Repository: UIHistories Project: Convocation - 1942 [PAGE 3]

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1I1S country is now engaged in total war with powerful enemies in Europe and in Asia, Every resource of these United St is needed in the attempt to win this war with the aid of oui

For this colossal w a r effort the L ' n i \ e r s i t \

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of

Illinois. ,i|..n;

with all other colleges and universities, is pledged to render ever) possible assistance to the federal government, and do it n v, immediu ately. Otherwise, what we do may be tO0 little and too Iat< We have already learned since the attack on Pearl Harbor that, as someI n e has already said, "it is later than yon t h i n k . "

But whatever we ^\o, we must keep in mind the fact that in serving the country in either peace or war. the colleges and universities

• re primarily e d u c a t i o n a l i n s t i t u t i o n s . The great i m p o r t a n c e of this fact has been recognized by the P r e s i d e n t ni the United S t a t e s in a recent letter to the Association oi A m e r i c a n Colleges u n d e r d a t e of

[Vcember 2°. 1941. Mr. Roosevelt said:

\ \ \ have one great task before us. That is to win the war. At the l i m e time it is perfectly clear that it will IK futile to win the war unh -s • t i r i n g its winning we lay the foundation for the kind <)\ peace and readjustment that will guarantee the preservation oi those aspects of Ameril a i i life for which the war is fought. Colleges and universities are in tin particularly difficult position <»f balancing their contributions to t i n \\< • n d s . I am -are. nevertheless, that the leaders ^^i our colleges and univer• i t n - can he depended upon to find the wisest solution for the difticul • r o b l e m oi how to make this twofold contribution. I am anxious that this national crisis shall not result in the destruction • r impairment of those institutions which have contributed so largelx ;o the •evelopmcnt of American culture. I shall appreciate being kept informed

tin

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the United States Commissioner ni Education as to the effects ni

•. 1 legislation and federal programs upon our colleges and universi::es The r n i t e d States needs the services (>f its institutions ni higher learnml we know we can depend upon their complete cooperation in • a n ing forward tin present war effort. Inst what h a v e we as one of the 52 l a n d - g r a n t colleges and t u r n e r liti< to offer in the " o n e great task before u s . " and what at \\i • a | ble of d o i n g ; in brief, what a r e the w a r r e s o u r c e s ni this public!} luppori i n s t i t u t i o n . In in\ opinion, o u r most effective r e s o u r c e s a n II lv rclab i to the r e g u l a r services we r e n d e r to the s t a t e and •nation. Th < r\ ices a r e :

I l\ I I I I 1. K d t i c a t i o n at the <«»llege level in all fields ,»f k n o w l e d g e one o f lintainii ' l<< Mill! which is o r will be needed and in winning this \ n n a n e n t peace. h in a l l fields o f p u r e n i k n o w Itrainn in what is now the largest R.O l\< 111 I m ncarlv war and as

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ins vve have bad experience -\\\^\ success, we ha\ I