Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1938 [PAGE 267]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1937]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

265

3. During the year the University has sent representatives to college day exercises and high school guidance conferences a t the request of high school authorities in various parts of the State. At these meetings information has been given about undergraduate scholarships available at the University. B. Specific Statements with Reference to: 1. Scholarships in Ceramics: (a) This year for the first time candidates have been selected from students in the upper half of their high school classes, and the Department of Ceramic Engineering deems it desirable to continue the experiment. (b) The Department has an advisory committee of representatives of the ceramic industries which it feels should be consulted before any final action is taken. 2. Scholarships in Agriculture and Home Economics: (a) The Illinois Farmers' Institute has sent circulars of information to all high school teachers of vocational agriculture, county and district officers of the Institute, and to F a r m Advisers. In this literature emphasis is placed upon the requirement that scholarship applications must be filed at the Farmers' Institute office in Springfield not later than May 31 and t h a t the scholarship examination must be taken on the first Saturday in June. (b) The Secretary of the Illinois Farmers' Institute already has received a large number of applications and he has notified the candidates to appear for the examination. (c) The scholarship examination is to be held on June 5. All University arrangements for it are complete, and unquestionably high school students all over the State are preparing for the examination on the basis of the announcements made by the University and the Farmers' Institute. (d) A study of the personnel records of all students entering on agriculture scholarships during the past two years shows t h a t all of them are partially or entirely self-supporting. 1 This would indicate t h a t suspension of these scholarships will make it impossible for many students interested in agriculture and home economics to attend the University. (e) It appears likely t h a t discontinuance of these scholarships will increase the demand for General Assembly Scholarships, which would be to the disadvantage of the University since the Board of Trustees has no control over the latter. (f) These scholarships have been looked upon by the Illinois Farmers' Institute as a legitimate and valuable service to the rural sections of Illinois. They have been established for so many years at the original request of the Institute that their suspension may be taken as an affront. (g) The withdrawal of these scholarships will force students interested in agriculture and home economics to attend the State Teachers Colleges and other similar institutions in the State. 2 The effect of this would be to stimulate duplication of facilities for training in agriculture and home economics a t the college level in various parts of the State, which is contrary to sound public policy. (h) With these scholarships now requiring graduation in the upper half of the high school class and successful passing of the County Scholarship examination, they are a distinct advantage in improving the quality of students in the College of Agriculture. Discontinuing the scholarships would remove this influence. For the above reasons it would seem unwise for the University to discontinue these scholarships for the year 1937-1938. I recommend, therefore, t h a t no change be made in the present scholarship program of the University of Illinois for the year 1937-1938.

On motion of Mr. Cleary, the President of the University was requested to notify the Advisory Committee on Ceramics that a motion will be made at the next meeting of the Board to discontinue immediately the scholarships in ceramics and ceramic engineering, and to invite the Committee to be present at that time.

•Personnel records in the College of Agriculture were established only two years ago, so that this information about the juniors and seniors is not available. ! At present at least three of the State Teachers Colleges are offering a considerable amount of training in Agriculture and at least two of them have considered an enlargement of their offerings so as to give four full years of agricultural training. All of the Teachers Colleges offer training in home economics.