Thefiguresandpercentagesgivenabovearenotclaimedtobeexact;itisknownthatamoreaccuratespecificationofdetailswouldresultinalessfavourableshowing。
Atthetimewhenthesemattersweredisclosed(toasmallnumberoftheuneasypersonsinterested)therewasanuglysuggestionafloattouchingthepecuniaryintegrityoftheboard’smanagement,butthisisdoubtlesstobedismissedasbeingmerelyalooseexpressionofill—will;andthelikeisalsodoubtlesstobesaidasregardsthesuggestionthattheremayhavebeenaninterestedcollusionbetweentheacademicheadandtheactivemembersoftheboard。Thesewere\"allhonourablemen,\"ofgreatreputeinthecommunityandwellknownassagaciousandsuccessfulmenintheirprivatebusinessventures。
2。Cf。TheInstinctofWorkmanship,ch。vii,pp。343—352。
3。Asubsidiaryreasonofsomeweightshouldnotbeoverlookedinseekingthecauseofthissecularizationoftheboards,andofthepeculiarcolourwhichthesecularizationhasgiventhem。Inanycommunitywherewealthandbusinessenterpriseareheldinsuchhighesteem,menofwealthandofaffairsarenotonlydeferredto,buttheircountenanceissoughtfromonemotiveandanother。Atthesametimeelectiontooneoftheseboardshascometohaveahighvalueasanhonourabledistinction。Suchelectionorappointmentthereforeisoftensoughtfrommotivesofvanity,anditisatthesametimeaconvenientmeansofconciliatingthegoodwillofthewealthyincumbent。
Itmaybeaddedthatnowandagainthediscretionarycontroloflargefundswhichsofallstothemembersoftheboardmaycometobepecuniarilyprofitabletothem,sothattheofficemaycometobeattractiveasabusinesspropositionaswellasinpointofprestige。Instancesofthekindarenotwhollyunknown,thoughpresumablyexceptional。
4。Cf。,e。g……R。T。Crane。TheFutilityofAllKindsofHigherSchooling,especiallypartI,ch。iv。
5。Cf。R。T。Crane,asabove,especiallypartI,ch。ii。iii,andvi。Cf。alsoH。P。Judson,TheHigherEducationasaTrainingforBusiness,wherethecaseisarguedinatypicallycommonplaceandmatter—of—factspirit,butwhere\"TheHigherEducation\"istakentomeantheundergraduatecurriculumsimply;also\"ASymposiumonthevalueofhumanistic,particularlyclassical,studiesasatrainingformenofaffairs,\"ProceedingsoftheClassicalConferenceatAnnArbor,Michigan,April3,1909。
6。Cf。Bacon,Essays——\"OfCunning\",and\"OfWisdomforaMan’sSelf。\"
7。Cf。ch。viii,especiallypp。242—269。
CHAPTERIII
TheAcademicAdministrationandPolicyMendilateonthehighnecessityofabusinesslikeorganizationandcontroloftheuniversity,itsequipment,personnelandroutine。Whatishadinmindinthisinsistenceonanefficientsystemisthatthesecorporationsoflearningshallsettheiraffairsinorderafterthepatternofawell—conductedbusinessconcern。Inthisviewtheuniversityisconceivedasabusinesshousedealinginmerchantableknowledge,placedunderthegoverninghandofacaptainoferudition,whoseofficeitistoturnthemeansinhandtoaccountinthelargestfeasibleoutput。Itisacorporationwithlargefunds,andformenbiasedbytheirworkdaytraininginbusinessaffairsitcomesasamatterofcoursetoratetheuniversityintermsofinvestmentandturnover。Hencetheinsistenceonbusinesscapacityintheexecutiveheadsoftheuniversities,andhencealsotheextensiverangeofbusinesslikedutiesandpowersthatdevolveonthem。
