cent of the total attendance-are residents of Iowa, and come from every county of the state. Naturally omitting Johnson county, in which many take up a nominal residence for the purpose of an education, they are fairly evenly distributed in all quarters of the state.*

AVERAGE AGE.—The average age of the student is twenty-four years, and is in part indicative of the maintenance of the standards of admission and of the presence of the professional colleges. The number-475-preparing in other colleges and universities suggests the progress towards university as distinguished from college standards. The accredited schools, numbering at the close of the biennium 142, have sent 885 students, giving an encouraging sign as to the unifying of the school system.†

OCCUPATION OF PARENTS.-The occupation of the parents discover how thoroughly the university belongs to all the people without distinction of class. In a state like Iowa, we are natu rally a farmers' college, above thirty-seven per cent of our attend. ance being children of farmers. All kinds of laboring and tradesmen are represented, as well as merchants, bankers, and professional men.‡

RELIGIOUS STATISTICS.-The religious and moral standing of the students appears in the fact that about ninety-two per cent of the students are church members or adherents, at least fifty-eight per cent being communicants, and representing thirty-three churches or denominations. The most numerous bodies have the most numerous representatives, as, for example, the Methodist Episcopalians lead with 519 students. §

STAFF OF INSTRUCTION.

The increase in students has made it necessary in the last year of the biennium to add thirty-three to the staff of instruction. These have been selected as advanced specialists and adept teachers, fitted to the high work of a university and able to meet the demands of a graduate college. It has been sought in order to keep the traditions of the university to observe the due proportion of instructors to students in the interests of thorough scholarship. In higher education the ratio of one instructor to each fifteen students is reasonable, and the classes are divided into sections rarely exceeding more than twenty-five. More of personal instruction and personal attention have been secured. *++ See Registrar's report.

DEVELOPMENT OF DEPARTMENTS.

In the generic sense, the term department has been superseded by that of college, indicating the emphasis placed by the university upon pervading every department and school with the spirit of college culture.

The number of colleges has risen from six to seven by the organization of the graduate college. A system of fellowships and scholarships has been established, carefully safeguarded, so that they may not degenerate into a form of cheap service, and yet yielding valuable service to the university and the other colleges of the state. Sixteen appointments were issued. The value of a scholarship has been fixed at $125 per year, and that of a fellowship at $225, with exemption of all university fees in each case.

The grouping of the departments concerned has added the Iowa School of Political and Social Science, a step of great importance in this era of our country.

At the request of the state library commission, and under their auspices, the university has fostered and associated with its summer session the Iowa summer school for library training. In the words of Dean McConnell, "It represents a form of educational work for which there is much need and for the conduct of which the university is well suited." The report of Miss Alice S. Tyler, secretary of the Iowa library commission and director of the school, says, that the limit of twenty-five pupils, necessary because of the technicality of the work, was reached on the opening day, and tells of the enthusiasm and success of the school.

The division of the hospitals has been unified by taking over wholly the homoeopathic hospital.

At the close of the biennium, the number of departments of instruction, forty-five, has been increased by the creation of twelve new departments, chairs, and lectureships. In the college of liberal arts full departments or professorships have been created in economics and statistics, in Scandinavian languages and literatures, in physical training, in public speaking, in Greek art and archæology. In the college of medicine, lectureships in paediatrics, surgical technique, electro-therapeutics; in homœopathic medicine, lectureships in paedology, and diseases of women; in the college of dentistry, professorships in dental and regional anatomy, and orthodontia.

All these are in addition to the ordinary development of all

the old departments strengthened by the additions of assistant professors or instructors, and other assistants.

ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS.

On the administrative and business side, there has been a differentiation of offices in the interests of economy and scholar ship. The position of superintendent of grounds and buildings has been created; of matron of the hospital as distinct from the superintendent and principal of the training school; of the president's secretary; of the dean of the graduate college; of the dean of the summer session; of the dean of women; of the university examiner; and of the registrar, so that full provision is made for enforcing entrance requirements and scrutinizing college work; of the high school inspector; of the university editor, and of university publisher.

INCREASE OF TIME LIMITS.

To approximate the ideal standards as to scholarship and the opening of opportunities to all, there has been an increase in the number of terms and length of terms.

SUMMER SESSION.-The first two summer sessions of six weeks each have been held at the university in this biennium. For lack of funds the earlier movements to establish the summer session were not carried to a conclusion. The university enters this field late, but as the reports of Professor J. J. McConnell, the dean of the summer session will show, it is a decided success. He says, "Up to this time our numbers have not been large; however, the representatives of the secondary schools which have appeared as students in the two summer sessions have been men and women who, qualitatively speaking, fairly represent the secondary schools of the state. We shall gradually increase the membership of the summer session from the teachers, especially of the high schools. It will take some time to accomplish this result. The chief obstacle in the way is the habit which some of our high school people have formed of spending the summer term at other institutions which developed their summer session policy prior to the time when the university took up the work. If the expressions of those in attendance can be taken at their face value, and I have no doubt they can, the university has entrenched itself strongly in the confidence of those who so far have been in attendance."

