ome . — ae . Pe a ne * 4 A =n « e, iet co " : Se i. Par “d “— M. S. Benedict Photo 4 : = eth i 2 é 4 a“ - Ae 4 SP ~ ~ , =F * “~. Jae ' FoF J : VOT | he ar ” ~~ 7 * a ~ y + ; nv this by Dr. Henry Aldous Dixon President, Weber College We at Weber College have one-track minds these days and that track leads straight to the new campus site on Harrison boulevard and a new four-year institution—an expansion not only inevitable but also 15 years overdue! Last year 93% of Weber graduates intimated they would have gone to Weber College if it had been a four-year school. The economic barrier kept 57% of the male students and 82% of the women from going on this year. Of the 400 who continued, 80% live in the city where the school is located because it is too expensive to commute. she .. hee 4 yo great AIM: Is Ogden large enough to justify a four-year college? In the United States 21 out of every 33 cities comparable with Ogden in size have fouryear institutions. In addition, 20% of Utah’s population lives within a 22-mile radius of Weber. It is estimated that between 400 and 600 youths of this area are being deprived of upper division work because there is nothing available here. The college already is organized to serve a highly industrial locality. And this industry is expanding! In the last seven years population in the area has climbed 45%. The number of employed workers has advanced from 20,000 to 38,000, or 90% in Ofe ask your ATP 10 years. The number of high school graduates has increased 80% over the same period. Lastly, the area shows a greater population boost than any other in the state! The county alone furnished 82% of the college’s students last year, thus insuring ample enrollment without drawing from outside the commuting area. It would seem that Ogden is large enough to support a four-year program. What about other western schools comparable with Weber? In Idaho, Albion college, Ricks college, and Idaho State college have been enlarged to four years. In Utah, the Branch Agricultural college has been extended to four years in some fields. New two-year schools have been added in Provo and Salt Lake City. Since it became a state institution, Weber has grown four-fold. Its expansion to four years would simply be a belated readjustment in line with current educational trends. What has been done so far? The state legislature already has permitted the purchase of a 180acre campus and appropriated $50,000 toward the new campus and $250,000 toward the first building. At present, Weber has only 134 square feet of classroom and laboratory space per student compared with a state average of 200.