Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-23
SEPARATING EDUCATION
FROM MONEY RAISING
With General Wood as Head Of the Uni.
Yersity Of Pennsylvania a Notable
Administrative Experiment
viii Beoin


vania. 70 be voted on at the April meeting
Of the trustees. indicates a purpose to at
tempt to solve the complicated and pcrpleX-
ing problem Of University administration.
In most of the universities Of the country
the president is both an educational and
business administrative officer. There are
few men. however. who combine in them
selves the technical qualifications Of a great
educator and a great business administrator.
The kind of mind that finds satisfaction in
considering the details of business admin
istration is different from that which is occu-
pied with the intellectual problems connected
with the administration of the scholastic
affairs OF university.
For this reason university trustees have
had difficulty in finding a man to fill the
presidency. The scholars fitted for the cdu-
cat. onal functions have in many instances
been unwilling to take on themselves the
business responsibilities which the trustees
have wished them 10 shoulder. In many
instances the scholar. when elected to a
presidency. has insisted that he should not
b. troubled with financial problems
Harvard University is probably the one
great privately endowed university which has
solved the problem now receiving the atten-
tion Of the trustees Of the University Of
Pennsylvania. II is governed BY a board
OF overseers. which corresponds loosely TO
the board Of trustees of other universities
assi. in addition il has a corporation. known
as the president and fellows in which the
business administration is centered. The
fellows have frequent meetings. They look
after the financial affairs and relieve the
president of a large mass of detail which
the presidents Of other universities have to
consider. This system works we'll. 1t leaves
the president free TO concentrate his attrn-
tiUu on the scholastic functions of his office
that is. OH the administration Of his trust
a. the director of the educational policy.
The University Of Pennsylvania is gov
| erned by board Of trustees. This board
| has elected a provost in the past and il has
looked 10 him to bear large part of the
financial burden Provost Pepper used to
make frequent trips to Harrisburg to per
suadc tho Legislature to make an apprO-
| priaton big enough 10 cover the deficit be-
tween the proceeds of the endowment and
the annual expenditures He had to dcal
and dicker with the politicians. much TO his
disgust.
Provost Smith during his term was also a
frequent visitor 10 the state capital during
the sessions of the Legislature. He could
be seen in private cOnfabs with the Leaders
almost every week until tn" biennial appro-
priatIon was agreed upon and passed by both
houses. Those who think that Dr. Smith
enjoyed this part of his work have IA peculiar
notion about tn" things which please
Sch"ar and n scientific specialist. But az
lobbying in Harrisburg every two years WAS
part of his job. Dr. Smith did his lobbying
with such good grace As he could muster
II is the apparent purpose Of the trustees
To make General Wood the business exeCu-
'iv" Of IN" University and 10 make Acting
Provost PPnninan the educational executive.
and thus TO relieve the educational depart
mcut Of the institution from all contact with
The financial department.
There j. not college president ia the
country VINO will disapprovc such plan.
IT, working out will be watched with acute
interest in Princeton and Yale and T.afay.
cite and L"high and IiaycrfOrd and SWurIh-
more and Bryn Mawr and Williams and
Amhers, and Colgate. and in all the other
big aud littl" colleges.
II thrr" is 10 hc efficient administration,
there mast be- division Of labor \
university with an endowment Of s.. .OOO. 900
Or so .OOO. 900 or SO 900 900 is II big busi-
ness institution when regarded from the
material side. II the trustees bu>rd them
selves with thc details VI the administration
Of rh" institution. the situatiUn which pre-.
walls in almost all big universities would
NOT b." 80 acute as il now j.. But the trustees
SHIFT rh" burden upon III" president, not Of
ru"ir own board. but b" man whom they
have elected to DrrSid" over all Ia" uctivitic,
Of III" institution. Harvard, rs already
indIrut"d. is II notable exception.
Ther" are business questions before ILr
niyrrsity Of Pennsylvania which require
the concentrated attention Of an efficient
administrator. The material equipment OF
the institution j, TOO small for the demands
made upon il. Ther" is no assembly hall
large enough to accommodate quarter Of
ih" students. There is no adcquat" chapel
for religious exercises. The cassroOmS in
many departments ar" too small for the
number Of students taking the courses given
by the professors who use them. The en-
dOwmcut is 80 small that an annual upprO-
priatiOn from the state of half a million
dollars is needed TO cover the expenditures.
Ii the business affairs Of the institution
are to be pat on business basis, and #
arrangements are 10 be made for it,, cxpan-
sion 10 meet the growing demands upon il,
some one must give about all his time TO the
matter. Committees have been appointed
by the General Alumni Association and by
| the board OF trustees to arrange u drive for
an additional endowment Of $4,000. 900,
| the minimum amount needed This work
| cannot be properly organized without con-
! rrntration of responsibility for general dircr-
ton in the hands of one man or of single
general committee. Although the commit
! tees we're appointed many months ago, moth
| ing has been done Tor the rather Obvious
reason that every one mas been waiting to
| yc what some one else was going 70 do
With the election Of General Wood as
head Of the University, which seems TO be
agreed upon, the delay in taking up the
purely business questions is likely to come
20 an end.
Then the hands Of tls scholastic authori-
lies of the University will be freed The
provost can give his whole attention TO
"a ,.<.l....,t Ila sin -. Il. ,., \.