June 19, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



895 



If a professor is appointed with an indefinite 

 tenure of office, wliat should be the method of 

 terminating his position if his services are unsatis- 

 factory, provided there are no specific charges 

 against him? 



Nearly all who replied to this question indi- 

 cated that the president should hold a frank 

 conference with the man and urge him to 

 relocate, and should give him ample time 

 wherein to secure a new position. Replying 

 to the query as to what constitutes such 

 ample time, three favored two months, five 

 three months, two four months, fourteen six 

 months and five a year. Two of our most 

 experienced executives stated that they had 

 found a year too long a period, as it inter- 

 fered with the work of their institution. 

 Dean Davenport has answered these questions 

 so well that I again quote from his letter : 



This is an exceedingly delicate question. It re- 

 fers, of course, to that kind of lack of success 

 which it is difficult to define and certainly against 

 which specific charges can not be made. Per- 

 sonally I believe if the case is not fiagrant and the 

 institution is large enough and strong enough to 

 do it, it is best to supersede the position in some 

 quiet way and by reorganization' to push the work 

 ahead without the man. But if the issue must be 

 met squarely, then I believe in doing it by the 

 frankest method possible; namely, by discussing 

 the matter with him and showing him why it is 

 that the university must have a change. I think 

 that in the case of a man 's becoming undesirable 

 in a responsible position, the very fact that he has 

 been given this responsible position entitles him 

 to great consideration. It seems to me that the 

 best plan is for the institution and the man alike 

 to understand the situation and both to do what 

 they can to find another position where the man 

 can presiunably succeed. I do not mean by this 

 that an incompetent professor should be peddled 

 off on another institution; only this, that if the 

 institution ever gave him a professorship, it must 

 have been for a very good reason and his failure is 

 most likely to be due to changing conditions. 

 Under such considerations it is not difficult to find 

 other places where the conditions are more favor- 

 able for good work. Except in rare eases, there- 

 fore, I would not make the notice definite, but 

 rather indefinite. 



Occasionally a case arises in which such 

 treatment must be followed by definite action. 



Sometimes a man refuses to make a reason- 

 able effort to secure another position, even 

 after he has been given ample time to do so. 

 Under such circumstances we doubtless would 

 all agree that it would become necessary to 

 formally request his resignation. 



In reply to the query whether under such 

 circumstances the notice should be made a 

 matter of record where it may become public, 

 only four answered " yes," and all other re- 

 plies were " no." There seems no good reason 

 why such a matter should be recorded as public 

 property unless the man himself makes such 

 action necessary. This simply means that in 

 most institutions such notice should be given 

 by letter from the president and not by action 

 of the governing board, which usually becomes 

 public. 



The final question asked whether there is 

 any justification for a new managing board 

 declaring all positions vacant and reappoint- 

 ing whomsoever they see fit. Only two replies 

 indicated that possibly circumstances might 

 arise warranting such action. The other forty 

 replies are so emphatic in their condemnation 

 of such a proceeding that the query might 

 seem useless. However, according to pub- 

 lished reports there have been one or two 

 recent cases of such drastic action. Formerly 

 such " turnovers " were much more common. 

 Some of these replies may well be quoted if 

 for no other purpose than to Toice the uni- 

 versal sentiment of all college men. One 

 writes : 



It is a cowardly way to treat the situation. 



President Snyder of Michigan writes: 



A new managing board that declares all posi- 

 tions vacant is simply advertising to the world 

 its own inefficiency and lack of appreciation of 

 the great responsibility which has been placed upon 



it. 



President AJey of Maine writes: 

 I know of no justification whatever for a new 

 board to declare all positions vacant. It seems to 

 me that such a proceeding will result in chaos in 

 an institution. Certainly no self-respecting man 

 would want a position in a college where such a 

 thing is likely to occur. 