Yetwhenallthesesophisticationsofpracticalwisdomaredulyallowedfor,thefactremainsthattheuniversityis,inusage,precedent,andcommonsensepreconception,anestablishmentfortheconservationandadvancementofthehigherlearning,devotedtoadisinterestedpursuitofknowledge。Assuch,itconsistsofabodyofscholarsandscientists,eachandseveralofwhomnecessarilygoestohisworkonhisowninitiativeandpursuesitinhisownway。Thisworknecessarilyfollowsanorderlysequenceandprocedure,andsotakesonasystematicform,ofanorganickind。Butthesystemandorderthatsogovernthework,andthatcomeintoviewinitsprocedureandresults,arethelogicalsystemandorderofintellectualenterprise,notthemechanicalorstatisticalsystematizationthatgoesintoeffectinthemanagementofanindustrialplantorthefinancieringofabusinesscorporation。
Thoseitemsofhumanintelligenceandinitiativethatgotomakeupthepursuitofknowledge,andthatareembodiedinsystematicforminitsconclusions,donotlendthemselvestoquantitativestatement,andcannotbemadetoappearonabalance—sheet。Neithercanthatintellectualinitiativeandproclivitythatgoesinastheindispensablemotiveforceinthepursuitoflearningbereducedtoanyknowntermsofsubordination,obedience,orauthoritativedirection。Noscholarorscientistcanbecomeanemployeeinrespectofhisscholarlyorscientificwork。Mechanicalsystematizationandauthoritativecontrolcaninthesepremisesnotreachbeyondthematerialcircumstancesthatconditiontheworkinhand,norcanitintheseexternalmatterswithgoodeffectgofartherthanisnecessarytosupplythematerialwaysandmeansrequisitetothework,andtoadaptthemtothepeculiarneedsofanygivenlineofinquiryorgroupofscholars。Inordertotheirbestefficiency,andindeedinthedegreeinwhichefficiencyinthisfieldofactivityistobeattainedatall,theexecutiveofficersoftheuniversitymuststandintherelationofassistantsservingtheneedsandcateringtotheidiosyncrasiesofthebodyofscholarsandscientiststhatmakeuptheuniversity;(1*)inthedegreeinwhichtheconverserelationisallowedtotakeeffect,theunavoidableconsequenceiswastefuldefeat。Afreehandisthefirstandabidingrequisiteofscholarlyandscientificwork。
Now,inacceptingofficeasexecutiveheadofauniversity,theincumbentnecessarilyacceptsalltheconditionsthatattachtotheadministrationofhisoffice,whetherbyusageandcommonsenseexpectation,byexpressarrangement,orbypatentunderstandingwiththeboardtowhichheoweshiselevationtothispostofdignityandcommand。Byusageandprecedentitisincumbentonhimtogoverntheacademicpersonnelandequipmentwithaneyesingletothepursuitofknowledge,andsotoconductitsaffairsaswillmosteffectuallycompassthatend。Thatistosayhemustsoadministerhisofficeasbesttoservethescholarlyneedsoftheacademicstaff,dueregardbeingscrupulouslyhadtotheidiosyncrasies,andeventothevagaries,ofthemenwhoseworkheiscalledontofurther。Butbypatentunderstanding,ifnotbyexplicitstipulation,fromthesideofthegoverningboard,fortifiedbythepreconceptionsofthelaityatlargetothesameeffect,heisheldtosuchaconspicuouslyefficientemploymentofthemeansinhandaswillgratifythosewholookforavoluminousturnover。Tothisendhemustkeeptheacademicadministrationanditsactivityconstantlyinthepubliceye,withsuch\"pompandcircumstance\"ofuntiringurgencyandexpeditionaswillcarrytheconvictionabroadthattheuniversityunderhismanagementisahighlysuccessfulgoingconcern,andhemustbeabletoshowbyitemizedaccountsthatthevolumeofoutputissuchastowarranttheinvestment。Sotheequipmentandpersonnelmustbeorganizedintoafacileandorderlyworkingforce,heldunderthedirectivecontrolofthecaptainoferuditionateverypoint,andsoarticulatedandstandardizedthatitsrateofspeedandthevolumeofitscurrentoutputcanbeexhibitedtofullstatisticaleffectasitruns。
