Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1892 [PAGE 50]

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PROCEEDINGS OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

53

of Latin was made a full professorship, and the chair has been worthily filled by Professors Butler and Winchell, and is now occupied by Professor Barton, who is proving himself fully equal to its requirements. T h e new chair of French, so long united with the German under one teacher, is in good hands, in the care of Professor Paradis. The addition of Professor DeGarmo to our corps has elicited the warmest commendations from all teachers throughout the state, and will surely bring a large following at an early day. The appointment of a professor of Greek, one who certainly cannot be omitted in an institution which claims to be a University, has been delayed for a brief time, but should be delayed no longer. The professor has been selected and approved, and can be at his post next term. Negotiations are in progress which it is hoped will bring a competent engineer into the chair of mining engineering, and result in putting t h a t school for the first time upon its feet. In another place I shall present to you a request for the means needful to provide a department of electrical engineering, with an immediate and fair equipment for business. These seem to be the directions for present development. When these are in action, there will appear abundantly more beyond. For ten years the motto has been, Do the next thing—just as soon as practicable. The recommendations as to the gymnasium made in September were carried temporarily into effect, by your permission. I have to renew the suggestions then made t h a t efforts be made to secure permanently a suitable person as professor of physical culture. The additions which have been made to the corps of instruction in the last year, have developed an occasion and a need for the revision of the courses of study. This was done last June for the engineering courses. Careful examination has been made of the other courses. They have been modified, and it is believed improved materially. Enlarged opportunity has been given for instruction in physics, and more logical arrangements of the other sciences have been secured. In the College of Literature and Science, a course of Latin and science is offered, for such as desire to pursue t h a t language, but do not care to accompany it with Greek, as in the ancient language course. Following the two first years of either of the courses, English and science, Latin and science, or ancient language, a two years' course for teachers has been arranged, especially for the accommodation of Professor DeGarmo's work. If the equipment recommended elsewhere for electrical engineering is approved, a course in t h a t subject should be arranged, and I ask that, in t h a t case, leave be given to the Faculty to arrange such a course, and put it in the forthcoming catalogue. With the assistance of Professor Morrow, a junior course in agriculture has been arranged to cover two years, one being parallel in some measure to the present preparatory course, but containing more special work in agriculture; the other year more nearly parallel to the freshman year. This is to take the place of the farmers' short course now in use. The students to be in rank and fees counted with the preparatory students. This is viewed as an experiment, with the hope t h a t it will satisfy t h e wants of a larger number of farmers' sons and draw them to the University, and t h a t it will in a measure meet the feeling t h a t after all the University is doing little to aid the farmer's boy. However well we may know t h a t this idea has no substantial foundation in fact, and no sound educational basis, still it exists. I t can do little harm, if any, to the University to make this experiment. A similar one is in progress in the University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, and elsewhere. I n accordance with the earnest desire of Professor Ricker, I recommend t h a t the builders' course be dropped after a year's notice. The number asking for it has of late been very small, and they would be better provided for in the regular architectural course.