The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-31
COLLEGES VICTIMS
OF OWN SUCCESS
Professors So Skilful They
Are Being Lured Away by
Industrial Concerns.
HIGH SALARIES ATTRACT
President Foster Of Reed Col.
lege, Portland, Ore, En-
plains Situation.

American colleges are victims OF their
own success according to an opinion e,.
pressed yesterday by DR.. William T.
Foster. president of Reed College in
Portland, Ore. who is visiting in thI,
city.
DR.. Foster said that colleges had
trained their men so we'll that they are
able to make three or four times a,
much outside as they would on the
teaching STATS.
"Our chemists who have gone into
munitions plants" he said, have a new
! conception of what fair salary Is and
they feel that they can never return to
the pay OF a college professor The
been drawn from our faculties"
DR.. Foster took his A. r. and 4 NJ
| degrees at Harvard in 1901 and 1904,
and is greatly interested in the drive
of that institution for an endowment
| fund of $4,000 900.
He said that Prof Pierce OF Har-
| ward had told him that electrical
and telegraph companies were taking
| students faster than they could be
trained, completing their instruction in
| their own Laboratories and paying them
| high salaries.
But it is not the colleges pract. cal
| scientists alone that are being taken
| from It," he said, the men whom some
thought were pure theorists are going
| too. Young psychologists of the type
! available five years ago as teachers at
| $500 a year are difficult to find TO-
| day at twice that salary.
They are proffered larger induce.
ments than ever before by industrial
concerns, hospitals, courts and the
! army"
DR.. Foster said that the love of teach
ing would keep certain professors at
their Jobs despite the outside financial
lure. AT Harvard" he said, " could
| name p few men who would be profes-
| sors even IL there were no salary at all
| attached to the position, and can think
of one man on the faculty who would
teach even II he had to pay for the
| privilege. But the majority of profes-
| sors are not as comfortable financially
as these few men I have in mind
| Last week found a teacher OF en-
| cheering who had just resignd his as
sistant professorship at $4,000 to accept
| an industrial position at $4,000 As
| Chancellor Elliott of the University Of
| Montana said to me the other day. We
are killing the goose that lays the golden
egg"
| The present financial need OF the col
leges OF the United States, according TO
estimates made by persons working on
the campaign to raise s1l 100000 for
Harvard, is s1i0,141,930.
| Despite the size of this estimate, back
ers of the Harvard Endowment Fund
| campaign think that the United States
which was able to raise billions over
| night for its Liberty Loans. should be
able to meet the demands of higher edu-
cation.
! A so per cent. increase in the salaries
! of professors in all OF the 256 leading
universities and colleges, which Is re-
| garded as necessary to their successful
continuation of their work, would re-
| quire an additional yearly expenditure OF
! S6,694171. This would necessitate an
| increased endowment working on a ; per
cent. basis of S133,sS3,420. Taking into
| consideration the liquidation of out
| standing debts of the educational inst-
| tutions It would require $6,25S,5lO 10 put
them where the campaigners think they
should be financially.