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第6章

Thefiguresandpercentagesgivenabovearenotclaimedtobeexact;itisknownthatamoreaccuratespecificationofdetailswouldresultinalessfavourableshowing。

Atthetimewhenthesemattersweredisclosed(toasmallnumberoftheuneasypersonsinterested)therewasanuglysuggestionafloattouchingthepecuniaryintegrityoftheboard’smanagement,butthisisdoubtlesstobedismissedasbeingmerelyalooseexpressionofill—will;andthelikeisalsodoubtlesstobesaidasregardsthesuggestionthattheremayhavebeenaninterestedcollusionbetweentheacademicheadandtheactivemembersoftheboard。Thesewere"allhonourablemen,"ofgreatreputeinthecommunityandwellknownassagaciousandsuccessfulmenintheirprivatebusinessventures。

2。Cf。TheInstinctofWorkmanship,ch。vii,pp。343—352。

3。Asubsidiaryreasonofsomeweightshouldnotbeoverlookedinseekingthecauseofthissecularizationoftheboards,andofthepeculiarcolourwhichthesecularizationhasgiventhem。Inanycommunitywherewealthandbusinessenterpriseareheldinsuchhighesteem,menofwealthandofaffairsarenotonlydeferredto,buttheircountenanceissoughtfromonemotiveandanother。Atthesametimeelectiontooneoftheseboardshascometohaveahighvalueasanhonourabledistinction。Suchelectionorappointmentthereforeisoftensoughtfrommotivesofvanity,anditisatthesametimeaconvenientmeansofconciliatingthegoodwillofthewealthyincumbent。

Itmaybeaddedthatnowandagainthediscretionarycontroloflargefundswhichsofallstothemembersoftheboardmaycometobepecuniarilyprofitabletothem,sothattheofficemaycometobeattractiveasabusinesspropositionaswellasinpointofprestige。Instancesofthekindarenotwhollyunknown,thoughpresumablyexceptional。

4。Cf。,e。g……R。T。Crane。TheFutilityofAllKindsofHigherSchooling,especiallypartI,ch。iv。

5。Cf。R。T。Crane,asabove,especiallypartI,ch。ii。iii,andvi。Cf。alsoH。P。Judson,TheHigherEducationasaTrainingforBusiness,wherethecaseisarguedinatypicallycommonplaceandmatter—of—factspirit,butwhere"TheHigherEducation"istakentomeantheundergraduatecurriculumsimply;also"ASymposiumonthevalueofhumanistic,particularlyclassical,studiesasatrainingformenofaffairs,"ProceedingsoftheClassicalConferenceatAnnArbor,Michigan,April3,1909。

6。Cf。Bacon,Essays——"OfCunning",and"OfWisdomforaMan’sSelf。"

7。Cf。ch。viii,especiallypp。242—269。

CHAPTERIII

TheAcademicAdministrationandPolicyMendilateonthehighnecessityofabusinesslikeorganizationandcontroloftheuniversity,itsequipment,personnelandroutine。Whatishadinmindinthisinsistenceonanefficientsystemisthatthesecorporationsoflearningshallsettheiraffairsinorderafterthepatternofawell—conductedbusinessconcern。Inthisviewtheuniversityisconceivedasabusinesshousedealinginmerchantableknowledge,placedunderthegoverninghandofacaptainoferudition,whoseofficeitistoturnthemeansinhandtoaccountinthelargestfeasibleoutput。Itisacorporationwithlargefunds,andformenbiasedbytheirworkdaytraininginbusinessaffairsitcomesasamatterofcoursetoratetheuniversityintermsofinvestmentandturnover。Hencetheinsistenceonbusinesscapacityintheexecutiveheadsoftheuniversities,andhencealsotheextensiverangeofbusinesslikedutiesandpowersthatdevolveonthem。