Theuniversityistomakegoodbothasacorporationoflearningandasabusinessconcerndealinginstandardizederudition,andtheexecutiveheadnecessarilyassumestheresponsibilityofmakingitcountwhollyandunreservedlyineachofthesedivergent,ifnotincompatiblelines。(2*)Humanlyspeaking,itfollowsbynecessaryconsequencethathewillfirstandalwaystakecareofthosedutiesthataremostjealouslyinsistedonbythepowerstowhomheisaccountable,andthedueperformanceofwhichwillatthesametimeyieldsomesufficientlytangibleevidenceofhisefficiency。Thatother,morereconditesideoftheuniversity’sworkthathassubstantiallytodowiththehigherlearningisnotreadilysetoutintheformofstatisticalexhibits,atthebest,andcanordinarilycometoappraisalandpopularappreciationonlyinthelongrun。Theneedofabusinesslikeshowingisinstantandimperative,particularlyinabusinesseraoflargeturnoverandquickreturns,andtomeetthisneedtheuneventfulscholasticlifethatcountstowardthehigherlearninginthelongrunisoflittleuse;soitcanwait,anditreadilybecomesahabitwiththebusyexecutivetoletitwait。
Itshouldbekeptinmindalsothattheincumbentofexecutiveofficeispresumablyamanofbusinesslikequalifications,ratherthanofscholarlyinsight,——themethodofselectingtheexecutiveheadsunderthepresentr間imemakesthatnearlyamatterofcourse。Assuchhewillinhisownrightmorereadilyappreciatethoseresultsofhisownmanagementthatshowupwithsomethingoftheglareofpublicity,ascontrastedwiththeslow—movingandoftenobscureworkingofinquirythatlies(commonly)somewhatbeyondhisintellectualhorizon。Sothatwithslightmisgivings,ifany,hetakestothemethodsoforganizationandcontrolthathavecommendedthemselvesinthatcurrentbusinessenterprisetowhichitishisambitiontoassimilatethecorporationoflearning。
Theseprecedentsofbusinesspracticethataretoaffordguidancetothecaptainoferuditionare,ofcourse,theprecedentsofcompetitivebusiness。Itisoneoftheunwritten,andcommonlyunspoken,commonplaceslyingattherootofmodernacademicpolicythatthevariousuniversitiesarecompetitorsforthetrafficinmerchantableinstruction,inmuchthesamefashionasrivalestablishmentsintheretailtradecompeteforcustom。
Indeed,themoderndepartmentstoreoffersafelicitousanalogy,thathasalreadybeenfoundserviceableinillustrationoftheAmericanuniversity’spositioninthisrespect,bythosewhospeakforthepresentr間imeaswellasbyitscritics。Thefactthattheuniversitiesareassumedtobeirreconcilablecompetitors,bothinthepopularapprehensionandasevidencedbythemanoeuvresoftheirseveraldirectors,istoonotorioustobedeniedbyanybuttheinterestedparties。Nowandagainitisformallydeniedbyoneandanotheramongthecompetingcaptainsoferudition,butthereasonforsuchdenialistheneedofit。(3*)
Now,thedutiesoftheexecutiveheadofacompetitivebusinessconcernareofastrategicnature,theobjectofhismanagementbeingtogetthebetterofrivalconcernsandtoengrossthetrade。Tothisenditisindispensablethatheshouldbea\"strongman\"andshouldhaveafreehand,——thoughperhapsunderthegeneralandtolerantsurveillanceofhisboardofdirectors。Anywiseboardofdirectors,andinthedegreeinwhichtheyareendowedwiththerequisitewisdom,willbecarefultogivetheirgeneralmanagerfulldiscretion,andnottohamperhimwithtoocloseanaccountingofthedetailsofhisadministration,solongasheshowsgratifyingresults。Hemustbeastrongman;thatistosay,acapablemanofaffairs,tenaciousandresourcefulinturningthemeansathandtoaccountforthispurpose,andeasilycontenttolettheendjustifythemeans。Hemustbeamanofscrupulousintegrity,sofarasmayconducetohissuccess,butwithashrewdeyetothelimitswithinwhichhonestyisthebestpolicy,forthepurposeinhand。