PROFESSIONAL COLLEGES.-The number of years and length of

term required for courses in the professional colleges has been increased to the highest standards. The college of law, in accordance with the legislation of the last general assembly, has extended its course from two to three years, and the entrance of its large first year class already shows that the college is meeting the wishes of the best students, and that the college must have increased appropriations.

The college of medicine and of homoeopathic medicine have extended their terms from seven months for each year to nine months for each of their four years' courses. This also meets with the approval of incoming students, and will require more pecuniary support.

The college of pharmacy has made the same addition, in its two years' course, from seven months to nine months for each year. This college and the college of dentistry contemplate an addition of a year each to their courses.

The facts and figures so imperfectly enumerated do scant justice to the history of the progress of the university during the biennium, but it is hoped they are sufficient to satisfy the members of the Twenty-eighth General Assembly of the wisdom with which the regents have used the appropriations made by that assembly. The increasing demands that the people of the state make upon the university by their patronage and by their desires for the best are demonstrated. The very gifts of the last general assembly have created a growth making demands upon the present assembly. The university has been a plant suffering from a pecuniary drought. Its watering two years ago has not caused it as yet to catch up with its normal growth, but that very watering has made a growth urgently calling for further showers of liberality.

The following excerpts from my annual reports to the board will supplement this general summary. It is to be regretted that the state is not prepared to print the full and valuable reports from the deans and heads of all the departments.

EXCERPTS FROM THE ANNUAL REPORT, 1899-1900.

Your carefully made plans and your highest purposes for the university are in the way of fulfillment.

According to the reports of the chancellor, deans and heads of departments, submitted herewith, this has been the most prosperous year in the history of S. U. I. The total number exclusive of duplicates, of 1,438 students, is the largest ever enrolled. The distribution of students among the

various departments shows an increase in every direction, and is an indication of health.

The requirements for admission that had been advanced for the medical department, and in languages for the collegiate department, were strictly enforced. The raising of the standards would seem to increase rather than decrease the attendance. The list of graduate students, and of the few students doing work in absentia, has been carefully revised. Upon the basis of lists unrevised as in preceding years, the apparent increase in enrollment would be larger than that reported.

The income of the university has been beyond the estimates of a year since, and is also the largest in the history of the university. This is true despite the remission of tuition fees for soldiers in the Spanish-American war.

The greatest feature of the year upon the material side is the laying of foundations for a proper financial support of the university. The legislature responded well to the effective appeal of your able legislative committee, aided by the alumni, schoolmen, the friends of higher education throughout the state, and especially by the press as giving voice to public sentiment. The Twenty-eighth General Assembly, in view of its recognition of education, deserves to go into history as the educational assembly. The appropriations for the university of $50,000 additional annual support fund in the form of a permanent appropriation, and the continuance of all former appropriations, including the one-tenth mill tax for the building fund, are valuable in themselves. The real value of the legislative action lies in its significance At length by the severe test of the purse, it is clear that the people of Iowa have determined to sustain this board in its efforts to maintain a university of the highest rank. The legislature continued the appropriation for the annual repair fund of $5,000, and practically acknowledged that it was an inadequate sum for the purpose.

During the past year, in addition to the general up-keep of the institution, an attempt has been made to improve the chemical laboratory. It is to be hoped that the general policy each year may be, after taking care of the general repairs, to concentrate in the decided betterment of some single building. The continuation of the building tax makes it necessary that the board should take steps to secure plans for the first building that they have agreed to erect out of this fund, namely, the combined armory, gymnasium, and auditorium. The delays suffered in the erection of the collegiate building will be a source of great discomfort at the opening of the college year. The careful attention given to the erection of the building by your building committee, and in particular by Major Higley, deserves especial mention. The relief anticipated from this building when it is opened will hardly be felt on account of the inadequacy of room for the number of students that we have, saying nothing of the anticipated increase in attendance.

The heating plant, that it is necessary should be erected before the opening of the new building, should in every respect be the most modern and economical. Its location should be arranged with reference to the ultimate campus and location of buildings.

The treasurer's report shows that the university is unusually favored in the investments of its funds. Hardly a dollar lies idle and the rate of interest is kept for the most part at six per cent.

The acting superintendent of grounds and buildings has begun to give