Evening star., 1933-02-05
UNIVERSITY SCOPE
GAINS IMPORTANCE
Presidents Committee on So
ciaI Trends Cites Ameri-
can Development.

Development Of the university, which
provides training Of the post college
level, constitutes "the most important
expansion of institutions Of higher edu-
cation in this country" according to
the Presidents Research Committee on
Social Trends.
As result. the committee states in
its chapter on Education" written by
DR.. Charles H. Judd and made public
yesterday, American college graduates
no longer are compelled to 90 to Eu-
rope for postgraduate study, as they
were a generation ago.
Holding there has been "a radical
change in the conception Of the func-
is director Of the University of Chi
cago's School Of Education, writes:
"a generation ago American students
seeking training Of university grade
were compelled to 60 to Europe. The
colleges OF the United States did not
recognize cultivation Of productive
scholarship as an institutional duty.
80 Years Development.
within the last 80 years.
productive scholarship has come to be
thought of as a cardinal virtue in the
individual members OF university facui-
ties. Large resource. ere devoted, in
both State and endowed institutions,
to stimulation and support OF research
in all lines. American students now
find 1t possible to secure advanced
training in many centers OF this coun-
try, and the resort to European lnsIi,
tutions for postgraduate study Is mucn
less common than 1t was at the begin
ming of this century.
TO prove his contention, DR.. JUDO
presents figures showing that the num-
her of men and women receiving the
degree of doctor Of philosophy from
various universities in this country IN
creased from 342 in 1900 to 2,024 IN
1890. The greatest increase, ne points
out, took place after 1920.
ANY effort to evaluate the results OF
American university training or TO oe-
termine how far research in this coun-
try is Of high grade" observes DR.. JUDD,
carries one into a sphere OF the most
acrimonious disagreement. Critics OF
American education are accustomed 10
scoff at the expansion which recent
wears have witnessed in institutions OF
higher education. II is said that Amerl-
can universities are without standards
Of selection and that, in most instances,
the products of so-called research do
not rise above commonplace. 1t Is even
asserted that America has universities
in name only.
Trend Well Established.
1T is not the function of this re-
mort to attempt an answer to the critics
of American universities. The trend
toward development of advanced uni
versities is well established. The future
of this trend is perfectly clear. The
outcome of university training and re-
search are at least of such value that
there will certainly be no turning back
to the earlier conception OF institutions
of higher education
A wide range Of discussion OF Amer
ican education in all its varied phases
is covered in DR.. Judds chapter.
The committee, appointed by Presl-
dent Hoover three years ago, comprises
DR.. Wesley c. Mitchell, professor OF
economics, Columbia University, chair
man; DR.. William F. Ogburn, professor
of sociology, University Of Chicago, dl-
rector of research; DR.. Charles E
Merriam, professor and chairman o!
the department Of political science
University of Chicago; DR.. Howard w
Odum, director Of the Institute for Re-
search in Social Science. University OF
North Carolina, DR.. Alice Hamilton
Harvard School of Public Health, Bos-
ton Shelby NJ Harrison, general di-
rector of the Russell Sage Foundation
New York, and Edward Eyre Hunt, ex-
ecutive secretary.
Its report. based on the investigations
of so leading authorities in the various
branches of social science, consists OF
20 chapters, foreword by the Presi-
dent and a review Of its findings.