Hemusthavefullcommandofthemeansentrustedtohimandfullcontroloftheforceofemployeesandsubordinateswhoaretoworkunderhisdirection,andhemustbeabletorelyontheinstantandunwaveringloyaltyofhisstaffinanylineofpolicyonwhichhemaydecidetoenter。Hemustthereforehavefreepowertoappointanddismiss,andtorewardandpunish,limitedonlybytheformalratificationofhisdecisionsbytheboardofdirectorswhowillbecarefulnottointerfereorinquireundulyinthesematters,——solongastheirstrongmanshowsresults。
Thedetailsandobjectiveofhisstrategyneednotbeknowntothemembersofthestaff;indeed,allthatdoesnotconcernthemexceptinthemostgeneralway。Theyarehiscreatures,andareresponsibleonlytohimandonlyforthedueperformanceofthetasksassignedthem;andtheyneedknowonlysomuchaswillenablethemtogivereadyandintelligentsupporttothemovesmadebytheirchieffromdaytoday。Themembersofthestaffarehisemployees,andtheirfirstdutyisaloyalobedience;andforthecompetitivegoodoftheconcerntheymustutternoexpressionofcriticismorunfavourablecommentonthepolicy,actionsorpersonalcharacteristicsoftheirchief,solongastheyareinhisemploy。Theyhaveeatenhisbread,anditisforthemtodohisbidding。
Suchistheobject—lessonaffordedbybusinesspracticeasitbearsonthedutiesincumbentontheacademicheadandonthepowersofofficedelegatedtohim。Itisneedlesstoremarkonwhatisafactofcommonnotoriety,thatthisruledrawnfromtheconductofcompetitivebusinessiscommonlyappliedwithoutsubstantialabatementintheconductofacademicaffairs。(4*)
Underthisruletheacademicstaffbecomesabodyofgradedsubalterns,whoshareconfidenceofthechiefinvaryingdegrees,butwhonodecisivevoiceinthepolicyortheconductofaffairsoftheconcerninwhosepaytheyareheld。Thefacultyisconceivedasabodyofemployees,hiredtorendercertainservicesandturnoutcertainscheduledvendibleresults。
Thechiefmaytakeadvice;and,asiscommonlythepracticeinanalogouscircumstancesincommercialbusiness,hewillbelikelytodrawabouthimfromamongthefacultyaconvenientlysmallnumberofadviserswhoareinsympathywithhisownambitions,andwhowillinthiswayformanunofficialcouncil,orcabinet,or\"junta,\"towhomhecanturnforinformal,anonymousandirresponsible,adviceandmoralsupportatanyjuncture。Hewillalso,incompliancewithcharterstipulationsandparliamentaryusage,havecertainofficiallyrecognizedadvisers,——thevariousdeans,advisorycommittees,AcademicCouncil,UniversitySenate,andthelike,——withwhomhesharesresponsibility,particularlyformeasuresofdoubtfulpopularity,andwhoseadviceheformallytakescorampublico;buthecannotwellsharediscretionwiththese,exceptonadministrativemattersofinconsequentialdetail。Forreasonsofpracticalefficiency,discretionmustbeundividedinanycompetitiveenterprise。Thereismuchfine—spunstrategytobetakencareofundercoverofnightandcloud。