Yetwhenallthesesophisticationsofpracticalwisdomaredulyallowedfor,thefactremainsthattheuniversityis,inusage,precedent,andcommonsensepreconception,anestablishmentfortheconservationandadvancementofthehigherlearning,devotedtoadisinterestedpursuitofknowledge。Assuch,itconsistsofabodyofscholarsandscientists,eachandseveralofwhomnecessarilygoestohisworkonhisowninitiativeandpursuesitinhisownway。Thisworknecessarilyfollowsanorderlysequenceandprocedure,andsotakesonasystematicform,ofanorganickind。Butthesystemandorderthatsogovernthework,andthatcomeintoviewinitsprocedureandresults,arethelogicalsystemandorderofintellectualenterprise,notthemechanicalorstatisticalsystematizationthatgoesintoeffectinthemanagementofanindustrialplantorthefinancieringofabusinesscorporation。

Thoseitemsofhumanintelligenceandinitiativethatgotomakeupthepursuitofknowledge,andthatareembodiedinsystematicforminitsconclusions,donotlendthemselvestoquantitativestatement,andcannotbemadetoappearonabalance—sheet。Neithercanthatintellectualinitiativeandproclivitythatgoesinastheindispensablemotiveforceinthepursuitoflearningbereducedtoanyknowntermsofsubordination,obedience,orauthoritativedirection。Noscholarorscientistcanbecomeanemployeeinrespectofhisscholarlyorscientificwork。Mechanicalsystematizationandauthoritativecontrolcaninthesepremisesnotreachbeyondthematerialcircumstancesthatconditiontheworkinhand,norcanitintheseexternalmatterswithgoodeffectgofartherthanisnecessarytosupplythematerialwaysandmeansrequisitetothework,andtoadaptthemtothepeculiarneedsofanygivenlineofinquiryorgroupofscholars。Inordertotheirbestefficiency,andindeedinthedegreeinwhichefficiencyinthisfieldofactivityistobeattainedatall,theexecutiveofficersoftheuniversitymuststandintherelationofassistantsservingtheneedsandcateringtotheidiosyncrasiesofthebodyofscholarsandscientiststhatmakeuptheuniversity;(1*)inthedegreeinwhichtheconverserelationisallowedtotakeeffect,theunavoidableconsequenceiswastefuldefeat。Afreehandisthefirstandabidingrequisiteofscholarlyandscientificwork。

Now,inacceptingofficeasexecutiveheadofauniversity,theincumbentnecessarilyacceptsalltheconditionsthatattachtotheadministrationofhisoffice,whetherbyusageandcommonsenseexpectation,byexpressarrangement,orbypatentunderstandingwiththeboardtowhichheoweshiselevationtothispostofdignityandcommand。Byusageandprecedentitisincumbentonhimtogoverntheacademicpersonnelandequipmentwithaneyesingletothepursuitofknowledge,andsotoconductitsaffairsaswillmosteffectuallycompassthatend。Thatistosayhemustsoadministerhisofficeasbesttoservethescholarlyneedsoftheacademicstaff,dueregardbeingscrupulouslyhadtotheidiosyncrasies,andeventothevagaries,ofthemenwhoseworkheiscalledontofurther。Butbypatentunderstanding,ifnotbyexplicitstipulation,fromthesideofthegoverningboard,fortifiedbythepreconceptionsofthelaityatlargetothesameeffect,heisheldtosuchaconspicuouslyefficientemploymentofthemeansinhandaswillgratifythosewholookforavoluminousturnover。Tothisendhemustkeeptheacademicadministrationanditsactivityconstantlyinthepubliceye,withsuch"pompandcircumstance"ofuntiringurgencyandexpeditionaswillcarrytheconvictionabroadthattheuniversityunderhismanagementisahighlysuccessfulgoingconcern,andhemustbeabletoshowbyitemizedaccountsthatthevolumeofoutputissuchastowarranttheinvestment。Sotheequipmentandpersonnelmustbeorganizedintoafacileandorderlyworkingforce,heldunderthedirectivecontrolofthecaptainoferuditionateverypoint,andsoarticulatedandstandardizedthatitsrateofspeedandthevolumeofitscurrentoutputcanbeexhibitedtofullstatisticaleffectasitruns。

