Repository: UIHistories Project: Booklet - Research Hospitals (1929) [PAGE 4]

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children suffer fi m ph; ical a I mei d def< a ' * ae a 1 other similar conditions 1 en 1 a demand r i bra . in medicine, Bur T; and denti try I" I ai thii h» mgh IHHV arj ' He onto ay: fun >ng of tl Qniv< are primarily prof 3ional for i iching purposes. The fun * of e Department of Public Welfare ar primarily admini rativ< and both being creatures of the State, could be1 »r perform tl \xn pectiv< functions, bet T serve the people, if they could be so c fcrdim d thi the

work of admini* ration of th hospitals and schools should fall upon the Department of Public Welfare and all the pro] &ional, teaching 91 and research work should fall upon the University medi< 1 staff. On March 24, 1919, Director Thorn* nt Pr< ident James "a cop; of the memorandum in regard to the suggested plan of cooperation between the University of Illinois Medical Schools and the Department of Public Welfare." According to the correspondence, a committee was appointed, including three representative- of the Department and three of the University, to work out details. Writing on April 9, 1919. to Mr. Thome, President James remarked, "the more I work into the possibilities of this plan of cooperation, the more clearly do I see what a statesmanlike proposition you have put up, and I hope that it will be possible to move rapidly in the direction of realizing your plans/' The committee evidently worked out a plan agreeable to both parties. On June 25, 1919, Director Thorne wrote President James: "enclosed please find two copies of the agreement between the University of Illinois and the Department of Public Welfare." etc. It fell to me to answer this letter since President James had at that time withdrawn from his duties as President on account of ill health. I found that the agreement as submitted had been approved in substance by the Board of Trustees in March, 1919. It came up for action at the meeting of the Board in July, 1919, and inasmuch as President James had withdrawn from active duty, it fell to me to sign the report, by direction of the Board. From that time, 1 have found it strenuous work to get the agreement carried out. That the arrangements entered into between Director Thorne and President James had the approval of Governor Lowden, is shown by the statement in his message of January 8, 1919, as printed in the Journal of the House of Representatives for that year, pa^e 16, that the report of the Department of Public Welfare "will di lose a well thought out plan." Evidently, the general plan and the proposed arrangement were known also to the Speaker of the Bous< and the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

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