Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1918 [PAGE 200]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[January 24,

scientific departments located at the University and now a part of the same, which are on a separate budget, such as the State Laboratory of Natural History, the State Geological Survey, the State W a t e r Survey, and the State Entomologist's office. There are also general terms such as "all buildings, departments, and institutions of the State," which will doubtless include the University if it is not expressly exempted, and be a source of embarrassment to its work. I recommend that the President of the Board be given authority to secure, if possible, a satisfactory phraseology in these various sections of the Act so that the autonomy of the University shall be interfered with as little as possible.

On motion of Mr. Hoit, this reommendation was approved. SEMI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

(6) Four recommendations from the Committee on the Semi-centennial Anniversary of the University, consisting of Professor H. J. Barton, chairman, Professor J. C. Blair, Professor H. L. Rietz, Professor C. R. Richards, Professor E. B. Greene, and Professor W . G. H a l e : a. That Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 17, 18, and 19, 1918, be set apart for the Semi-centennial Celebration. b. That a pageant be given during the above days. c. That authority be given to employ Mr. William Chauncy Langdon as lecturer on community festivals, and organizer, conductor, and writer of the Pageant, to be on the ground from October 1, 1917, to November 1, 1918, and to perform such duties as are indicated in the titles, at a salary of $5,000 for the period. d. That invitations be extended to some six to eight prominent scholars of this or other countries, each to deliver before the University a course of eight or ten lectures relating to some scientific, historical, or literary subject, during the calendar year 1918. Some of these lectures would be delivered in the spring of 1918, and some in the autumn. The University would reserve the right to publish the lectures in a semi-centennial series. The remuneration to be offered to each lecturer would be $1,000 for the preparation and delivery of the lectures at the University, and also any royalty which the publisher might be willing to concede. It is believed that the lectures could be published at no expense to the University. The interests to be represented in the lecture course a r e : engineering; agriculture; the biological sciences; the social sciences; the physical sciences; the political sciences; language and literature; music and art. Other courses might be added. It is believed that, aside from the remuneration to the Pageant Master, the cost of such a pageant could be brought within $15,000. It is hoped that the receipts will equal the expenses. The committee proposes to provide ten thousand seats, the price for admission to be $1.00. Two performances are contemplated, and it is estimated that from the two we may expect receipts amounting to $15,000. There is always, of course, in such a case,