Theuniversityistomakegoodbothasacorporationoflearningandasabusinessconcerndealinginstandardizederudition,andtheexecutiveheadnecessarilyassumestheresponsibilityofmakingitcountwhollyandunreservedlyineachofthesedivergent,ifnotincompatiblelines。(2*)Humanlyspeaking,itfollowsbynecessaryconsequencethathewillfirstandalwaystakecareofthosedutiesthataremostjealouslyinsistedonbythepowerstowhomheisaccountable,andthedueperformanceofwhichwillatthesametimeyieldsomesufficientlytangibleevidenceofhisefficiency。Thatother,morereconditesideoftheuniversity’sworkthathassubstantiallytodowiththehigherlearningisnotreadilysetoutintheformofstatisticalexhibits,atthebest,andcanordinarilycometoappraisalandpopularappreciationonlyinthelongrun。Theneedofabusinesslikeshowingisinstantandimperative,particularlyinabusinesseraoflargeturnoverandquickreturns,andtomeetthisneedtheuneventfulscholasticlifethatcountstowardthehigherlearninginthelongrunisoflittleuse;soitcanwait,anditreadilybecomesahabitwiththebusyexecutivetoletitwait。

Itshouldbekeptinmindalsothattheincumbentofexecutiveofficeispresumablyamanofbusinesslikequalifications,ratherthanofscholarlyinsight,——themethodofselectingtheexecutiveheadsunderthepresentr間imemakesthatnearlyamatterofcourse。Assuchhewillinhisownrightmorereadilyappreciatethoseresultsofhisownmanagementthatshowupwithsomethingoftheglareofpublicity,ascontrastedwiththeslow—movingandoftenobscureworkingofinquirythatlies(commonly)somewhatbeyondhisintellectualhorizon。Sothatwithslightmisgivings,ifany,hetakestothemethodsoforganizationandcontrolthathavecommendedthemselvesinthatcurrentbusinessenterprisetowhichitishisambitiontoassimilatethecorporationoflearning。

Theseprecedentsofbusinesspracticethataretoaffordguidancetothecaptainoferuditionare,ofcourse,theprecedentsofcompetitivebusiness。Itisoneoftheunwritten,andcommonlyunspoken,commonplaceslyingattherootofmodernacademicpolicythatthevariousuniversitiesarecompetitorsforthetrafficinmerchantableinstruction,inmuchthesamefashionasrivalestablishmentsintheretailtradecompeteforcustom。

Indeed,themoderndepartmentstoreoffersafelicitousanalogy,thathasalreadybeenfoundserviceableinillustrationoftheAmericanuniversity’spositioninthisrespect,bythosewhospeakforthepresentr間imeaswellasbyitscritics。Thefactthattheuniversitiesareassumedtobeirreconcilablecompetitors,bothinthepopularapprehensionandasevidencedbythemanoeuvresoftheirseveraldirectors,istoonotorioustobedeniedbyanybuttheinterestedparties。Nowandagainitisformallydeniedbyoneandanotheramongthecompetingcaptainsoferudition,butthereasonforsuchdenialistheneedofit。(3*)

Now,thedutiesoftheexecutiveheadofacompetitivebusinessconcernareofastrategicnature,theobjectofhismanagementbeingtogetthebetterofrivalconcernsandtoengrossthetrade。Tothisenditisindispensablethatheshouldbea"strongman"andshouldhaveafreehand,——thoughperhapsunderthegeneralandtolerantsurveillanceofhisboardofdirectors。Anywiseboardofdirectors,andinthedegreeinwhichtheyareendowedwiththerequisitewisdom,willbecarefultogivetheirgeneralmanagerfulldiscretion,andnottohamperhimwithtoocloseanaccountingofthedetailsofhisadministration,solongasheshowsgratifyingresults。Hemustbeastrongman;thatistosay,acapablemanofaffairs,tenaciousandresourcefulinturningthemeansathandtoaccountforthispurpose,andeasilycontenttolettheendjustifythemeans。Hemustbeamanofscrupulousintegrity,sofarasmayconducetohissuccess,butwithashrewdeyetothelimitswithinwhichhonestyisthebestpolicy,forthepurposeinhand。

