The Press. FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1908. A DEAN OF THE COLLEGE.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13104, 1 May 1908, Page 6

The Press. FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1908. A DEAN OF THE COLLEGE.

A. suggestion was ma<l<» by the, chairman of the Board. 01 Governors of - Canterbury College in his recent address to tho effect that there should bo someome appointed at tho College whose business it should be to meet the now students, to advise thorn as to tiro linos of study that would be most suitable, and to act in come respeota "in loco parentis." MrEmseeJl added that whether the title of 'the officer should bo dean or president was of no importance. At first sight there seems a-good d«i! to recommend

tho suggestion, but when it is looked into it will be seen there are practical difficulties in the way. Mr Russell seems to have had floating in his mind some idea of the president of an American college, the maeter of a college at one of the great English Universties, 1 or the dean of an English medical school. But in reality tiieso are hardly analogous to

the " president" uriiicli Mr Russell '(has in view. The presidrat of an Amerioa.n Undversity, like the Leland Stanford University, tor example, -is reaUy the orga'niseT, the business chief, and the social head of tie institution- We do not think he has either the time or the inclinatiorij to study "the individual wa-nte of new studente and to map out their course, etc. The master of a oolkge at Oxford or Cambridge occupies a positioni of considerable distinction, but very often—%e might almost say as a general rule—does very HttJe work unJeas it is in some special branch of study in which, he is interested. In some oases, like tha-t of Jowett a* Balliol, he * undoubtedly exercises a good deal of influence over the character of the students and tihe tone of the college. But any advice or informaftion which a. young ujudergraduate desires about his course of work is given to him by his tutor. The dean of a medical school comes nearer the mark, inasmuch as he supervises the work of the students and sees that they do what ia required of them. ,

That a young student entering Cantorbury College does require guidance when/ ho -first starts is undoubtedly truo. With the number of new degrees now established, and the increasing complexity of the courses provided,- it is no doubt a. rather difficult thing for a new student to select the plan ot work which is best suited for him. Hβ can, of coarse, consult one of the Professors, and occasionally a Professor is found who will take especial pains to study the individual requirements of students and give the advice best suited to each case. It, however, sometimes happens, Professors being only human, tihat the Professor who is consulted is apt to consider his own classes of paramount importance, and to advise the freshman in accordance ■with that view. The appointment ot a "president" euoh. as Mr Russell suggests, is, however, hedged round with difficulty. It would, not bo easy to get a man exactly suited to such, a post, and we think it improbable that, with 6O much, money required for an extension of the actual teaching woric, the College can at present afford the salary of a titular head, whose functions would be chief- limited to advising students in general about their studies, receiving distinguished visitors, and performing other social duties. Two or three alternatives present themselves. In the first place nt« seems to us the courses of study might be simplified so that it may be easier for the now student to thread his way through the maze. Certainly the College time-table, which seems to get more and more involved and inconvenient as time goes on,, might be reorganised with very great advantage. We would also suggest tfoaib . under a different arrangement, the chairman of the Professorial Board might be given the responsibility of carrying out the work which Mr Russell has in view. At present the chairman is elected, by his colleagues for one year only, and 1 the,, position appears io be considered , as a sort of circulating honour, which should be enjoyed by each member of the staff in turn. Our suggestion is that the chairman of the Professorial Board should be elected for either three or five years, and specifically charged with the duty of advising the students, as well as acting as the mouthpiece of the Professors in their communications with the Board. It would be only fair, we think, in consideration of the ■ extra work involved, to give him a moderate honorarium in addition to the salary which he draws as Professor. If this were done, we thank the Professors might bo trusted to select the member best suited for the work in. view, the chairman or president of the College, if it is considered advisable to give him this title, would feel in honour bound to carry oat tho duties impartially and to the best of his ability, while the length of tenure we have suggested would ensure the necessary experience, and would enable one "generation" of students to be advised and watched through the whole of their career, or, at any rate, during the stage when they are most in need of advice. Wβ venture to hope that Mr Russell and his colleagues on the Board will tako this suggestion into their serious consideration.