Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1900 [PAGE 70]

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UNIVERSITY O F I L L I N O I S .

[Jan.

13

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, January 12,1899.

To the Board of Trustees. The Council of Administration makes the following recommendations: 1. That the University year be divided into semesters. It has been found on trial that the change from the three term to the semester system can be made by the different departments of the University with much less difficulty than was anticipated. The Council therefore joins the Faculty in recommending the adoption of the semester system. 2. That authority be given to make all changes necessary in the form of the catalogue on account of the change from three to two terms. This means, in general, simply that whenever a certain number of credits is specified, a certain number of semester hours will be named. 3. That the number of semester hours required for graduation be 130. By semester hour is meant one recitation, or lecture, period a week for one semester. Ten semester hours are therefore equivalent to three of our present credits. We now require 40 credits for graduation. One hundred thirty semester hours are equivalent to 39 credits. This is a reduction of one credit in the requirements for graduation. There are two reasons in favor of this reduction. First, it avoids fractions in the number of semester hours required; second, while substantial loss of work is caused, opportunity is furnished for more intense work. D u r i n g t h e consideration of t h e p r e c e d i n g topics, Professor F o r b e s gave reasons for t h e proposed c h a n g e from t h e t h r e e t e r m to t h e semester plan. I n this connection also, Governor T a n n e r , at some length, u r g e d u p o n t h e B o a r d of T r u s t e e s t h e great desirability 1 of s t r e n g t h e n i n g in every way t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l d e p a r t m e n t of t h e U n i v e r s i t y H e said t h e interests of t h e S t a t e d e m a n d e d t h a t t h i s should be m a d e one of t h e most p r o m i n e n t d e p a r t m e n t s of t h e University, a n d ^pledged h i m self to favor most heartily liberal a p p r o p r i a t i o n s for its e n l a r g e m e n t and maintenance. F o r a p p r o p r i a t i o n already asked for a g r i c u l t u r e see p a g e 38. O n motion of Mr. Bullard, t h e t h r e e foregoing r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s of t h e Council a n d t h e F a c u l t y were adopted. Also on h i s motion, it was voted t h a t t h e i n c i d e n t a l fee should be $12 for each semester. Mr. M c K a y , at h i s own request, was recorded as v o t i n g in t h e n e g ative on t h e m a t t e r of fees. Doctors Q u i n e , E v a n s , Christophor, Steele, a n d P u s e y , from t h e School of Medicine, were h e a r d i n advocacy of a s k i n g a n a p p r o p r i ation for a medical a n d h y g i e n i c laboratory; a n d , on motion of M r . A r m s t r o n g , it was voted to p u t i n a n item of $50,000 for this p u r p o s e i n t o t h e bill for legislative a p p r o p r i a t i o n s . 4. That the following amount of credit towards graduation be assigned in physical training and military, respectively: Two and one-half semester hours for each in the freshman year; the same amount for military in the sophmore year, and the same amount for physical training if elected in the sophmore year. This makes a total of 10 semester hours for military and physical training, and this number is equivalent to three credits OD our present system of reckoning. The number of credits now given for military is two. 5. That six semester hours be added to the requirements for graduation in the school of law. The number now required is 60; the number recommended is 66. Five of these additional six hours will be devoted to international and constitutional law.