Buttheacademictradition,whichstilldragsonthehandsofthecaptainsoferudition,hasnotleftthegroundpreparedforsuchaclean—cutbusinesslikeorganizationandsuchacampaignofcompetitivestrategy。Bytraditionthefacultyisthekeeperoftheacademicinterestsoftheuniversityandmakesupabodyofloosely—boundnoncompetitiveco—partners,withnoviewtostrategicteamplayandnocollectiveulteriorambition,leastofallwithaviewtoengrossingthetrade。Bytradition,andindeedcommonlybyexplicitproviso,theconductoftheuniversity’sacademicaffairsvestsformallyinthepresident,withtheadviceandconsentofthefaculty,orofthegeneralbodyofseniormembersofthefaculty。Indueobservanceofthesetraditions,andofthescholasticpurposesnotoriouslyunderlyingalluniversitylife,certainformsofdisinterestedzealmustbeadheredtoinallofficialpronouncementsoftheexecutive,aswellascertainpunctiliosofconferenceandadvisementbetweenthedirectiveheadandtheacademicstaff。
Allofwhichmakestheworkoftheexecutiveheadlesseasyandingenuousthanitmightbe。Thesubstantialdemandsofhispositionaschiefofacompetitivebusinessaresomewhatwidelyoutoftouchwiththeseformsofdividedresponsibilitythatmust(formally)beobservedinadministeringhisduties,andequallyoutoftouchwiththeformalprofessionsofdisinterestedzealforthecauseoflearningthatheisbytraditionrequiredtomakefromtimetotime。Allthatmayreasonablybecountedonunderthesetryingcircumstancesisthatheshoulddothebesthecan,——tosavetheformalitiesandsecurethesubstance。Tocompassthesedifficultincongruities,hewill,asalreadyremarkedabove,necessarilygatherabouthim,withinthegeneralbodyoftheacademicpersonnel,acorpsoftrustedadvisorsandagents,whosequalificationsfortheirpeculiarworkisanintelligentsympathywiththeirchief’sidealsandmethodsandanunreservedsubserviencetohisaims,——unlessitshouldcometopass,asmayhappenincaseitsmembersaremenofforceandingenuity,thatthisunofficialcabinetshouldtakeoverthedirectionofaffairsandworkouttheirownaimsandpurposesundercoverofthechief’sostensiblyautocraticrule。
Amongtheseaidsandadviserswillbefoundatleastaproportionofthehigheradministrativeofficials,andamongthenumberitisfairlyindispensabletoincludeoneormoreadroitparliamentarians,competenttoprocurethenecessarymodicumofsanctionforallarbitraryactsoftheexecutive,fromadistrustfulfacultyconvenedasadeliberativebody。Thesemenmustbeatleastpartiallyintheconfidenceoftheexecutivehead。Fromthecircumstancesofthecaseitalsofollowsthattheywillcommonlyoccupyanadvancedacademicrank,andsowilltakeahigh(putative)rankasscholarsandscientists。Highacademicrankcomesofnecessitytothesemenwhoserveascoadjutorsandvehiclesoftheexecutivepolicy,asdoesalsotherelativelyhighpaythatgoeswithhighrank;botharerequiredasarewardofmeritandanincitementtoazealousserviceabilityontheonehand,andtokeeptheadministrationincountenanceontheotherhandbygivingtherequisitedignitytoitsagents。Theywillbeselectedonthesamegeneralgroundsoffitnessastheirchief,——administrativefacility,plausibility,proficiencyaspublicspeakersandparliamentarians,readyversatilityofconvictions,andastaunchloyaltytotheirbread。
Experienceteachesthatscholarlyorscientificcapacitydoesnotenterinanyappreciablemeasureamongthequalificationssorequiredforresponsibleacademicoffice,beyondwhatmaythriftilyservetomasktheconventionaldecenciesofthecase。
Itis,further,oftheessenceofthisschemeofacademiccontrolthatthecaptainoferuditionshouldfreelyexercisethepowerofacademiclifeanddeathoverthemembersofhisstaff,torewardthegoodandfaithfulservantandtoabasetherecalcitrant。Otherwisedisciplinewouldbeadifficultmatter,andtheformallyrequisite\"adviceandconsent\"couldbeprocuredonlytardilyandgrudgingly。