Hemusthavefullcommandofthemeansentrustedtohimandfullcontroloftheforceofemployeesandsubordinateswhoaretoworkunderhisdirection,andhemustbeabletorelyontheinstantandunwaveringloyaltyofhisstaffinanylineofpolicyonwhichhemaydecidetoenter。Hemustthereforehavefreepowertoappointanddismiss,andtorewardandpunish,limitedonlybytheformalratificationofhisdecisionsbytheboardofdirectorswhowillbecarefulnottointerfereorinquireundulyinthesematters,——solongastheirstrongmanshowsresults。

Thedetailsandobjectiveofhisstrategyneednotbeknowntothemembersofthestaff;indeed,allthatdoesnotconcernthemexceptinthemostgeneralway。Theyarehiscreatures,andareresponsibleonlytohimandonlyforthedueperformanceofthetasksassignedthem;andtheyneedknowonlysomuchaswillenablethemtogivereadyandintelligentsupporttothemovesmadebytheirchieffromdaytoday。Themembersofthestaffarehisemployees,andtheirfirstdutyisaloyalobedience;andforthecompetitivegoodoftheconcerntheymustutternoexpressionofcriticismorunfavourablecommentonthepolicy,actionsorpersonalcharacteristicsoftheirchief,solongastheyareinhisemploy。Theyhaveeatenhisbread,anditisforthemtodohisbidding。

Suchistheobject—lessonaffordedbybusinesspracticeasitbearsonthedutiesincumbentontheacademicheadandonthepowersofofficedelegatedtohim。Itisneedlesstoremarkonwhatisafactofcommonnotoriety,thatthisruledrawnfromtheconductofcompetitivebusinessiscommonlyappliedwithoutsubstantialabatementintheconductofacademicaffairs。(4*)

Underthisruletheacademicstaffbecomesabodyofgradedsubalterns,whoshareconfidenceofthechiefinvaryingdegrees,butwhonodecisivevoiceinthepolicyortheconductofaffairsoftheconcerninwhosepaytheyareheld。Thefacultyisconceivedasabodyofemployees,hiredtorendercertainservicesandturnoutcertainscheduledvendibleresults。

Thechiefmaytakeadvice;and,asiscommonlythepracticeinanalogouscircumstancesincommercialbusiness,hewillbelikelytodrawabouthimfromamongthefacultyaconvenientlysmallnumberofadviserswhoareinsympathywithhisownambitions,andwhowillinthiswayformanunofficialcouncil,orcabinet,or"junta,"towhomhecanturnforinformal,anonymousandirresponsible,adviceandmoralsupportatanyjuncture。Hewillalso,incompliancewithcharterstipulationsandparliamentaryusage,havecertainofficiallyrecognizedadvisers,——thevariousdeans,advisorycommittees,AcademicCouncil,UniversitySenate,andthelike,——withwhomhesharesresponsibility,particularlyformeasuresofdoubtfulpopularity,andwhoseadviceheformallytakescorampublico;buthecannotwellsharediscretionwiththese,exceptonadministrativemattersofinconsequentialdetail。Forreasonsofpracticalefficiency,discretionmustbeundividedinanycompetitiveenterprise。Thereismuchfine—spunstrategytobetakencareofundercoverofnightandcloud。

