56 



STATE BOARD OF AtlRICULTURE. 



Table VI gives certain information concerning the number, grade 

 and salaries of the instructing force at several periods in the past 

 twenty years or so of the college history. By way of summary it may 

 be noted that in 1885, there were twelve professors (including assist- 

 ant professors) for 173 students, or one professor for fifteen students. 

 In the past year there were thirty professors and assistant professors 

 for 1191 students, or one professor for thirty-nine students; the total 

 instuction force in the past year was eighty-one, being one instructor 

 for fifteen students. Adding to the number of professors those of 

 instructor grade who receive as much salary as some assistant pro- 

 fessors, there were thirty-eight high grade instructors during the past 

 year or one for thirty-one students. A legitimate conclusion from these 

 figures is that the efficiency of our instruction has been materially and 

 seriously reduced. 



The increase in material equipment which has been made in the 

 period since 1885, cannot be considered as adequate compensation for 

 the marked reduction in teaching efficiency which is shown by the large 

 addition of teachers of instructor grade of which there were none in 

 1885, and of which there are now fifty-one whose average salary is 

 only 1825.00 and of whom thirty-nine receive less that |825.00. The 

 above figures apply to the whole college, and are not uniform for the 

 several departments. The average salary for the instructor grade in 

 agriculture is |1,003.00, in mechanical engineering, |844.00, in civil 

 engineering and mathematics, |800.00, in electrical engineering and 

 physics, 1880.00, in drawing, |716.00, and in all engineering depart- 

 ments is 1812.00. The last comparison forces the conclusion that the 

 grade of engineering instruction offered here should be materially 

 raised, and so doing, on account of the large relative enrollment in 

 engineering, would raise the efficiency of the institution as a whole. 



To act upon the suggestive facts above set forth would of course in- 

 crease the salary budget but we are behind many other state institu- 

 tions in the matter of average salaries in all grades as well as in the 

 percentage of total income expended for salaries. 



The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has re- 

 cently issued a bulletin on ^'The Financial Status of the Professor in 

 America and in Germany" from which it appears that of 46 state col- 

 leges and universities expending more than $45,000.00 annually for 

 salaries, there are only three institutions which spend 34 per cent only, 



