Bringing The Ivory Tower to Town
Whitman College professors visit Kennewick High to bridge the gap between academic theory and civic life.
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Friday afternoon the Kennewick High School student body became an interested audience while listening to Messrs. Russell and Miller, both of Whitman College, who served as judges for the Cle Elum debate. Mr. Russell spoke of the effort among educators to eliminate the antagonism often existing between townspeople and college or high school students. One way to foster friendly relations is the teaching of industrial arts such as engineering, manual training, home economics, and political science. Mr. Russell, head of the political science department at Whitman, offered to provide information on various problems of city government to the public upon request. Mr. Miller presented a phase of the European war dealing with international law, touching on the violation of Belgium’s neutrality and the use of dum-dum bullets. Following the lectures, local observers noted that the Kennewick debate team had earned a hard-fought victory against Cle Elum, marking their third win of the season.
“Mr. Russell spoke of the attempt on the part of the educators of the country to eliminate the antagonism existing between the townspeople and college or High School students.”
This reflects the early 20th-century push to make education 'practical' for the growing town. Today, the relationship between schools and local government remains a central civic tension in the Tri-Cities, as leaders debate how much academic institutions should shape municipal policy.
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