Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1904 [PAGE 262]

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288

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

[Deo. 8,

MEETING O F DECEMBER 8, 1903. The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois met at the University at 9 :oo o'clock a. m., Tuesday, December 8, 1903. The members present were Messrs. Bayliss, Bullard, Hatch, Kerrick, McKinley, McLean and Nightingale and Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. Alexander and Mrs. Evans; absent, Governor Yates and Mr. Dickirson. President Draper was present. The Secretary presented the minutes of the meetings of September 8, 1903, and September 19, 1903. The minutes were approved.

COMMUNICATION F R O M PRESIDENT DRAPER.

To the Board of Trustees: I present the following recommendations:

E X T E N S I O N OF ENGINEERING E Q U I P M E N T .

The last legislature appropriated the sum of $75,000 for each of the two years of the biennial period for the maintenance and extension of the engineering equipment, and our good fortune in this connection has brought a somewhat weighty responsibility to us, for the manner in which we expend the money must necessarily have a very decisive influence upon the future of our College of Engineering. To this subject I have given much and close attention, looking into the circumstances of each of the engineering departments as best I could and conferring frequently with the professors individually and several times more frequently with the Dean and chiefs of departments in a body. The appropriation was secured not by the efforts of the general authorities of the University alone, but by the very vigorous work of the engineering faculty and the students and alumni of the College, supplemented also by the very cordial co-operation of the organizations and business men engaged in the building and constructive business of the state; and therefore it is quite obvious t h a t so far as practicable the ideas of all these different interests should be considered and that ample time should be taken for correspondence, discussion, and investigation of engineering plants a t other institutions, and then for the concentration of opinion. This has been done very fully and the end desired has been substantially obtained. Erom the first it has seemed to me that these points should be kept in mind: 1. That provision should be made very thoroughly for undergraduate instruction in all departments and that the present generation of students should see the results of their efforts in securing the appropriation. 2. That we should prepare ourselves to take up any question of a scientific character which might be met by the building and manufacturing interests of the State, to the end that these great interests should be attracted to the University because they could get help here, and so might be glad to give up somewhat of the strength which they have in abundant measure.