Steffens would be in favor of Murray's thesis. In the article Sending a State to College, Steffens saw how students lacked interest in pursuing a liberal education when there were no immediate results, “farmers like many businessmen and the practical world in general, thought they “know everything”; they viewed science as theory and higher education as a waste of time.” This would be the reason why he created the University Extension Division to attract many people who want to get different results from the University. Steffens knew firsthand that many people had no interest in pursuing a liberal education when Wisconsin farmers abandoned the four-year course for general education.