August 9, 1912] 



SCIENCE 



185 



the professor and according him full liberty 

 in his department. If suggestions are in 

 order, I might oiler the following plan of 

 making appointments and promotions. The 

 department committee to nominate first ap- 

 pointments to assistantships and other low- 

 grade positions. The division (department 

 group) committee to nominate for promotions 

 or first appointments to instructorships. The 

 body of full professors of any faculty to nom- 

 inate to professorships in that faculty. Pro- 

 fessors in all faculties to nominate the presi- 

 dent. All elections to be by the trustees or 

 corporation. The president to be elected for 

 a limited term, and subject to " recall " by 

 the faculty. The president to confer with 

 professors, represent them before the trustees, 

 and the university as a whole before the pub- 

 lic. The executive agent of the trustees 

 (comptroller), the president, and a prominent 

 alumnus (elected by vote of the alumni or 

 their r-epresentatives) to constitute a " board 

 of estimate." Such a committee would unite 

 the needs of scholarship, the good-will of the 

 community and the limitations of the treas- 

 ury and arrange the delicate adjustment be- 

 tween departmental needs and university in- 

 come. 



I am heartily in favor of some such plan of 

 university administration as you propose. 

 At present in some institutions control rests 

 in the hands of a small group of trustees who 

 happen to have the leisure, or the money, or 

 the energy to take a leading part, but who 

 are not necessarily qualified to understand 

 the real problems of the American university. 

 The trustees appoint the president, the presi- 

 dent appoints the deans, the deans recom- 

 mend departmental appropriations and pro- 

 motions, and so a personal tinge is given to 

 all the official relations of the regular faculty 

 members. The present situation is purely 

 fortuitous. Until the natural university 

 groups are given complete autonomy, genuine 

 university development and continuity must 

 remain largely a matter of accident. In your 

 plan as stated the principles outlined in sec- 

 tions (3) and (4) seem to me essential. Pre- 



cise details must naturally be left for experi- 

 ment. 



Upon the whole your plan is quite in accord 

 with my own views, and I believe that there 

 is already a tendency among our universities 

 toward its inauguration in part. I doubt the 

 expediency of the chancellorship, nor do I 

 think such a corporation as you suggest is at 

 all practicable for the state universities, 

 though possibly some plan whereby the elected 

 or appointed state regents might be limited 

 to the control of funds and to an indirect or 

 direct veto of all matters not strictly acad- 

 emic might be feasible. Especially do I think 

 that the presidency should be an elective 

 office of the faculties. At present the highest 

 honors and emoluments are given, not for 

 scholarship and pedagogical excellence, but 

 for executive and administrative ability. 



I am in hearty sympathy with the proposed 

 plan for university control. It is quite pre- 

 posterous that in a republican form of gov- 

 ernment our institutions of learning should 

 have what is practically an absolute despot- 

 ism — while the universities of Europe are the 

 most democratic in their form of administra- 

 tion. I doubt, however, if it be possible — 

 without a disastrous revolution — to change 

 the present status. 



I have been president and professor in a 

 state university, and in denominational col- 

 leges, and have added to this now my fifteen 

 years' experience here. This simply means 

 that I have looked at the problem of " con- 

 trol " from almost every angle. My convic- 

 tion is that every group connected with a 

 university should do what it is best fitted to 

 do. Theoretically, the trustees are fitted to 

 conserve and increase endowments, and no 

 more. They should have nothing to do with 

 determining educational policies or with se- 

 lecting instructors. Theoretically, the fac- 

 ulty are fitted to determine educational poli- 

 cies, to select instructors and to distribute the 

 available funds. As I understand it, these 

 are the views you have worked out in the de- 

 tails of your scheme, and so it has my general 



