Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1910 [PAGE 580]

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54:2

U N I V E R S I T Y OF ILLINOIS'.

[June 1

Fourth—I think it would be wise for the University to reserve to itself the right to purchase the plant of the College of Physicians when authorized by the Legislature to do so, at a fixed price, which shall not in any case exceed the actual value of its material plant for the purposes of a medical school. This will probably necessitate a careful valuation of the present plant of the College of Physicians and Surgeons for the purpose of a medical school, distinguishing between (a) the value of the ground; (b) the value of the buildings; (c) the value of the furnishings and equipment. You will see from the above statements that in my opinion if the University is to undertake in any adequate and comprehensive way the promotion of the public health by the maintenance and development of a modern scientific medical school and by the creation and conduct of modern scientific medical laboratories,, at all comparable with the similar work done by other state universities, notably Michigan and Minnesota, it is necessary that the University should be entirely free from any obligations to the College of Physicians and Surgeons and any complications with it, beyond those involved in a simple lease of their plant for this work, for a definite time and a definite rental. Yours truly,

C. S. DENEEN.

Dr. Edmund J. James, Urbana, Illinois. There seems to be practically unanimous agreement on the part of both the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and the Board of Directors of the College of Physicians and Surgeons that the present contract between the University and the College of Physicians and Surgeons should be terminated. Furthermore, that no contract which is to take its place, involving financial obligation on' the part of the University, should be or could be legally made for a longer period than two years, the maximum time for which any particular legislature of Illinois under the present constitution may make appropriations. Appended to this communication is a copy of a letter received from the controller in regard to item 5 of the memorandum -of agreement, according to which there is in his opinion no fund belonging to the College of Physicians and Surgeons held by the University. This matter will be submitted to the Board of Trustees at its next meeting on Wednesday, June 1, 1910, at the La Salle Hotel in Chicago, for its further consideration.The consideration of the comimmication on relations of the University to the College of Physicians and Surgeons was then taken up, and dnring the discussion which followed, Professor Ward of the Zoology department was heard, at length upon the condition of the Medical College and upon its needs. The Board went into a Committee of the Whole. When the committee arose, Mr. Abbott, who had been chairman of the committee, being ready, to report, the question of no quorum was raised, and i t being found t h a t there was no quorum present, the board thereupon adjourned.

W. L. ABBOTT,

W. L. PILLSBURY.,

,

President.

Secretary.

.