274 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Ninth. The president shall have control of all employees engaged in the 

 preservation and maintenance of the buildings of all departments of the univer- 

 sity, and he shall be the chief custodian of such buildings. 



At another great university a popular professor of another institu- 

 tion was offered the presidency, but he 



delayed his acceptance until he had come to a clear understanding vriih the 

 regents as to their future relations. He said with much frankness that one 

 great disadvantage of the University of had always been the dis- 

 position of the regents to meddle in the internal management, especially in 

 personal matters, such as appointments, promotions and salaries; and he received 

 assurance that the initiative in these matters should rest with himself. 



At a third great institution where the power of control came to be 

 vested in a single person, it was announced that the trustee had paid 



" a high compliment to President by giving him absolute 



power over the management of the educational affairs of the University." 



At a fourth institution the candidate selected by the board of 

 trustees dictated his own terms in accepting the office of president of a 

 college and it was announced that "the board of trustees has accepted 



the principles proposed by and all direction of the faculty 



will proceed from him." 



At another time a university president took summary action in 

 regard to several members of the faculty, and when "the persons con- 

 cerned " asked the reason for the action they received the reply from the 

 president, "I have no reasons to give. It is my pleasure." It is pos- 

 sible that the distinguished president was only unconsciously reflecting 

 his morning lesson from Kipling, 



Now these are the laws of the Jungle, 



And many and mighty are they; 

 But the head and the hoof of the Law 



And the haunch and the hump is — Obey. 



The privilege of overriding legislation of the faculty is claimed by 

 the president of at least one great university. Somewhat recently when 

 the name of a student who was a candidate for a degree in arts was 

 presented to the faculty, the head of one department reported that the 

 candidate had not completed all the work prescribed by the faculty as 

 necessary before obtaining the degree. The president refused to allow 

 the faculty to vote on the case and later stated in the press, over his 

 own signature, " that the president of the university has the authority 

 and privilege of submitting to the trustees a recommendation for any 

 degree without consulting any faculty or any member of a faculty." 



These illustrations could be multiplied almost indefinitely. They 

 seem to furnish some ground for the observation of a college professor 

 that "the college presidency is a despotism untempered by assassi- 

 nation." 



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