Buttheacademictradition,whichstilldragsonthehandsofthecaptainsoferudition,hasnotleftthegroundpreparedforsuchaclean—cutbusinesslikeorganizationandsuchacampaignofcompetitivestrategy。Bytraditionthefacultyisthekeeperoftheacademicinterestsoftheuniversityandmakesupabodyofloosely—boundnoncompetitiveco—partners,withnoviewtostrategicteamplayandnocollectiveulteriorambition,leastofallwithaviewtoengrossingthetrade。Bytradition,andindeedcommonlybyexplicitproviso,theconductoftheuniversity’sacademicaffairsvestsformallyinthepresident,withtheadviceandconsentofthefaculty,orofthegeneralbodyofseniormembersofthefaculty。Indueobservanceofthesetraditions,andofthescholasticpurposesnotoriouslyunderlyingalluniversitylife,certainformsofdisinterestedzealmustbeadheredtoinallofficialpronouncementsoftheexecutive,aswellascertainpunctiliosofconferenceandadvisementbetweenthedirectiveheadandtheacademicstaff。

Allofwhichmakestheworkoftheexecutiveheadlesseasyandingenuousthanitmightbe。Thesubstantialdemandsofhispositionaschiefofacompetitivebusinessaresomewhatwidelyoutoftouchwiththeseformsofdividedresponsibilitythatmust(formally)beobservedinadministeringhisduties,andequallyoutoftouchwiththeformalprofessionsofdisinterestedzealforthecauseoflearningthatheisbytraditionrequiredtomakefromtimetotime。Allthatmayreasonablybecountedonunderthesetryingcircumstancesisthatheshoulddothebesthecan,——tosavetheformalitiesandsecurethesubstance。Tocompassthesedifficultincongruities,hewill,asalreadyremarkedabove,necessarilygatherabouthim,withinthegeneralbodyoftheacademicpersonnel,acorpsoftrustedadvisorsandagents,whosequalificationsfortheirpeculiarworkisanintelligentsympathywiththeirchief’sidealsandmethodsandanunreservedsubserviencetohisaims,——unlessitshouldcometopass,asmayhappenincaseitsmembersaremenofforceandingenuity,thatthisunofficialcabinetshouldtakeoverthedirectionofaffairsandworkouttheirownaimsandpurposesundercoverofthechief’sostensiblyautocraticrule。

Amongtheseaidsandadviserswillbefoundatleastaproportionofthehigheradministrativeofficials,andamongthenumberitisfairlyindispensabletoincludeoneormoreadroitparliamentarians,competenttoprocurethenecessarymodicumofsanctionforallarbitraryactsoftheexecutive,fromadistrustfulfacultyconvenedasadeliberativebody。Thesemenmustbeatleastpartiallyintheconfidenceoftheexecutivehead。Fromthecircumstancesofthecaseitalsofollowsthattheywillcommonlyoccupyanadvancedacademicrank,andsowilltakeahigh(putative)rankasscholarsandscientists。Highacademicrankcomesofnecessitytothesemenwhoserveascoadjutorsandvehiclesoftheexecutivepolicy,asdoesalsotherelativelyhighpaythatgoeswithhighrank;botharerequiredasarewardofmeritandanincitementtoazealousserviceabilityontheonehand,andtokeeptheadministrationincountenanceontheotherhandbygivingtherequisitedignitytoitsagents。Theywillbeselectedonthesamegeneralgroundsoffitnessastheirchief,——administrativefacility,plausibility,proficiencyaspublicspeakersandparliamentarians,readyversatilityofconvictions,andastaunchloyaltytotheirbread。

Experienceteachesthatscholarlyorscientificcapacitydoesnotenterinanyappreciablemeasureamongthequalificationssorequiredforresponsibleacademicoffice,beyondwhatmaythriftilyservetomasktheconventionaldecenciesofthecase。

Itis,further,oftheessenceofthisschemeofacademiccontrolthatthecaptainoferuditionshouldfreelyexercisethepowerofacademiclifeanddeathoverthemembersofhisstaff,torewardthegoodandfaithfulservantandtoabasetherecalcitrant。Otherwisedisciplinewouldbeadifficultmatter,andtheformallyrequisite"adviceandconsent"couldbeprocuredonlytardilyandgrudgingly。

