Evening star., 1933-07-14
SIMS CALLS NAVAL
ACADEMY FAILURE
Graduates Not Educated
Men, Admiral Says in
Minority Report.
6pecial Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, Md, July 14.-Saying
that the Naval Academy does not de-
yplop officers who are educated men,
and holding that from an educational
point of view the Naval Academy is
essentially an amateur institution,
Admiral William S. Sims, United States
Navy, retired, has filed with President
Franklin D. Roosevelt a severe crit
icism of existing policies at the Naval
School
Admiral Sims. chairman Of the Com
mittee on Professional Education of the
recent board of visitors. made his ac-
cusations of academic deficiency in a
minority report. buc gained support for
sCme of his contentious in the major
ity report filed by George E. Vincent
Fred F.. Shedd. F. Louis Slade, RoberC
NJ Boyd. jr.; Glenn R. Shriver, Fran
els NJ F'urlong, David 1. Walsh, Harry
L. Englebright and D. D. Glover.
Cannot Fulfill Demand.
In his report Admiral Sims said in
part: Il have, much to my regret, felt
impel,ed to submit a mlnorIt. sport
setting forth my belief that the Naval
Academy does not provide either educa-
tional or technical instruction to the
degree required to mold the material
received into educational gentlemen" ."
Continuing. he says: The naval officer
ought to be able to hold his own with
educated men il any walk Of life, but
unless of his CWn initiative he secures
additional training Of considerable eX-
tent after leaving the academy he can
not fulfill this demand"
Holding that it is impossible to
educate mldShlpmen accidentally and
technically in four years, especially with
naval professors whom, he declares. are
not qualified to teach, Admiral Sims
said that the Naval Academy under its
present operation is no longer for
schoolboys, but requires work of col
l2giate grade"
Quoting the report of the board of
1881 when Dr. James Rowland Angel,
president of Yale University, held that
the academic problem at the Academy
was serious Admiral Sims says:
"Manifestly, the Academy is very seri-
ously handicapped by the officers lack
CT training in the teaching profession,
and particularly By lack Of knowledge
and educational training on the part Of
those who select them. Teachers in
colleges are selected from ample mate
rial by trained educators. but only those
who make good are retained, whereas
naval teachers for the Academy can
be selected only from the relatively
small number OF officers available for
shore duty, AS matter of fact. selec-
tior is impracticable to any useful de-
gree. and there is nothing on an Off
GERS official record to show competence
in this respect.
Amateur Institution"
'Tyo7ot fer the comparatively few
civins-, professors, the academy is.
Therefore, from an educational point CT
view, essentially an amateur institution
One could readily predict the result if
civilian college advertised that neither
the president nor the memb-rs Of the
faculty had any professional knowledge
or training as educators, and that al
would be replaced every two Or three
years. FsW people would be willing
to intrust their sons education to such
an institution.
Speaking from personal experience.
may say that 1 was graduated from
the academy about SO years ago with a
mental equipment that. by no stretch
CT the imagination could be called an
education; but I did not know that at
the time, nor until after many years CT
wasted opportunity, and naval officers
generally do not know now that they
are not educated men.
'Manifesting this is severe and
unfair handicap on loyal and devoted
men who, IL general, have been doing
their best for the efficiency of the
service
Product Cut and Dried.
The result of such an education was
that, upon graduation, the midshipnlsn n
were completely self-satisfied. TheT were
net accustomed to think for themselves.
They were told what to think. They
had no instruction in the principles
OF the art of command, or in the psy-
chology CT discipline and leadership"
Few naval officers ere studious men.
Few read even professional books. The
product of the Academy is cut and
dried. personal character is little in
fuenced by the course, Admiral Sims
points out in another section of the re-
port.
Near the conclusion of his report Ad-
miral Sims said: May l suggest that
it would be of incalculable benefit to the
efficiency of the Navy if the Academy
instead of trying to educate in four
years the immature high school boy il
both educational and technical studies,
should admit as candidates young men
OF demonstrated character, by competi-
tive examinations that included all the
mathematical, scientific and so-called
cultural studies, that are deemed neces-
sary to comply with the Navy Depart
ment's mission to mold the material
received into educated men.
The majority report recommended
that the present ratio of civilian to of
ficer instructors be maintained. Re-
Gently. however. the ratio was reduced
and 25 civilian professors dismissed.
The beard also recommended that all
officers brought here for instruction be
kept for three years or even longer if
THEY prove qualified to teach.