Admittingsuchreservationsandabatementasmaybedue,itistobesaidthattheexistingorganizationofacademiccontrolunderbusinessprinciplesfallsmoreorlessnearlyintotheformoutlinedabove。Theperfectedtype,assketchedinthelastparagraphs,hasdoubtlessnotbeenfullyachievedinpracticehitherto,unlessitbeinoneoranotherofthenewerestablishmentswithlargeambitionsandendowment,andwithfewtraditionstohampertheworkingoutofthesystem。Theincursionofbusinessprinciplesintotheacademiccommunityisalsoofrelativelyrecentdate,andshouldnotyethavehadtimetopervadetheorganizationthroughoutandwithfulleffect;sothatther間imeofcompetitivestrategyshouldasyetbeneithersofaradvancednorsosecureamatterofcourseasmayfairlybeexpectedinthenearfuture。Yettherateofadvancealongthisline,andthemeasureofpresentachievement,aremoreconsiderablethanevenaverysanguineadvocateofbusinessprinciplescouldhavedaredtolookforacoupleofdecadesago。
Insofarasthesemattersarestillinprocessofgrowth,ratherthanattheirfullfruition,itfollowsthatanyanalysisoftheeffectsofthisr間imemustbeinsomedegreespeculative,andmustattimesdealwiththedriftofthingsasmuchaswithaccomplishedfact。Yetsuchaninquirymustapproachitssubjectasanepisodeofhistory,andmustdealwiththepersonalfiguresandtheincidentsofthisgrowthobjectively,asphenomenathrownuptoviewbytheplayofcircumstancesinthedispassionategiveandtakeofinstitutionalchange。Suchanimpersonalattitude,itisperhapsneedlesstoremark,isnotalwayseasytomaintainindealingwithfactsofsopersonal,andoftenofsoanimated,acharacter。Particularlywillanobserverwhohasseentheseincidentsfromthemiddleandinthemakingfinditdifficultuniformlytopreservethataloofperspectivethatwillservetheendsofanhistoricalappreciation。Thedifficultyisincreasedandcomplicatedbythenecessityofemployingterms,descriptionsandincidentsthathavebeenhabituallyemployedincurrentcontroversy,oftenwithamarkedanimus。Menhavetakensidesonthesematters,andsoareengagedincontroversyonthemeritsofthecurrentr間imeandonthequestionofpossiblereliefandremedyforwhatareconsideredtobeitsiniquities。Undertheshadowofthiscontroversy,itisnearlyunavoidablethatanyexpressionorcitationoffactthatwillbearapartisanconstructionwillhabituallybesoconstrued。Thevehiclenecessarilyemployedmustalmostunavoidablyinfusetheanalysiswithanunintendedcolourofbias,toonesideortheotherofthepresumedmeritsofthecase。Adegreeofpatientattentionisthereforedueatpointswherethefactscited,andthecharacterizationofthesefactsandtheirbearing,wouldseem,onasuperficialview,tobearconstructionascontroversialmatter。
Inthisepisodeofinstitutionalgrowth,plainly,theexecutiveheadisthecentralfigure。Thelightfailsonhimratherthanontheforcesthatmovehim,anditcomesasamatterofcoursetopassopinionsontheresultingincidentsandconsequences,astheoutcomeofhisfreeinitiativeratherthanofthecircumstanceswhosecreatureheis。Nodoubt,hisinitiative,ifany,isapowerfulfactorinthecase,butitisafterallafactoroftransmissionandcommutationratherthanofgenesisandself—direction;forheischosenforthestyleandmeasureofinitiativewithwhichheisendowed,andunlessheshallbefoundtomeasureuptoexpectationsinkindanddegreeinthismatterhewillgointhediscard,andhispersonalidealsandinitiativewillcountaslittlemorethanatransientobstruction。Hewillholdhisplace,andwillcountasacreativeforceinhisworld,inmuchthesamedegreeinwhichherespondswithreadyflexibilitytotheimpactofthoseforcesofpopularsentimentandclassconvictionthathavecalledhimtobetheirservant。Onlysocanhebea\"strongman\";onlyinsofaras,byfortunatebentorbyitsabsence,heisenabledtomoveresistlesslywiththeparallelogramofforces。