Admittingsuchreservationsandabatementasmaybedue,itistobesaidthattheexistingorganizationofacademiccontrolunderbusinessprinciplesfallsmoreorlessnearlyintotheformoutlinedabove。Theperfectedtype,assketchedinthelastparagraphs,hasdoubtlessnotbeenfullyachievedinpracticehitherto,unlessitbeinoneoranotherofthenewerestablishmentswithlargeambitionsandendowment,andwithfewtraditionstohampertheworkingoutofthesystem。Theincursionofbusinessprinciplesintotheacademiccommunityisalsoofrelativelyrecentdate,andshouldnotyethavehadtimetopervadetheorganizationthroughoutandwithfulleffect;sothatther間imeofcompetitivestrategyshouldasyetbeneithersofaradvancednorsosecureamatterofcourseasmayfairlybeexpectedinthenearfuture。Yettherateofadvancealongthisline,andthemeasureofpresentachievement,aremoreconsiderablethanevenaverysanguineadvocateofbusinessprinciplescouldhavedaredtolookforacoupleofdecadesago。

Insofarasthesemattersarestillinprocessofgrowth,ratherthanattheirfullfruition,itfollowsthatanyanalysisoftheeffectsofthisr間imemustbeinsomedegreespeculative,andmustattimesdealwiththedriftofthingsasmuchaswithaccomplishedfact。Yetsuchaninquirymustapproachitssubjectasanepisodeofhistory,andmustdealwiththepersonalfiguresandtheincidentsofthisgrowthobjectively,asphenomenathrownuptoviewbytheplayofcircumstancesinthedispassionategiveandtakeofinstitutionalchange。Suchanimpersonalattitude,itisperhapsneedlesstoremark,isnotalwayseasytomaintainindealingwithfactsofsopersonal,andoftenofsoanimated,acharacter。Particularlywillanobserverwhohasseentheseincidentsfromthemiddleandinthemakingfinditdifficultuniformlytopreservethataloofperspectivethatwillservetheendsofanhistoricalappreciation。Thedifficultyisincreasedandcomplicatedbythenecessityofemployingterms,descriptionsandincidentsthathavebeenhabituallyemployedincurrentcontroversy,oftenwithamarkedanimus。Menhavetakensidesonthesematters,andsoareengagedincontroversyonthemeritsofthecurrentr間imeandonthequestionofpossiblereliefandremedyforwhatareconsideredtobeitsiniquities。Undertheshadowofthiscontroversy,itisnearlyunavoidablethatanyexpressionorcitationoffactthatwillbearapartisanconstructionwillhabituallybesoconstrued。Thevehiclenecessarilyemployedmustalmostunavoidablyinfusetheanalysiswithanunintendedcolourofbias,toonesideortheotherofthepresumedmeritsofthecase。Adegreeofpatientattentionisthereforedueatpointswherethefactscited,andthecharacterizationofthesefactsandtheirbearing,wouldseem,onasuperficialview,tobearconstructionascontroversialmatter。

Inthisepisodeofinstitutionalgrowth,plainly,theexecutiveheadisthecentralfigure。Thelightfailsonhimratherthanontheforcesthatmovehim,anditcomesasamatterofcoursetopassopinionsontheresultingincidentsandconsequences,astheoutcomeofhisfreeinitiativeratherthanofthecircumstanceswhosecreatureheis。Nodoubt,hisinitiative,ifany,isapowerfulfactorinthecase,butitisafterallafactoroftransmissionandcommutationratherthanofgenesisandself—direction;forheischosenforthestyleandmeasureofinitiativewithwhichheisendowed,andunlessheshallbefoundtomeasureuptoexpectationsinkindanddegreeinthismatterhewillgointhediscard,andhispersonalidealsandinitiativewillcountaslittlemorethanatransientobstruction。Hewillholdhisplace,andwillcountasacreativeforceinhisworld,inmuchthesamedegreeinwhichherespondswithreadyflexibilitytotheimpactofthoseforcesofpopularsentimentandclassconvictionthathavecalledhimtobetheirservant。Onlysocanhebea"strongman";onlyinsofaras,byfortunatebentorbyitsabsence,heisenabledtomoveresistlesslywiththeparallelogramofforces。

