1872

March 20. The board of trustees of the Agricultural & Mechanical College gathered for their first meeting. They adopted a committee report which called for a faculty chair in each of the following areas: president and professor of moral philosophy, logic, history, rhetoric, and political economy; pure mathematics; natural sciences, including astronomy, metallurgy, mechanic arts, and civil engineering; chemistry, including agricultural and analytical geology and mineralogy; ancient and modern languages; mental philosophy, English language, and literature; agriculture, horticulture, and pomology; commandant and teacher of military tactics and engineering. The president's salary would be $2500 per year and each of the other professors $1500. In order to equalize responsibility among themselves, the faculty would be allowed to transfer branches of study from one chair to another.

March 22. The board elected the first faculty, which included President Isaac Taylor Tichenor, who controlled all disbursements appropriated by the trustees. In the absence of the president, the faculty could elect one of its own to discharge presidential responsibilities.

June 22. The president's duties included implementing the plans adopted by the faculty. He also had supervisory responsibility over other officers of the college. Each professor had the authority to select his own textbooks and instructional methods, subject to the approval of the faculty. Acceptance of a chair implied a pledge to devote "undivided time and attention" to faculty duties.

November 22. The board resolved that the next scholastic year commence January 1, 1873, and close on the last Wednesday of July, 1873. Thereafter, each scholastic year would commence the first Monday of October and close the first Wednesday of July. A committee report submitted and adopted called for creating the following posts: president and professor of agriculture; professor of mathematics; professor of chemistry and physics; professor of engineering, drawing, and commandant of cadets; professor of ancient and modern languages; assistant professor; quartermaster; and surgeon.

1873
 

July 29. The board adopted rules which included presidential powers: the president chaired the faculty, voted on all questions, and cast the deciding vote in case of ties. Furthermore, he had general supervision over the college and all academic matters and made recommendations to the board, including faculty appointments. The commandant of cadets had charge of the military department, including publication and enforcement of orders. During the president's absence, the commandant exercised the duties of that office.

July 30. President Tichenor made his annual report to the board. The second session of the college, now closing, had begun January 1 "under circumstances of peculiar discouragement." The school was in debt, the faculty unpaid, and financial resources uncertain. There were no desks and no money to purchase them. Cadets drifted in slowly. "Embarrassments unparalled [sic] in the history of our people oppressed the land and everything wore an aspect of cheerless and dreary." One hundred and three students matriculated during the session, with an average attendance of ninety-five. Land purchased to the southwest of the college building became the college farm. Tichenor recommended that the school either engage a full-time professor of agriculture or release him from all instructional duties other than agriculture. He went on to describe several problems related to academic instruction in agriculture and proposed a solution. "Men of letters" often had "little taste for agricultural pursuits," so a danger existed that the agricultural departments in land-grant colleges would be "strangled or starved." Furthermore, many of those involved in agricultural pursuits were suspicious of "book farming." Few Alabama farmers could afford to send their sons to college, so Tichenor proposed that the school give an agricultural scholarship to one student from every county. He viewed this as a tool for recruitment, economic development, and public relations. Tichenor acknowledged that the school's financial situation argued against this plan, but he considered it an investment in the future of the college.

July 30. At the same meeting, the board adopted regulations for "the Literary and Military Departments" of the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Alabama. These included specifications under the general principle that the president, commandant, and other professors constituted the faculty, which had responsibility for student instruction and discipline. The specifications included those adopted on July 29 regarding powers of the president and commandant. The treasurer was appointed directly by the board of trustees.

1874
 

July 28. The board considered the annual report of President Tichenor, dated July 6. Tichenor reported that the financial panic of the previous September had kept enrollment down. The panic also prevented the full implementation of the agricultural scholarship program proposed the previous year. During the past academic year, thirty-nine students had enrolled in the agricultural course, thirty-seven in mechanical, and sixteen in classical.

November 25. The president's report to the Alabama legislature bore this date and was integrated into the board minutes. According to this document, the college admitted two students from each county tuition free.

