Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1878 [PAGE 8]

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It was found necessary to employ but one additional teacher for the preliminary classes, the changes in the course allowing other assistant teachers to do the work. Prof. (I. E. Morrow has accepted your appointment as professor of agriculture, and will enter upon his duties at the opening of the next term. K Mr. Peter Roos, of Boston, has been employed to teach free hand and industrial drawings and designing. His classes are large and quite enthusiastic, and may we hope that this new held of industrial education will prove not only a success here, but of great value to the manufacturing interests of the state. To meet the needs of this new work, I was obliged to authorize the construction of some models and supports. A full set of these has been designed by Mr. Roos, which it is hoped may be introduced into other schools in this state, and thus furnish some work for our shops, and contribute to the advancement of this important branch of practical education. This University, indeed ought to furnish to the state a body of competent instructors, and apparatus of instruction in these purely industrial departments of education. !• The renovation in the machine shop ordered at your last meeting, has been accomplished, and this shop has been much improved in convenience and appearance. The appropriation was slightly exceeded, as it was found necessary to give a new roof to the forge shop. A similar renovation to the carpenter shop should be made whenever your funds will allow it.

C KN TEN N1AL EX HI MTIO"S .

The articles sent to the centennial industrial exhibition have been returned safely. W e have the satisfaction not only of having contributed to an important extent.to the educational exhibit made by our state and county, but also of having won the favorable judgment of many prominent educators, both American and foreign. One of the most prominent educational periodicals in this country, pronounces the exhibit made by this University the only complete exhibition made by any institution of higher education. I believe it to have been the largest exhibit made by any educational institution from either side of the Atlantic. The impulse given to our work by the labor of preparing it amply compensated for all the expense attending it. I hope we may be permitted to prepare something for the international exhibition to be held in Paris in 1878. The great distance will of course forbid our making so large an exhibit, but I believe we can prepare a smaller and more select representation of our work, which will not disgrace the University of our state. W i t h the concurrence of the professors concerned, we effected some exchanges which give important additions to our collections, Besides the specimens gained by exchange, the University has received large and important donations from Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Canada, Australian colonies, Sweden and Russia. Those from Spain are especially costly and valuable, embracing a magnificent volume of architecture published by the Spanish government, the usual price of which is not less than 1150 ; also a large number of casts of Spanish and Moorish architecture, of great value to our schools of architecture. I respectful-