Theexigenciesofabusinesslikeadministrationdemandthattherebenodivisionofpowersbetweentheacademicexecutiveandtheacademicstaff;buttheexigenciesofthehigherlearningrequirethatthescholarsandscientistsmustbeleftquitefreetofollowtheirownbentinconductingtheirownwork。Inthenatureofthingsthisworkcannotbecarriedoneffectuallyundercoerciverule。Scientificinquirycannotbepursuedunderdirectionofalaymaninthepersonofasuperiorofficer。Also,learningis,inthenatureofthings,notacompetitivebusinessandcanmakenouseoffinesse,diplomaticequivocationandtactfulregardforpopularprejudices,suchasareoftheessenceofthecaseincompetitivebusiness。Itis,also,ofnoadvantagetolearningtoengrossthetrade。Traditionandpresentnecessityalikedemandthatthebodyofscholarsandscientistswhomakeuptheuniversitymustbevestedwithfullpowersofself—direction,withoutulteriorconsideration。Auniversitycanremainacorporationoflearning,defacto,onnootherbasis。

Ashasalreadybeenremarked,businessmethodsofcoursehavetheirplaceinthecorporation’sfiscalaffairsandintheoffice—workincidenttothecareofitsmaterialequipment。Asregardstheseitemstheuniversityisabusinessconcern,andnodiscussionofthesetopicswouldbeinplacehere。Thesethingsconcerntheuniversityonlyinitsexternals,andtheydonotproperlyfallwithinthescopeofacademicpolicyoracademicadministration。Theycomeintoconsiderationhereonlyinsofarasalivelyregardforthemmay,asitsometimesdoes,diverttheforcesoftheestablishmentfromitsostensiblepurpose。

Undertheruleimposedbythosebusinesslikepreconceptionsthatdecidehisselectionforoffice,thefirstdutyoftheexecutiveheadistoseetotheorganizationofanadministrativemachineryforthedirectionoftheuniversity’sinternalaffairs,andtheestablishmentofafacileandrigoroussystemofaccountancyforthecontrolandexhibitionoftheacademicwork。

Inthesamemeasureinwhichsuchasystemgoesintoeffecttheprinciplesofcompetitivebusinesswillpermeatetheadministrationinalldirections;inthepersonneloftheacademicstaff,inthecontrolandintercourseofteachersandstudents,inthescheduleofinstruction,inthedispositionofthematerialequipment,inthepublicexhibitsandceremonialoftheuniversity,aswellasinitspecuniaryconcerns。

Withintherangeofacademicinterestsproper,thesebusinessprinciplesprimarilyaffectthepersonnelandtheroutineofinstruction。Heretheirapplicationimmediatelyresultsinanadministrativesystemofbureauxordepartments,ahierarchicalgradationofthemembersofthestaff,andarigorousparcelmentandstandardizationoftheinstructionoffered。Somesuchsystemisindispensabletoanyeffectivecontroloftheworkfromabove,suchasisaimedatintheappointmentofadiscretionaryheadoftheuniversity,——particularlyinalargeschool;andthemeasureofcontroldesiredwilldecidethedegreeofthoroughnesswithwhichthisbureaucraticorganizationistobecarriedthrough。Theneedofawell—devisedbureaucraticsystemisgreaterthemorecentralizedandcoercivethecontroltowhichtheacademicworkistobesubject;andthedegreeofcontroltobeexercisedwillbegreaterthemoreurgentthefeltneedofastrictandlargeaccountancymaybe。Allofwhichresolvesitselfintoaquestionastothepurposessoughtbytheinstallationofsuchasystem。