1875

July 14. Committee reports were attached to the board minutes of this date. These included the committee appointed to examine "the written communication of Prof. A. Hogg." This group noted that Hogg's "accusations, insinuations, and complaints" were many. Some were definite, but others "vague and rambling." They were directed against the president, some members of the faculty, and, to some extent, the board. The committee concluded that these were the complaints of "a disappointed man" and that the board had shown remarkable "patience and forbearance" in merely hearing them. Hogg had been dismissed, but the board concluded that they had "a perfect right to make such a reduction for any cause which in their judgement would contribute to the success and usefulness of the institution and to dispense with the services of Mr. Hogg or any other Professor without assigning any reason, unless such professor stood charged with improper conduct." In that case, an investigation would have been conducted before the board made a decision on dismissal. In this case, the board had simply determined to reduce the size of the faculty.

July 14. The board appended the annual report of the president, dated July 12, to the minutes of their July 14 meeting. Eighty-eight students enrolled during the past year, down twenty from the previous year, but this was due to the board's separation of the fifth class from the college, a decision which Tichenor had supported. The school implemented "a revised course of study" described in the catalog. Regarding finances, the president urged the board to recall that when they first met, in November of 1872, they learned that only a portion of the school's endowment had been invested. Consequently, the interest payment was less than anticipated and the school went into debt. Tichenor says that this money had been "misused" by the state. Furthermore, due to the condition of the state treasury, it was in danger of being totally lost to the college. During the past year, the school established an experiment station in the Tennessee Valley, but the college farm still needed to be put "in better condition." Little money had been secured through tuition. Tichenor had taken it upon himself to waive tuition for at least some who he was convinced could not pay. Some people in the Auburn vicinity have advocated free tuition, but Tichenor discouraged such a policy for those with the ability to pay. He added that almost half of the students in attendance already paid no tuition because they had been appointed by county superintendents of education. The faculty passed a resolution, with one dissenting vote, that women be admitted to the college. Tichenor submitted this to the board for their consideration. A government inspector--D.J.M. Hoyt of Wisconsin--had paid an unannounced visit the college. Tichenor reported that Hoyt's most important consideration had been "the adaptation of the institution to our form of society and to the wants of our people." In this respect, he gave his "unqualified approbation."

July 14. Tichenor attached to his report a letter dated February 11 from himself to W.H. Barnes, president of the board of trustees, in response to attacks upon the college. These have appeared in newspapers and circulated as rumors. In response to these reports, Tichenor provided evidence from federal government sources regarding the relative success of land-grant institutions in the United States. The average property value, number of professors, and number of students for these institutions was $438,387, 9.75, and 98, respectively. In each of these categories, Alabama reported $327,500, 7, and 108. Compared to four of the larger and wealthier states--Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts--Alabama did not come off as favorably, except in two areas: student/faculty ratio and tuition cost.

1876

October 10. President Tichenor's report to the governor, bearing this date, was appended to the board minutes of January 11-12, 1876. He noted that eighty-eight students had enrolled in 1874-75 and that one hundred and four had enrolled in the following year. The president complained that the college had been deprived of its rightful endowment and lawful income from federal sources through "the illegal actions of state officials," denied support from the state, and threatened with unfriendly legislation. He concluded by enumerating the "wants of the college," which included the financial support necessary to train the youth who could exploit the state's natural resources. Auburn was the only institution in the state with a mission to train students in the agricultural and mechanical skills needed to do this. If the state failed to take the lead in this area, the resources would remain underdeveloped or would be exploited by outsiders.

