Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1920 [PAGE 508]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

504:

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[ A u g u s t 15,

interests of the University of Illinois, respectfully report as follows:

We believe that a University campaign should be conducted throughout the State of Illinois and perhaps later in adjacent States that will bring to the attention of every citizen just what our University means to the citizenship of the State; a campaign, thoroughly planned, to cover a period of at least five or six years; a campaign so thorough, that the people of the State, who support our institution by taxation, may know just what character of educational service they are paying for. When they are so informed, and realize the magnitude and purposes of their University, we believe they will not only be willing, but will insist that their Representatives at Springfield make sufficient appropriations to support the University and extend its work. We think it might not then be necessary to send a delegation to Springfield at each session of the Legislature to lobby and beg for sufficient funds to accomplish our work, as the educated public sentiment would make the demand in a more impelling manner than we have been able to do. We believe that one of the important duties of our Board of Trustees is to conduct a campaign of University propaganda that will inform all the people of the State that there is a University of Illinois, that it is located at Urbana, Illinois, and that it offers unexcelled educational facilities largely at public expense. We recommend in order that such a publicity campaign may be conducted thoroughly and efficiently, there be established and organized a Department or Bureau of Publicity whose duties shall be along University publicity and propaganda lines, at all times working in harmony with and under the direction of the Board of Trustees and the Executive administration. We conceive the general scope of the job of this department somewhat as follows: To send a good, enthusiastic, and well informed speaker to each Annual Meeting of the Illinois Press Association to impress upon the minds of the Editors throughout the State, the importance of the work we are trying to accomplish. To induce these editors to give us space for University publicity, and follow up by sending them attractive and informing articles of interest to readers. Pursue this and other methods of newspaper publicity; and take steps especially to interest the Chicago press in our campaign. Heretofore we have been somewhat ignored by the press of Chicago and Illinois. We should be no longer so. To send our speakers to various kinds of meetings and gatherings throughout the State where University propaganda could be proclaimed, to-wit: There are in Illinois more than 1000 Women's Clubs, that hold annual meetings, at which the active womanhood of the State could be informed and enthused as they would learn what a factor the education we offer