New-York tribune., 1909-04-19
NEW UNIVERSITY SCHEMES.

The latest scheme of university organization,
and in some respects one of the most interest
ing and suggestive which have been put for
ward in recent years, is proposed at Stanford
University. There President Jordan suggests
that the first two years of the four years cob
! lege course, which commonly known as
| the freshman and sophomore years should be
set apart as a separate course under the name
of Junior college. leaving the third and fourth
or junior and senior. years and the subsequent
years to the university proper. Moreover, as
soon as other institutions sufficient In num-
ber and equipment to care for all Junior col
Iege" students he would abolish that depart
ment at the university and devote all attention
to the work of the later years. 1t has not yet
been decided To put this scheme into execution,
but the proposal coming from such an instl-
tuition as Stanford, is entitled 10 and doubt
less will receive careful attention.
The comment is quickly made upon it, of
course. that it would if adopted, increase the
multiplicity of college and university systems
in this country-a result which might he either
good or evil. We now have colleges with four
year courses and universities with courses of
various extent beyond the four college years.
In some institutions. the number Of which Is
growing. the fourth undergraduate year is
combined or made cOincdent with the first
post graduate year. In others II has been pro
posed to shorten the undergraduate course TO
three years at the end of which the baccalau-
Teate degree would be given Now. i'm the sys-
TEN proposed at Stanford. one Of two or three
things would apparently happen in relation to
baccalaureate degrees They would be conferred
at the end Of what is now the sophomore year,
in which case they would scarcely be recognized
as equivalent to those granted elsewhere; or
the two years of the Junior college" would be
raised TO an equal standard with the present
third and fourth years, in which case other
years would have to be added below or else
the work of the high schools would have to
be much increased or finally. students would
not receive their baccalaureate degrees on leav-
ing the Junior college" but would have to wait
! for them until midway in their university
courses
We have said that the result of such an in
crease in the number of our scholastic systems
might be good or bad. Complexity,is not gener-
ally welcomed, nor is it desirable: but in a
transition period it is inevitable. and through
such period We are now passing. At least we
are prepared to welcome every intelligent and
earnest effort toward the establishment of a
proper distinction between colleges and uni
versities, and toward placing the courses of
study in both on the most logical, practical and
profitable basis. 1t would be grievous mis-
take, however, to exploit universities at the
expense OF colleges. to assert that there is
any insuperable .incOmpahbility in the associa-
ton OF a university and a college under sin
gle head. AT the present time nearly, If not
quite. all our universities have undergraduate
or college departments, and we see no reason
to regard that circumstance as mschievous or
diScreditahle. Some institutions began as col
leges only and afterward developed true uni
versty departments of the highest grade and
efficiency. Some began as universities alone
and afterwaTd added undergraduate college de
partments. Some united both faculties from the
beginning 1t would be easy to recall the names
of numerous institutions which combine the
two capacities and which display in each high
degree of efficiency.
This dual system Will probably continue TO
prevail III the great ajority of institutions
which rise to university rank though it may
be that a number will adopt a plan similar To
that suggested at Stanford and will become uni-
versitles alone, receiving students save those
who have reached the baccaiaureate degree
There is room for some such institutions and
should hope to see them amply endowed
and made proficient for the costly work to which
they would be devoted. But it will be profit
able still 10 bear in mind that while the orig
inal research" in such institutions is to be en-
cQuraged and may now and then result in much
good, the thorough grounding of vastly
greater multitude of young men in the essen
tials of liberal education and culture, in insti-