1877

January 11. The board received the annual report of the president for 1875-76, which was dated January 8, 1877. The school graduated eight students in 1875-76, six of them in agriculture. The year was disappointing for several reasons: the growing poverty of this "section of the country," consequent drop in local patronage, and the action of the board of trustees of the University of Alabama in reducing the cost of attending that institution. Tichenor also complained that the Tuscaloosa school had lowered graduation standards. Auburn  could not continue to compete with Alabama without comparable fees. Tichenor predicted that this "struggle for patronage between the difference colleges of the state" would continue for years to come. In this struggle, the University of Alabama had the advantage of being older and better established, but Auburn's emphasis on agricultural and mechanical arts was unique in the state. Creation of a new South demanded concentration in these areas. To facilitate the school's goals, Tichenor recommended elimination of tuition charges and the creation of a boarding department to lessen student expenses.  He further complained that the college had not received the proper financial support due from the state under the Morrill Act and urged the board to petition the legislature regarding this. Along the same lines, he noted that the legislature had generously supported the reconstruction of buildings destroyed during the war on the University of Alabama campus, but had not made comparable contributions to Auburn, whose facilities needs were urgent. Finally, he noted the existence of a legislative bill to recharter the college, commented that it had some objectionable features, but concluded that, with the proper amendments, it could be an improvement over the current charter.

January 12. The board approved the president's recommendation regarding free tuition, although they would continue to charge each student a $10.00 incidental fee. They rejected his recommendation for a boarding department as financially inexpedient.

June 25. The board assembled for its annual meeting and considered the report of the president for the academic year 1876-77. During the past year, the college enrolled ninety-one students, as opposed to eighty-eight in 1875 and one hundred and four in 1876. The financial condition of the school has improved. Tichenor noted that the South needed diversified agriculture, but doubted that the region would ever plant less cotton. Consequently, he called for development of techniques that would reduce the labor-intensive nature of cotton cultivation. Tichenor was himself conducting experiments on that problem. He reminded the board that they had not acted upon the faculty recommendation regarding admission of women and once again called their attention to it. He also noted that the Agricultural & Mechanical College of Alabama compared favorably to other land-grant schools, given their relative financial means and potential student populations.

June 25. In his report, Tichenor also raised the point that land-grant colleges were designed to prepare people for the agricultural and mechanical arts, occupations that employed the greatest proportion of the population. Nevertheless, other state colleges and denominational institutions seemed to received greater financial support. Why should an institution, designed to provide vocational training for the masses, receive less support than one designed to train a relative few for the learned professions? Why should this "new education," so obviously relevant, be relegated to an inferior status? Because most of the educational leaders of the nation were trained under the old system. The old system was "born of the necessities of an established church and a hereditary nobility" and it did not suit "the interests of republican institutions." The new education had a "sublime mission of love" to remove a "crushing weight" from "the heads and hearts" of "children of sorrow" and to "cheer them in their humble habitations." The new education would be "neglected by those for whom it labors" and "antagonized by those whose craft may be endangered," but "its ends are pure, its methods wise & its ultimate triumph assured." The University of Alabama "has been among the noblest, although not the most famous," of institutions of the old type. Ironically, it sat in the shadow of Red Mountain, but had not produced one graduate equipped to exploit the coal and iron of that region. As a result of such tendencies, the South lacked the industrial might to win the Civil War. It needed this might to win the peace. Before the war, the region abounded with politicians who "swarmed the land" and talked "flippantly" of constitutional law. Now they needed politicians who'll lead the industrial recovery. The old system produced two types of graduates: one received "a polish which fitted them for society" and the other "consumed with the spirits of the mighty dead of ancient times." Some eventually threw off the harm done by this old educational system and became "strong and noble men." The others never recovered and remained "deeply versed in ancient lore but without a practical idea of life." Supposedly, the old education disciplined the mind, but the study of natural science could do this as well as the study of "dead languages."

1878

June 24. On this date, Tichenor delivered his annual report to the board of trustees. This past year the school enrolled 238 students, more than any other college in the state. Tichenor went into some detail regarding why the college farm--which he oversaw himself--lost rather than made money. First, the college lacked sufficient land to operate economically. Second, the cost of labor needed for an experimental farm was greater than the market price for agricultural labor. The death of two faculty members compelled the hiring of new professors. Tichenor recommended that he take the chair of moral philosophy, which had been intended for the president, and that the board hire a new professor of agriculture. There were different opinions regarding how to fill the second chair. Some wanted a chair of English literature. Others want a chair of mechanical philosophy and practical mechanics. The latter had been introduced with success at "the school of technology in Boston" and appeared to be the board's preference. Tichenor foresaw a connection "destined to be made between learning and labor--between the intelligence that plans and the hand that executes." This would raise labor above "the degrading and exhaustive vassalage of slavish toil" and constitute "the grandest revolution of the world."

