Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-25
'FORlTH UNIVERSITY
PLAN OF GovERnMEvr MAPPED!
OFT BIZ COMMITTEES.
PROP 0s 81 | {: FROM. ALUMNI Vi
There should he . President, and
Representatives on beard Of visi-
tor. Of Alumni ana state Govern
ment-Fres Tuition shonld BE
Abolished.
Abolished.

ment-Free Tuition should BE
Abolished.
WASHINGTON, D. e., January a.
Especial 1.-The following report. has been
made by committee OF the Washington
Alumni Associa ton on a plan of govern
ment for the University Of Virginia. and
adopted;
1.-THE University Of Virginia, in the
opinion Of your committee, has now
reached stage. in its developm ent and
its organization and system Of govern
ment This change need not be- q radi-
cal and sweeping one. but should be a
decided betterment of at least two fea-
lures OF its administration. One Of these
features is eternal. the other external.
Z. In regard to the notifications Of
its internal administration, your commit
tee Is Of the opinion that the time has
now arrived when the University should
have an executive head. The conditions
in the educational world have altered ma
terially in the last twenty years or
more, and mode Of government that
was successful twenty years ago, does
not, in QUE opinion. meet the require
ments OF the present situa ton. The old
Senatus, ;Academicus is no longer ade-
quate to enable a great institution, such
as. the University has always been, tc
maintain itself in the front rank Of the
colleges Of this country. A. struggle for
supremacy is going on. and this strug-
gle demands that powers be delegated
to an individual officer OF tho Uniyer-
sity, whose existence heretofore has not
been necessary. This Office has not been
adequately represented by the chairman
of the faculty. whose functions are essen
TALLY what the tile implies-viz., the
presiding officer Of the faculty. An officer
is needed with plenary. powers Of inter-
nal ad1nnistratio who can represent
the University personally in its external
relations also. Your committee does not
thereby propose that the powers and pre-
roga tives Of the members of the faculty
In their respective departments shall be
impaired.
ALUMNI REPRESENTATION.
't2. In regard to its external admins
tration, your committee Is of the opinion
that the composition of the Board OF
Visitors should oe so modified as to adj
nit OF representa- ton on the board of a.
fixed number of m mbers to be chosen
by the General Alumni Association, and
that further. the Governor, the Lieutea-
ent-Governor, the Attorney-General, and
the Superintendent Of Pubic instruction
should be incorporated in its member
ship. It is an essential feature Of the
conduct of the moLern university that the
alumni shall be represented on it's Board
of Overseers or Visitors. and not only
represented, but have an official voice
In the appointment Of officers. professors,
and members of the board. This is
absolutely essentia. in order to create
and maintain an interest by the alumni
throughout the country, z in the Univer-.
sity. This interest must be kept up In
order to procure the financial support, and
to induce the endowments of chairs ana
scholarships. of which the institution is sc
badly III need. The State appropriation
Is entirely inadequate to Its needs, and
while perhaps large, considering the sre-
sources of the State. Is not one-half of
what Is needed to maintain an institution
OF the prestige and power for usefulness
Of the University All the leading coll
leges of-the country. such as Harvard,
Yale. and Cornell have the alumni rep-
resented on the Board Of Visitors or Over
seers. and their experience has been thai
$~SAo SSSt"
to their success anG progress. Cornell Is
managed almost entirely by It's alumni
Yale takes no important step without
consultation by postal card with its alum.
nj all over the country. The higher State
officials are represented on the boards
of all the leading colleges that are nain-
tanned, wholly or in part, by State APP
preparations. This IS eminently right and
proper. and enlists the interest and CO.
1ra fS1,, .>f-
concerns the best interests of the insti-
tuition.
Your committee believes that the ex-
ecutive head, under whatever name ap-
pointed. should have all the authority
usually vested in such an official, but
does not approve Of the method Of elect
ms the executive head Of the University
as outlined in the programme drawn up
by the faculty and entitled a Proposed
Modification of Plan Of Government az
the University Of Virginia, We believe
that this selection should be delegated
to the Board of Visitors as above con.
shtuted. and that the faculty should
have no voice in the election Experience
at other colleges has shown that if the
faculty takes part Ii, such an election,
the result is not satisfactory. Just why
this should be SO. 1t @isEnot our purpose
to discuss, but the fact remains, that It
is. Your committee does not imply, In
recommending the selection of an ofiicial.|
head for the University,stlat the, nem-
bers of the faculty shall be disturbed :ns
the exercise of. the authority and privi-5
leges now enjoyed by, and vested in
them In their respective departments.
On the contrary, We. believe that these
rights and privileges should be preserved
and guarned most jealousy.
Is FREE TUITION WRONG.
You: committee depreclat es= the sys-
TEN OF free tuition at tie University
This puts the University In an unpleasant |
attitude towards the colleges of the
State, excites their Jealousy, and en-
genders hostility towards it on their part.