Theexigenciesofabusinesslikeadministrationdemandthattherebenodivisionofpowersbetweentheacademicexecutiveandtheacademicstaff;buttheexigenciesofthehigherlearningrequirethatthescholarsandscientistsmustbeleftquitefreetofollowtheirownbentinconductingtheirownwork。Inthenatureofthingsthisworkcannotbecarriedoneffectuallyundercoerciverule。Scientificinquirycannotbepursuedunderdirectionofalaymaninthepersonofasuperiorofficer。Also,learningis,inthenatureofthings,notacompetitivebusinessandcanmakenouseoffinesse,diplomaticequivocationandtactfulregardforpopularprejudices,suchasareoftheessenceofthecaseincompetitivebusiness。Itis,also,ofnoadvantagetolearningtoengrossthetrade。Traditionandpresentnecessityalikedemandthatthebodyofscholarsandscientistswhomakeuptheuniversitymustbevestedwithfullpowersofself—direction,withoutulteriorconsideration。Auniversitycanremainacorporationoflearning,defacto,onnootherbasis。
Ashasalreadybeenremarked,businessmethodsofcoursehavetheirplaceinthecorporation’sfiscalaffairsandintheoffice—workincidenttothecareofitsmaterialequipment。Asregardstheseitemstheuniversityisabusinessconcern,andnodiscussionofthesetopicswouldbeinplacehere。Thesethingsconcerntheuniversityonlyinitsexternals,andtheydonotproperlyfallwithinthescopeofacademicpolicyoracademicadministration。Theycomeintoconsiderationhereonlyinsofarasalivelyregardforthemmay,asitsometimesdoes,diverttheforcesoftheestablishmentfromitsostensiblepurpose。
Undertheruleimposedbythosebusinesslikepreconceptionsthatdecidehisselectionforoffice,thefirstdutyoftheexecutiveheadistoseetotheorganizationofanadministrativemachineryforthedirectionoftheuniversity’sinternalaffairs,andtheestablishmentofafacileandrigoroussystemofaccountancyforthecontrolandexhibitionoftheacademicwork。
Inthesamemeasureinwhichsuchasystemgoesintoeffecttheprinciplesofcompetitivebusinesswillpermeatetheadministrationinalldirections;inthepersonneloftheacademicstaff,inthecontrolandintercourseofteachersandstudents,inthescheduleofinstruction,inthedispositionofthematerialequipment,inthepublicexhibitsandceremonialoftheuniversity,aswellasinitspecuniaryconcerns。
Withintherangeofacademicinterestsproper,thesebusinessprinciplesprimarilyaffectthepersonnelandtheroutineofinstruction。Heretheirapplicationimmediatelyresultsinanadministrativesystemofbureauxordepartments,ahierarchicalgradationofthemembersofthestaff,andarigorousparcelmentandstandardizationoftheinstructionoffered。Somesuchsystemisindispensabletoanyeffectivecontroloftheworkfromabove,suchasisaimedatintheappointmentofadiscretionaryheadoftheuniversity,——particularlyinalargeschool;andthemeasureofcontroldesiredwilldecidethedegreeofthoroughnesswithwhichthisbureaucraticorganizationistobecarriedthrough。Theneedofawell—devisedbureaucraticsystemisgreaterthemorecentralizedandcoercivethecontroltowhichtheacademicworkistobesubject;andthedegreeofcontroltobeexercisedwillbegreaterthemoreurgentthefeltneedofastrictandlargeaccountancymaybe。Allofwhichresolvesitselfintoaquestionastothepurposessoughtbytheinstallationofsuchasystem。
