The annual report of Provost C. C. Harrison to the trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for the year ending August 31, 1897, which has just been published, shows a year of advancement, extension, and general improvement in nearly every department. The provost, commenting on the fact that the university gave aid to the amount of over $50,000 to 331 students, says that the question of free tuition is a very serious one, and that scholarships should be applied for by the student only as the last resort.

Pennsylvania was the first to adopt, with slight modifications, the recommendation of the New York conference with regard to uniformity in entrance examinations for all colleges. The university has provided a competent physician who has supervision not only over the athletic teams but also over the health and work of all the students. The report dwells at length on the self government of the students, both in Houston Hall, where the daily attendance averages fifteen hundred, and in the dormitories, which have been occupied only a year. Large additions have been made to the botanical garden, the dental department, the museums, and to the library.

Unusual opportunities are offered through the G. L. Harrison foundation, for the pursuit of higher education and for original research. On this foundation are established eight scholarships, nineteen fellowships, and five senior fellowships.

The provost urges that the average age of young men entering college is still too high. This has a tendency to turn students into the professional schools without a preliminary college course. He closes with a reference in detail to the many needs of the university and urges generous consideration of its purposes from friends, alumni and from the state.

Like The Crimson? We deliver, straight to your inbox.