A Clean Sweep at the Agricultural College
Regents overhaul faculty at the state’s agricultural college, firing staff and merging departments in a radical restructuring effort.
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The regents concluded their labors at the agricultural college in Pullman this morning. They have gone in with a firm, strong hand. Heston, Claypool, Newell, and Dr. Minn will go. Dr. Minn and Prof. Newell's resignations are to take effect on May 15; Heston's on June 30; Claypool's on June 16. The chair of veterinary science was abolished. The chair of civil engineering was merged into that of mathematics. The regents also requested the secretary of war detail an officer to take a chair of military science and tactics. The salary of the president was raised to $4,000 a year, while other salaries were adjusted to reduce the total payroll by about $1,000 a year. All is hopeful now for the college; the regents have worked day and night to set a new course.
“They have gone in with a firm, strong hand, and have done some noble service.”
This 1893 administrative purge at what would become Washington State University reflects the perennial struggle of public institutions to balance austerity with educational vision. It mirrors modern debates about faculty tenure, budget consolidation, and the influence of political appointees on university governance.
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