Kansas State Agricultural College was originally Bluemont Central College, a private Methodist preparatory institution. In 1863, the Bluemont trustees donated their land and some facilities to the Kansas legislature to use under the guidelines of the Morrill Land Grant Act for an agricultural and mechanical arts college. Bluemont Central College then became Kansas State Agricultural College, and later, Kansas State University.

The college was to be governed by a Board of Regents which had twelve members (three permanent and nine appointed by the Governor) plus the college president. In biannual elections, three members were rotated off the board and three new appointments were made by the Governor.

When Mary's application to the college was received in early 1897, the 1896 election had returned the Populist Party to power in the state legislature. A law was then enacted that changed the configuration of the board to only seven appointed members with four-year terms and without the KSAC President as an ex officio member. Populists were appointed to the board, which met for three days in early April 1897.

Regent C. B. Hoffman offered a resolution on April 8th: "'Resolved, That the 'school year'...shall begin July 1st of each year, and end June 30th of the following year; and that the term of employment of all present employees shall expire June 30th, 1897.'" The resolution was adopted, firing the entire college faculty and staff.

In concern for the continuity of the college, President George T. Fairchild urged the board to take action to consider the employment of some of the present faculty members. He also offered his resignation.

The board then chose Professor Thomas E. Will as the new college president and set about selecting which members of the current faculty to invite back. They quickly eliminated fourteen of the total twenty-five and three of those they did invite back refused to return.

In his History of Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, Dr. Julius T. Willard wrote:

This wholesale permanent removal of faculty and employees was unprecedented in the State, and nothing approaching it has occurred since. No matter how earnestly, nor indeed how sincerely, the Board might attempt to justify its action, it was judged by the opposition as political in basis, and a fight was excited that continued throughout the administration of President Will.

It was in this atmosphere that Mary's application for the position of mathematics chair was received by the college.

Dr. Winston at KSAC