Fortheeverydayworkofthehigherlearning,assuch,littleofahierarchicalgradation,andlessofbureaucraticsubordination,isneedfulorserviceable;andverylittleofstatisticaluniformity,standardunitsoferudition,ordetailaccountancy,isatallfeasible。Thisworkisnotofamechanicalcharacteranddoesnotlenditself,eitherinitsmethodsoritsresults,toanymechanicallystandardizedschemeofmeasurementsortoasystemofaccountingpercentpertimeunit。Thisrangeofinstructionconsistssubstantiallyinthefacilitationofscholarlyandscientifichabitsofthought,andtheimpositionofanyappreciablemeasureofsuchstandardizationandaccountingmustunavoidablyweakenandvitiatetheworkofinstruction,injustthedegreeinwhichtheimposedsystemiseffective。
Itisnotwithinthepurposeofthisinquirytogointothebearingofallthisonthecollegiate(undergraduate)departmentsorontheprofessionalandtechnicalschoolsassociatedwiththeuniversityproperinAmericanpractice。Butsomethingofadetaileddiscussionofthesystemandprinciplesofcontrolappliedintheseschoolsisnecessarybecauseofitsincidentalbearingongraduatework。
Itisplainbeyondneedofspecificationthatinthepracticalviewofthepublicatlarge,andofthegoverningboards,theuniversityisprimarilyanundergraduateschool,withgraduateandprofessionaldepartmentsaddedtoit。Anditissimilarlyplainthatthecaptainsoferuditionchosenasexecutiveheadssharethesamepreconceptions,andgototheirworkwithaviewprimarilytotheneedsoftheirundergraduatedepartments。Thebusinesslikeorderandsystemintroducedintotheuniversities,therefore,aredesignedprimarilytomeettheneedsandexploitthepossibilitiesoftheundergraduateschool;
but,byforceofhabit,byadesireofuniformity,byadesiretocontrolandexhibitthepersonnelandtheirwork,byheedlessimitation,orwhatnot,itinvariablyhappensthatthesameschemeoforderandsystemisextendedtocoverthegraduateworkalso。
Whileitistheworkofscienceandscholarship,roughlywhatisknowninAmericanusageasgraduatework,thatgivestheuniversityitsrankasaseatoflearningandkeepsitincountenanceassuchwithlaymenandscholars,itistheundergraduateschool,orcollege,thatstillcontinuestobethelargerfact,andthatstillengagesthegreaterandmoreimmediateattentioninuniversitymanagement。ThisisdueinparttoreceivedAmericanusage,inparttoitsmorereadilyservingtheendsofcompetitiveambition;anditisafactinthecurrentacademicsituationwhichmustbecountedinasachronicdiscrepancy,nottobegotclearofortobeappreciablymitigatedsolongasbusinessprinciplescontinuetorule。
Whatcountstowardtheadvancementoflearningandthescholarlycharacteroftheuniversityisthegraduatework,butwhatgivesstatisticallyformidableresultsinthewayofanumerousenrolment,manydegreesconferred,publicexhibitions,coursesofinstruction——inshortwhatrollsupalargeshowingofturnoverandoutput——istheperfunctoryworkoftheundergraduatedepartment,aswellasthearrayofvocationalschoolslatterlysubjoinedasauxiliariestothisend。Hencetheneedsandpossibilitiesoftheundergraduateandvocationalschoolsareprimarily,perhapsrathersolely,hadinviewinthebureaucraticorganizationofthecoursesofinstruction,intheselectionofthepersonnel,inthedivisionsoftheschoolyear,aswellasinthevariousaccessoryattractionsoffered,suchastheathleticequipment,facilitiesforfraternityandotherclublife,debates,exhibitionsandfestivities,andthecustomaryroutineofdevotionalamenitiesunderofficialsanction。