Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-10-17
Byrd 'Autocrdt'
AT Maryland u,
MckeIdin Says
Governor Attacks
RivoI, Cites Report
On Accreditution
By Gene Goodwin

:
By Gene Goodwin
Gov. McKeldin last night as
sailed what he called DR.. H. c.
Byrd's "autocratic reign" as pres
dent of the University of Marv-
and.
DR.. Byrd headed the College
Park institution for Is years I'M
til he resigned last January 2
10 become the Governors Demo-
cratic opponent in Maryland's
November 2 election.
Gov. McKeldin made his att
tack in a speech prepared for
delivery over q Baltimore tele-
vision station in the wake OF
a statement by the Board Of
Regents Friday acknowledging
that accreditation for the Uni
versity of Maryland had been
deferred pending certain inn
Criticizes Capitalization.
Mr.. McKeldin noted that the
Accrediting Committee of the
Middle States Association OF Col
leges and Secondary Schools had
criticized the highly central
ICED nature of the administra-
ton" of the university.
eliminating the polite phras-
ing" the Governor said, this
can be boiled down to a single
word-autocracy. And mean
the autocracy of DR.. H. C. Byrd
Gov. McKeldin said "this is
borne out in the No. 2 weakness
as found by the committee-'the
lack of proper status Of the fac
ulty and of the deans in the
organization and operation OF
the institution, and particularly
the lack of faculty participation
in the formulation OF educa-
tional policy"
Praises DIR. ElkinS.
The Governor continued:
what urge for unlimited
power must possess a man who
would deprive a university OF
the advantages of meetings OF
great minds-the minds OF men
and women who were there and
available put who were denied
the opportunity OF assisting in
formulating educational policy
the minds of men and women
who, in many instances, had Tar
more extensive education and
far more teaching experience
than has DR.. H. c. Byrd.
"In view of what now has been
revealed, we must ask ourselves:
What would happen to the other
institutions under the Maryland
State government if DR.. II. c.
Byrd were to become Governor
of the State?"
The Governor said 1t was for
tunatet that "the conditions OF
the university are those which
can and will be corrected quickly
under the wise and capable adj
ministration of the new univer-
sity president, DR.. Wilson n.
Elkins-a man with a Thorough
understanding of what a uni
versity should be-a man in
whom I have the greatest OF
confidence"
Defends Mental Hospitals.
Mr.. McKeldin linked his criti-
cism of DR.. Byrd with a defense
of Maryland's mental disease
hospitals.
! He said Spring Grove State
Hospital is one Of only three
such hospitals in the country
with double accreditation from
the Joint Commission on Ac-
creditation of Hospitals and the
American Phychiatric Associa-
ton.
Springfield State Hospital"
he went on, "has just been given
tentative generalization for full
training of doctors in the field
of public health-not placed on
probation. mind you, but adj
vanced to this preliminary or
tentative accreditation, which.
we are confident, will lead in a
very short time to full accredi-
tation.
The other hospitals in our
system Brownsville, Eastern
Shore, and Rosewood State
Training School - are making
progress toward the status of
accreditation."
New Buildings Needed.
The Governor acknowledged
that the State still needs new.
buildings in it's mental health
program and said his admins
tration has moved rapidly to
fill this need within the limits
of our resources" He also
acknowledged that it was his
predecessor, Democratic Gov. w.
Preston Lane, jr., who launched
Maryland on its program of ex-
panding mental health facilities.
Gov. McKeldin also spoke last
night before the 500 persons at
a band concert and lawn buffet
held at the home of j. Norman
Ager, 6100 Ager road, West Hy-
attsville. Mr.. Ager is Repub-
| liNaY1 Y11anahar of the XTn clinntca,