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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVI. No. 914 



proposition (2). I believe that the presi- 

 dency should be a dignified and desirable 

 office in order to attract the best men. It 

 should be permanent, it ought to carry a sal- 

 ary larger than that of the professor, and the 

 incumbent should be charged especially with 

 the important duty of developing the policy 

 of the university. Some one is needed in this 

 position who is broad-minded enough to 

 sympathize with good movements and to see 

 that they are pushed — to recognize when there 

 is weakness to be overcome or strength to be 

 encouraged. No temporary officer can be ex- 

 I)eeted to keep his mind constantly upon such 

 work. If the office is temporary and carries 

 no special dignity or importance, men will 

 avoid it and, if forced to take it in rotation, 

 will regard it as a necessary evil that they are 

 thankful to escape from. Propositions (3) 

 and (4) meet my general approval. When the 

 size of any department is considerable, it 

 would seem desirable to have its own faculty 

 and dean, to make its own nominations to the 

 staff and its own recommendations for ap- 

 propriations and other departmental expendi- 

 tures. As you say, such an organization prac- 

 tically exists for the professional schools, al- 

 though in many cases the autonomy is not 

 carried far enough, that is to say, it does not 

 extend to appropriations and appointments. 

 I count it unfortunate that there is a tend- 

 ency to make the deanship in such depart- 

 mental faculties a practically permanent 

 office. In the case of professional schools 

 that are not really incorporated into the uni- 

 versity, such a provision may be necessary, 

 but when the department is organically united 

 to the university the deanship, in my opin- 

 ion, should be an office filled in rotation, 

 yearly, by the professors of the department. 

 A department is small enough for the pro- 

 fessors themselves, as a body, to develop their 

 policy and supervise their own needs, present 

 and future, and the dean should be simply an 

 administrative officer for carrying their ac- 

 tions into effect. The office might properly 

 be regarded as a burdensome duty and not an 

 honor, and the labor might be shared equally 

 so as not to spoil the efficiency of any pro- 



fessor in the proper work of his own subject. 

 In this general respect I should like to see a 

 marked difference made between the position 

 of the president and the dean. The latter now 

 generally fulfil, the duties of minor presidents 

 and there is no need, in my opinion, in one 

 and the same university in having a group of 

 men taken away from their proper work. It 

 may very well lead to sharp antagonisms be- 

 tween individuals. In regard to proposition 

 (5) I assume that some such representative 

 body is necessary in large institutions where 

 many departments exist. I would suggest 

 that its most important function should be 

 the recommendation of a proper division of 

 the annual income among the several depart- 

 ments, in addition to acting as a final court 

 in matters affecting the interests of all de- 

 partments. It should be a representative 

 body subject to change. 



I thoroughly agree with (1) and the first 

 part of (2) ; I think the president should be 

 elected by the faculty and feel responsible to 

 it for appointments, so far as they are in his 

 hands, and general politics, but to the trustees 

 for the financial part. I am inclined to favor 

 a " rector " elected from the full professors 

 for a period of, say, four years; his adminis- 

 trative work should not take him away from 

 his department entirely. I believe that he 

 should have a larger salary and be able to 

 travel and entertain in the name of the uni- 

 versity. A four years' tenure would put a man 

 on his mettle, for I think he should be sub- 

 ject to reelection. I see evident weaknesses 

 in this which I shall not discuss. (3) and 

 (4) appeal to me and also (5) except for the 

 last sentence. I do not believe that there is 

 any group of men who abuse their freedom as 

 much as do some university professors and I be- 

 lieve that this abuse tends to lower the average 

 and dignity of all. You see, I am a complete 

 Philistine on this subject. I believe that each 

 head of a department should send the presi- 

 dent a written report of his work at least 

 every three months, these reports to be kept 

 on file. I even favor the establishment of 

 rules relating to hours. Of course I believe in 



