piled, and health conditions will need
to be improved New patterns of
government must be devised. Wartorn
cities must be rebuilt. In all of this |
activity there will be the greatest need
for leadership on the part of large
numbers of university trained men
and women"
A leading role must be played by
institutions of higher education in
reconstructing a war-torn world. Melby
stated. OF these institutions, state
universities, because of their official /
relationships, must necessarily show
the way.
Our universities have a conspicuous
role to play in this vast program of
reconstruction and world stabiliza-
tion,' he explained. If they are to
play this role successfully, they must
come to grips with the problems which
have torn the world asunder"
Three important tasks confront the
universities in accomplishing this end 4
the university president said. Students
in the universities must be given
conception of the Importance of
technology in the modern world. In
the second place, they should be given
the American tradition of freedom
but with a worldwide basis of appli-
cation. Finally, they should under
stand the underlying problems which
must be solved to insure a lasting
peace.
1.-THE development of a stable and
humane world order is not task to
be achieved within a few months or
a few years" DR.. Melby emphasized.
1t will take generations for its
achievement In the process states
manship of the highest order will be !
required, and understanding leader
ship in every field of human activity /
The large numbers of college men and
women in America must assume an
active role in this important under a
taking They cannot do so unless the Z
college curriculum comes to grips with :
problems Of international relations
and deals vigorously with racial and :
national understanding
Difficulties Cited
Montana State university ap- [
proaches its responsibilities in the war
and the postwar period with full
realization Of the difficulties involved =
1t is handicapped by the fact that in
the past 20 years it has received a
level Of support which has failed to
equip it effectively for the tasks that +
are to come" q
Some conception Of the inadequacy :
with which our institutions of higher =
education in Montana have been sup 3
ported" President Melby said, can be
gained by a study Of the record as
revealed in a survey made this fan
by two members of Montana State d
faculty-Dr. Roy ]. w. Ely, A
Of the department Of economics, and n
DR.. Bert r. Sappenfield, of the lc
department 81
Their study covered the whole sys- W
tenn of niger education in Montana Dr. it
Melby emphasized. It also made direct n
comparisons with MontanaS six k'
neighbor states-North Dakota, Mimi OF
esota, Wyoming, Idaho Washington, :
and oregon.
eff the money spent by each of the a,
seven states for higher education was y
figured on the basis Of each man, ~
woman, and child in each state, Mon -, =.
lana would be at the bottom" DE- ~ ~
Adelby declared. For this state APP "a
only $153 per capita for p
higher education as compared with " ~
idaho, the pace-setter, which fur -
fishes S229.
"Or to look at it another way-if y,
'ou divided the total amount spent by u
ach state for higher education among al a.
he regular college and university %
tudents in that state, again Montana ~ ~
7ould be at the tail end Of the pro- "
session. Only North Dakota spends o oe
ess for each college student than u