January 21^ 191G] 



SCIENCE 



93 



The measures which it is believed to be neces- 

 sary for our universities to adopt to realize these 

 ends — measures which have already been adopted 

 in part by some institutions — are four: 



A. Action by Facnlty Committees on Reappoint- 

 ments. — Official action relating to reappointments 

 and refusals of reappointment should be taken only 

 with the advice and consent of some board or com- 

 mittee representative of the faculty. Your com- 

 mittee does not desire to make at this time any 

 suggestion as to the manner of selection of such 

 boards. 



B. Definition of Tenure of Office. — In every in- 

 stitution there should be an unequivocal under- 

 standing as to the term of each appointment; and 

 the tenure of professorships and associate pro- 

 fessorships, and of all positions above the grade 

 of instructor after ten years of service, should be 

 permanent (subject to the provisions hereinafter 

 given for removal upon charges). In those state 

 universities which are legally incapable of making 

 contracts for more than a limited period, the gov- 

 erning boards should announce their policy with 

 respect to the presumption of reappointment in 

 several classes of position, and such announce- 

 ments, though not legally enforceable, should be 

 regarded as morally binding. No university 

 teacher of any rank should, except in cases of grave 

 moral delinquency, receive notice of dismissal or 

 of refusal of reappointment, later than three 

 months before the close of any academic year, and 

 in the case of teachers above the grade of in- 

 structor, one year's notice should be given. 



C. Formulation of Grounds for Dismissal. — In 

 every institution the grounds which will be re- 

 garded aa justifying the dismissal of members of 

 the faculty should be formulated with reasonable 

 definiteness; and in the case of institutions which 

 impose upon their faculties doctrinal standards of 

 a sectarian or partisan character, these standards 

 should be clearly defined and the body or individ- 

 ual having authority to interpret them, in case of 

 controversy, should be designated. Your com- 

 mittee does not think it best at this time to at- 

 tempt to enumerate the legitimate grounds for dis- 

 missal, believing it to be preferable that individual 

 institutions should take the initiative in this. 



D. Judicial Hearings Before Dismissal. — Every 

 university or college teacher should be entitled, be- 

 fore dismissali or demotion, to have the charges 



1 This does not refer to refusals of reappoint- 

 ment at the expiration of the terms of office of 

 teachers below the rank of associate professor. All 



against him stated in writing in specific terms and 

 to have a fair trial on those charges before a spe- 

 cial or permanent judicial committee chosen by the 

 faculty senate or council, or by the faculty at 

 large. At such trial the teacher accused should 

 have full opportunity to present evidence, and, :f 

 the charge is one of professional incompetency, a 

 formal report upon his work should be first made 

 in writing by the teachers of his own department 

 and of cognate departments in the university, 

 and, if the teacher concerned so desire, by a com- 

 mittee of his fellow specialists from other institu- 

 tions, appointed by some competent authority. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 



At the meeting of the Society of American 

 Bacteriologists held at the University of Illi- 

 nois at the end of December, Dr. Thomas J. 

 Burrill, formerly vice-president of the uni- 

 versity, vfas elected president of the society 

 for the coming year. 



Dr. a. 0. LovEJOY, of the Johns Hopkins 

 University, was elected president of the Amer- 

 ican Philosophical Association at the meeting 

 held recently in Philadelphia. 



Dean Frederick J. Wulling, of the college 

 of pharmacy of the University of Minnesota, 

 has been elected president of the American 

 Pharmaceutical Association. 



At the annual meeting of the Cosmos Club, 

 Washington, D. C, on January 10, Dr. Hugh 

 M. Smith, U. S. commissioner of fisheries, 

 was elected president for the year 1916. 



Sir Archibald Geikie, the distinguished 

 geologist, celebrated his eightieth birthday on 

 December 28. 



The ministry of public instruction of the 

 French government has selected Dr. Wallace 

 Clement Sabine, HoUis professor of mathe- 

 matics and natural philosophy at Harvard 

 University, as exchange professor with France 

 for 1916-17. His term of service will fall in 

 the winter semester and will be spent at the 

 University of Paris. 



Dr. O. Van der Stricht, professor of his- 

 tology and embryology. University of Ghent, 

 Belgium, has arrived from Holland to accept 



such questions of reappointment should, as above 

 provided, be acted upon by a faculty committee. 