Fortheeverydayworkofthehigherlearning,assuch,littleofahierarchicalgradation,andlessofbureaucraticsubordination,isneedfulorserviceable;andverylittleofstatisticaluniformity,standardunitsoferudition,ordetailaccountancy,isatallfeasible。Thisworkisnotofamechanicalcharacteranddoesnotlenditself,eitherinitsmethodsoritsresults,toanymechanicallystandardizedschemeofmeasurementsortoasystemofaccountingpercentpertimeunit。Thisrangeofinstructionconsistssubstantiallyinthefacilitationofscholarlyandscientifichabitsofthought,andtheimpositionofanyappreciablemeasureofsuchstandardizationandaccountingmustunavoidablyweakenandvitiatetheworkofinstruction,injustthedegreeinwhichtheimposedsystemiseffective。

Itisnotwithinthepurposeofthisinquirytogointothebearingofallthisonthecollegiate(undergraduate)departmentsorontheprofessionalandtechnicalschoolsassociatedwiththeuniversityproperinAmericanpractice。Butsomethingofadetaileddiscussionofthesystemandprinciplesofcontrolappliedintheseschoolsisnecessarybecauseofitsincidentalbearingongraduatework。

Itisplainbeyondneedofspecificationthatinthepracticalviewofthepublicatlarge,andofthegoverningboards,theuniversityisprimarilyanundergraduateschool,withgraduateandprofessionaldepartmentsaddedtoit。Anditissimilarlyplainthatthecaptainsoferuditionchosenasexecutiveheadssharethesamepreconceptions,andgototheirworkwithaviewprimarilytotheneedsoftheirundergraduatedepartments。Thebusinesslikeorderandsystemintroducedintotheuniversities,therefore,aredesignedprimarilytomeettheneedsandexploitthepossibilitiesoftheundergraduateschool;

but,byforceofhabit,byadesireofuniformity,byadesiretocontrolandexhibitthepersonnelandtheirwork,byheedlessimitation,orwhatnot,itinvariablyhappensthatthesameschemeoforderandsystemisextendedtocoverthegraduateworkalso。

Whileitistheworkofscienceandscholarship,roughlywhatisknowninAmericanusageasgraduatework,thatgivestheuniversityitsrankasaseatoflearningandkeepsitincountenanceassuchwithlaymenandscholars,itistheundergraduateschool,orcollege,thatstillcontinuestobethelargerfact,andthatstillengagesthegreaterandmoreimmediateattentioninuniversitymanagement。ThisisdueinparttoreceivedAmericanusage,inparttoitsmorereadilyservingtheendsofcompetitiveambition;anditisafactinthecurrentacademicsituationwhichmustbecountedinasachronicdiscrepancy,nottobegotclearofortobeappreciablymitigatedsolongasbusinessprinciplescontinuetorule。

Whatcountstowardtheadvancementoflearningandthescholarlycharacteroftheuniversityisthegraduatework,butwhatgivesstatisticallyformidableresultsinthewayofanumerousenrolment,manydegreesconferred,publicexhibitions,coursesofinstruction——inshortwhatrollsupalargeshowingofturnoverandoutput——istheperfunctoryworkoftheundergraduatedepartment,aswellasthearrayofvocationalschoolslatterlysubjoinedasauxiliariestothisend。Hencetheneedsandpossibilitiesoftheundergraduateandvocationalschoolsareprimarily,perhapsrathersolely,hadinviewinthebureaucraticorganizationofthecoursesofinstruction,intheselectionofthepersonnel,inthedivisionsoftheschoolyear,aswellasinthevariousaccessoryattractionsoffered,suchastheathleticequipment,facilitiesforfraternityandotherclublife,debates,exhibitionsandfestivities,andthecustomaryroutineofdevotionalamenitiesunderofficialsanction。

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