Evening star., 1938-06-05
3,915 ENROLLED,
NONE GRADUATE
U. S. Graduate School Is
Kept Out of Competition
With Others.

NCPt Oul vi OUiItpc
With Others.
Ey the Associated Press.
No one will graduate this June from
the Graduate School Of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture. No one ever has.
But the lack of sheepskins causes
no scarcity of students. 1t is one of
the largest graduate schools in the
world, having 3,9l5 students.
And 1t is one of the fastest growing.
Last year it enrolled 5000; the year
before only 2,141. When its director.
DR.. A. F. Woods, resigned the presi-
dency of the University of Maryland
to come to the Department Of Agri-
culture In 1925, It's enrolment was
only Ill.
1t was founded by the first Secretary
Wallace. father Of the present Secre-
tary, in 1921 to provide training for
young scientific workers of the depart
ment. Its establishment was author
lied under two acts Of Congress, which
provided that the Libraries and techni-
cal facilities Of Government agencies
be made available to scholars at uni
versities in and near Washington.
The faculty of the school Is COM
posed Of persons in the Government
employ and Of teachers in local uni
versities. A special effort is made to
cooperate and not to compete with
other washington educational institu-
tions. It Is to prevent friction with
these that the school gives no diplomas
Those of its students who wish to
work later for degrees, however, can
get credit for their courses at the de-
partment's school at most Of the lead
ing universities.
Has Intangible Character.
Most Washingtonians know little or
nothing about this school. 1t has an
intangible. evanescent character. Hav-
ing no buildings OF its own. it holds its
classes in the Agriculture Department,
in the Interior Department and in the
Smithsonian Institution. Being an un-
oficial organization, it must vanish
during work hours. So its classes meet
from 8 to in the morning, from 4:30
to 10 In the evening and on Saturday
afternoons.
1t is one of the few universities or
Government agencies which are max
ing little money! It has an accumu-
lated reserve Of $40. .00O-part of the
proceeds from tuition fees, which aver
age Sc per credit hour, about two
thirds the fee at most universities.
The Governments only contributions
toward the school are the director and
the classrooms.
Only about half the 70 courses Of
fered are in scientific subjects. The
liberal arts work is equally popular.
OF the scientific courses only a minor
ity are Of an agricultural nature.
The school stems from a study group
which formed at the Bureau Of Stand
ards in 1908. A few workers there or
gani1ed classes In advanced physics,
mathematics and chemistry, taught by
experts at the bureau, from the Johns
Hopkins University faculty and other
Government agencies and private in
stitutions.
Agriculture Program.
In 1920 the Department of Agricul-
ture undertook to start similar pro-
gram. The excessive labor turnover In
the Government service had Just been
analyzed by the Redistribution Com
mission, and 1t had recommended that
training work be instituted for. Federal
employees to make their careers more
attractive and to help them take ad-
vantage of the opportunities In WASH
ington for intellectual improvement.
Such programs of "in-service train
ing" are being developed in many Gov
ernment agencies. In some cases en-
ployes are required to take the courses
offered by these agencies, at no expense
to students, as in the Bureau Of In
ternal Revenue. There the work is
open only to bureau employees, and no
academic credit is given. In other
cases, as in the Bureau of the Census
and in the Farm Credit Adninistra-
tion, the work is offered at cost COW
ering overhead and open only to en-
ployes of those agencies.
Whether this type of Federal edu-
cation represents trend toward
national university, of which there
have been advocates ever since George
Washington, is a question. DR.. Woods
does not commit himself on this sub
ject, but in recent treatise on his
school he offers without comment
statement by DR.. Lotus D. Coffman,
president Of the University Of Mime
sofa, that national university
should be created and generously
maintained"