Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-05-18
Increased u. ). HeIp
Urged for Training Of
Scientific Personnel
By james Y. Newton


The National Manpower Coun-
ell advised President Eisenhower
today that the country must
contribute more financial aid to
higher education if it wants to
avoid a continuation of present
serious shortages of trained SCI
entific and professional per-
sonnet.
The shortage of "brainpower"
is already acute, the council said
in a 263-page study submitted to
the President, and unless there
is a concerted national effort it
will become steadily worse. The
report, "a Policy for Scientific
and Professional Manpower, "
was formally presented to Mr..
Eisenhower this noon by the IT.
man council.
"Only a purpoSeful and sus-
tanned effort can insure that the
United States will have adequate
resources of scientific and pro-
fessional manpower to meet its
needs" the council said. Meth
err reliance upon a single course
of action nor the pursuit of
separate and unrelated policies
will enable the Nation to attain
this goal"
Cooperative Effort Needed.
If the Nation is to be provided
this highly trained manpower,
the group said, there must be a
cooperative effort involving
Government, industry, educa-
tiona1 institutions, and profess
sional and other groups directed
at five broad detectives:
/. To develop more reliable
knowledge about our human re-
sources.
2. To strengthen the institu-
tions which educate and train
scientists and professionals.
8. To maintain a continuous,
large flow of students through
the colleges and universities.
4. To expand opportunities for
capable young persons to secure
a higher education.
S. To improve utilization Of
available scientific and profess
sional personnel.
Council Backed by Eisenhower.
The council was established
two years ago at Columbia Uni
versity, largely as a result of the
efforts of Gen. Eisenhower, for
mer president Of the university.
The purpose, he said at the time,
was to conduct "a continuing
appraisal of Americas man
power resources in a period Of
enduring emergency" The study
is financed by the Ford Founda-
ton. James D. zellerbach Of
San Francisco is chairman.
The council said national Sc
curity is weakened and progress
retarded by failure to provide
proper education and training
for "a vast reservoir of highly
intelligent young people"
AS evidence of this great vast
age of brain power the group
revealed that less than half of
those capable Of acquiring a
college degree enter college and
"two-f1fths of those who start
college many with superior
Rbility-do not graduate"
For every high school grad
uate who eventually earns a
doctoral degree, there are Is
others who have the intellectual
ability to achieve that degree
but do not" the report said.
Small Corps Of Scientists.
The report stated that "the
country's economic and social
Well-being and its continued
progress depend to a striking de-
gree on a small group of men
and women'-the 1855 900 scien-
lists who make up only two
tenths of l per cent Of the work.
ing population. OF these, only
$4,000 are directing their efforts
to basic research necessary to
open new frontiers of human
knowledge"
The council warned that "sci-
entists and professional people
cannot be Stockpiled like COM
modities against future Short
ages" 1t offered IA recommen-
dations to increase supplies of
brainpower. These include:
Establishment of a presiden-
tial commission to determine
how seriously the 81 billion gov
ernmental research and develop
ment programs may be diverting
colleges and universities from
their primary responsibilities of
teaching and basic research.
Action by the President to
provide civilian voice in deter
mining manpower distribution
for military and civilian needs
where the recall Of reservistS is
involved.
Intensified efforts by the pub
lie and elected officials to i'm
prove primary and secondary ed
ucation. The council found that
poor early educational training
discourages many intellectually
capable young people from seek
ing higher education
%.H CT