UNIVERSITY STAFFING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 199, 23 August 1945, Page 4

UNIVERSITY STAFFING

As publicity has been given to the reported share of the professorial board in the report adopted by the College Council on the need to attract overseas men for New Zealand University chairs and lectureships and on the dangers of "inbreeding" through local appointments to such positions, and in view of the highly contentious character of the arguments of this report as published, it is necessary to state that the report has never been before the board for consideration, nor has the board appointed representatives to any committee set up expressly to deal with this questioji, The whole outlook of the report is that of disparaging the teaching function by way of promoting the interests of "research." It condemns that method of increasing staffs which would make further provision for teaching at stage one; it would have the higher appointments reserved for men from overseas who are not to be expected to show their capacity of imparting the philosophy of their subject to elementary students. Local graduates, as "beginners" (never to be finishers), who may achieve temporary assistant lectureships, are evidently considered sufficient for this despSed function. (What now of the complaints about the export of brains?) But all this is merely to intensify the policy already in force. Before carrying it further, it would be well to inquire into the value of the results it has already achieved, both in research and in other directions. Further, are not imported professors, fresh as they may be from the inspiration of the Russells and Laskis of the Old World, just as •likely as anyone else to "standardise the teaching at the stage at which the teacher was taught?" May it not sometimes happen that the new movements on which they have been brought up are just about to go into eclipse in their country of origin? Is there not enough common sense out here to justify an occasional decision to by-pass one of the leading "movements" overseas? It will be a pity if policy on this matter is decided on a one-sided statement of the case. W. ANDERSON.