June 25. In response to Tichenor's recommendations regarding filling the vacant chairs, the board committee assigned to study the issue recommended election of a professor of agriculture, making the president professor of moral philosophy, dividing the duties of English literature between the president and the professor of agriculture, and electing a chair of mechanics. The latter of the recommendations passed 5 to 4.

June 26. The board voted 5 to 3 to postpone a decision regarding the establishment of a chair of mechanics until the next meeting.

1879

June 23. President Tichenor presented his annual report to the board of trustees on this date. He noted that the college educated students at a cost of $85 per pupil, as compared to $293 at the land-grant college in Pennsylvania. The primary reason for the difference was the faculty at Auburn did "double the work ordinarily done by college professors."

1880

June 29. President Tichenor presented his annual report to the board of trustees on this date. He claimed that of all the land-grant schools in the South, none were better than Auburn. Furthermore, only two in the United States, New York and Illinois, were "decidedly superior to it," and some of them had double the money of Auburn invested in buildings and instructional equipment. At the request of the federal government, the college had compiled a report of the occupations practiced by those who had attended Auburn. More than half were engaged in agriculture, which should "satisfy the farmers of the state" that Auburn was "doing no inconsiderable work for them." Furthermore, it ought to induce a larger proportion of those who enrolled to follow that calling. The greatest problem that faced the school was money, in part because the college had been "plunged into debt by the unfaithfulness of a state official" and "paid for years in a depreciated currency." The president urged the board to have the state "do something for the college," and added that at the last session the legislature had relinquished a $40,000 debt held against the University of Alabama. Friends of the college were also pressing the legislature to appropriate funds for buildings. Tichenor lamented that Auburn and Alabama should work together in the political arena. He wished that the state would appropriate to Auburn the same amount it appropriated to Alabama.

November 13. The board assembled for a called meeting in Montgomery and submitted a report for the years 1878-79 and 1879-80 to the legislature. The report urged the value of an experimental farm, not to teach students manual labor, but to instill in their minds the lessons learned in textbooks and lectures. Most other states had larger and more valuable experimental farms than Alabama. Such a farm could be established in connection with Alabama's land-grant college through "a trifling tax" on commercial fertilizers sold in the state. As part of this arrangement, Auburn would undertake the inspection of commercial fertilizers sold in the state. The report concluded by noting that the legislature had canceled a $40,000 owed the state by the University of Alabama. Could they not do something for the A&M College, which sought to provide an education for "the larger mass of young men" in the state?

1881

June 27. Tichenor's annual report was appended to the minutes of this meeting. The president's report noted that lack of adequate income constituted the greatest problem of the college. He complained that the governor had vetoed a measure which would have benefitted the farmers of the state, as well as the college, but held out hope for the future: "Every other political community in the limits of the civilized world where commercial fertilizers are sold to an equal extent has passed a similar law, and Alabama cannot always remain the solitary exception." Toward the end of his report, Tichenor developed a proposal for unifying the educational interests of the state, which at that point were divided and competitive. He proposed one college for each congressional district, which would feed into one grand university, the departments of which might be located in different parts of the state. Instruction in the congressional district colleges would carry students through the sophomore year and be broad in scope. Then they would move into the university, which would have departments of medicine, law, agriculture, chemistry, geology, natural history, engineering, and, finally, literature. This would be possible if only the board would renew its lobbying efforts for an act regulating the sale of commercial fertilizer. But what about "the University at Tuscaloosa"? Tichenor did not want to "ignore or antagonize" that institution, which would be free to participate in the new system. Thus the work of higher learning in Alabama would be divided between the two. He concluded by saying that the New South was "rapidly coming forward." His plan would further that end.

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