Turmoil at the State Agricultural College
After the mass resignation of its faculty, officials hope for a fresh start at the state's center of agricultural learning.
The resignation of President Heston and several of the professors of the state agricultural college leaves everything clear for the appointment of almost an entirely new faculty. If the faculty is chosen with discretion and good judgment, there is no reason why the college should not be made in the future a successful and useful institution of learning. The many friends of President Heston will regret that the exigencies of the situation made his resignation desirable; in justice to him, it should be stated that he has never had a fair opportunity to demonstrate his capacity to successfully carry on the work of the college. He was handicapped from the start by internal sessions and rivalries in the faculty, and by a general feeling of dissatisfaction among the students. All things considered, however, it must be conceded that the regents have done the right thing in beginning over again and taking a new start. The interests of individuals must necessarily be subordinated to the general good.
“The interests of individuals must necessarily be subordinated to the general good.”
This early administrative instability at the institution that would become Washington State University reflects the growing pains of a young territory trying to establish its professional and academic infrastructure. Today, WSU remains a cornerstone of the state's agricultural research, far removed from its tumultuous infancy.
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