University of Idaho - Gem of the Mountains Yearbook (Moscow, ID)

Page 18 text:

richer mental and social life, and encourage more loyal and patriotic citizenship. Intimately associated with the Extension evidences of University growth are surveys of various kinds which the University has contributed this past year. Illustrations of this University expression include surveys of soil, plant diseases, poisonous plants, climatic effects upon vegetation, orchard control and improvement, water relations to plants, animal diseases and control, and numerous other topics which require first-hand information. It is recognized by all intellectual people that the real mark of a university is research work. ‘True, a university is deeply concerned with teaching and with the distribution of knowledge which has already been acquired. However, to limit the modern university to this expression would be archaic and antique in every respect. No one save the most provincial in education attempt to limit university service to the function of teaching —important as that is. ‘Therefore, in harmony with the requirements of a modern university, encouragement has been given to very definite research during the past year. Some of this investigation is a continuation of that which has been carried on for several years, and some of it appears for the first time on the University campus. Special research has been conducted in studying problems of apple breeding, fruit and vegetable storage, animal feeding, animal breeding and hybridization, processing various woods, extracting by-products of woods, examining the records and the forms of municipal government, accumulating, analyzing, classifying facts with ref- erence to taxation, education and other industrial, scientific and civic activities. A further growth of the University of Idaho is registered by a move- ment which she initiated and which has resulted in an organization that might be termed a federation of Normal Schools, Colleges and Universities of Idaho, Montana and Washington. This federation is for the purpose of establishing intimate and co-operative relations among these various institutions in order that all may share their intellectual wealth and that the states represented may be served more effectively and more economically by their higher institutions of education. Perhaps the best concrete illustra- tion of this federation may be seen in the closer articulation of Washington State College and the University of Idaho. Plans have been initiated for establishing exchange lectureships between these institutions, and projects have been drawn whereby they may enter into definite co-operation in their extension and research service. In the state of Idaho there are over 100,000 children of school age, and there are more than 3,000 teachers employed in the rural, grade and high schools of the state. Possibly 20 per cent. of those teaching the Idaho youth are trained in Idaho institutions of higher education. While it is desirable and always will be proper to employ a large number of foreign trained leaders in education, it is manifestly wrong, if we have any hope of developing a true state of consciousness, to rely upon an overwhelming majority of teachers from other states. In order that the University may occupy her field more fully, that is the field of training teachers for high TTT TT TT — — | — i—4 — — ) oe |

Page 17 text:

Ghe University of Idaho T is said that yesterday lives in today, and today will live in the tomor- row. This thot of continuance is illustrated by a question which is asked with reference to the University yesterday, today and tomorrow. How large is the University? Of the many inquiries made respecting the institution, this is the most frequent. There are many ways that the inquiry may be answered. Usually the question refers to the number of students enrolled in college work that is given on the campus. It might be answered by referring to the quality of the scholarship, the number of colleges in the University organization, the number of people included on the educational staff, the material resources of the institution, the extent and quality of research that is being conducted, and by the rank and height of extension service which is rendered to the entire commonwealth. Following the usual practice, it may be noted that the University of Idaho has the largest student enrollment in her history. Last year there were 658, and this year 860 names measure the student enrollment. These are distributed as follows: College of Letters and Science 328 College of Law... 34 College of Agriculture........... - $1 Summer School (net)...........- 246 College of Engineering......... =, (63: . Specially Courses......-a---.ccesennons 108 It is interesting to observe that 32 counties of the state are represented and that 44.4 per cent. of the regular college students are from south Idaho. This suggests that the bigness of the University may be expressed by its increasingly attractive power measured in the distance traversed by students who enter her college halls. The number of students carrying work of high quality is one of the most important measures of University size and growth, but modern higher education expresses itself today in numerous extra-campus activities. These must be noted and analyzed if one would determine the size of the modern state university. ‘These extra-campus activities are shown in many forms of extension and research service which are related to interests in remote parts of the state. An examination of Agricultural Extension records and a review of Extension work done by other divisions of the University of Idaho exhibit most interesting facts. These facts deai with numbers, namely, 40,000 and more people of Idaho have been served directly during the past year by the movable schools, the workers in home economics, boys’ and girls club work, agricultural specialists and University faculty members who have co-operated with their educational associates thruout the state. In other words, the community center idea has been promoted in countless ways by these representatives of the University of Idaho; the doctrine of co-operation and efficiency has been advanced earnestly by these teachers, who have worked in every county of the state. They have entered enthu- siastically into the discussion of better methods for the advancement of industrial relations in agriculture, in forestry and in mining, in order that there may be larger returns with which to build better homes, develope a

Page 19 text:

school positions, there is established this year a School of Education in the University of Idaho. This School will give definite courses of study leading to degrees of B.A. in Education and B.S. in Education, and will train Idaho students for service in the greatest vocational field in the world—the voca- tion of teaching. The School of Education at the University will articulate with the State Normal Schools at Lewiston and Albion and the Technical Institute at Pocatello. Graduates from these institutions will be permitted to enter the Junior class with certain adjustments and complete their college work, approximately, within two years. This School of Education is an indication of a great increase in the size of the University of Idaho. It must be taken into full consideration in answering the question: How large is the University ? Next in importance to the great vocation of teaching is the vocation of business. Hitherto, the University has ‘been unable to organize a School of Business because of insufficient financial support. If the plans now under consideration can be realized, there will be established at an early date a School of Business which will furnish a new standard for measuring the size of this institution. ‘The value of this service cannot be estimated. Many of its results are intangible. They deal not only with the training of business experts, but schools of business also consider the countless details of conservation and expansion of commercial relations. Another answer to this oft-repeated question: How large is the Uni- versity? is found in the recently established University Extension Service which is intended to render similar service to cities and towns that is given by the University Agricultural Extension Service to rural communities. Provision is made for correspondence work in 67 courses, and there will be lectures and entertainments dealing with 50 and more subjects. This agency, together with News Letters, bulletins and folders, will serve thou- sands of citizens who have not hitherto been enrolled in the group of University students. ‘The measure of an institution’s size must include quality as well as quantity of numbers and service. It should be noted that during the past year there has been special attention given to cultural activities on the campus—noted lecturers from great centers of culture, east and west, musical artists of superior training and ability, and exhibitions of paintings from worthy artists have enriched the quality of our immediate University life during the past year. It is the intention of the Board of Regents to foster increasingly this movement for the enrichment of mental and spiritual culture at the University. There is deep regret on the part of faculty, students and alumni because athletic expressions have not registered more promisingly during the last two years. There is ample reason for such despondency. Fortunately, we are not a people who are without hope. It is realized that there are great possibilities resident at the University in the 500 and more students, and these possibilities may be realized under the right leadership and thru a closer and more patriotic co-operation on the part of all concerned. It is believed that the athletic answer to the question, How large is the Uni- SeTTTTVT TST T TTT Tria t i HUTT] PULL it it LL 1 TTT TT tl TTT Thirteen