DEPARTMENTS OF UNIVERSITY

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27442, 31 August 1954, Page 9

DEPARTMENTS OF UNIVERSITY

REPORTS TO COLLEGE COUNCIL REFERENCE TO ‘ONCOMING RECTOR” The innovation of departmental reports to . the Canterbury University College Council started yesterday. Dr. H. N. Parton, chairman of the Professorial Board, recalled that Mr Duncan Mackay, as chairman of the academic committee, had suggested that information on current undertakings in all departments would be of value to the council. "It would also be of considerable value to the incoming rector (who "will presumably take office next year) if he could have a set of reports on the work, research, staff, and requirements of all departments,” Dr. Parton said. It was proposed that two or three departments should be covered each month. Botany and psychology had been chosen first because they were among the • departments for which professors had been approved »when finance was available, Dr. Parton said. Until this year botany had been taught within the department of biology, said Dr. W. R. Philipson, lecturer in charge of the new department, but for several years it had been separate from zoology in all academic matters. There were now 110 students—42 at stage one, 41 as intermediates, 22 at stage two and three, and five at the masters level. Four members of the staff were working on six research projects and they had made four publications. "I am fully satisfied with the quality of the work now being done for the master of science degree and this is borne out by the comment (‘well up to our honours standard at Sydney’) by an external assessor,” Dr. Phihpson said. "AU theses involve experimental rather thsin descriptive techniques, but our present facilities, dictate purely laboratory methods of culture. It seems essential for a department of botany to be able to grow whole plants under experimental conditions. As the existing glasshouse is poorly equipped for such work improvements should be the next important development.” The provision of a new laboratory next year for advanced classes would assist teaching. The policy of the psychology department was to develop a bachelor pf science degree in psychology, said Dr. A. Crowther, lecturer in charge. "It is difficult to obtain potential research students from the arts classes as most of these are part-time and are usually 27 or 28 by the time ?they complete honours,” he said. “It is hoped, in due course, to get a few good fuU-time students from science.” As a result of this policy it was hoped to get some candidates for a doctorate in philosophy and then a small research school in psychology could be developed successfully. , Dr. Crowther reported that the’normal student numbers were 90 (more than 100 this year) at stage one for the arts degree with an upward trend, six at stage one for the bachelor of science degree, 25 at stage two, 10 at stage three, and six at the masters level, the last four groups being fairly stable. He detailed the lectures, laboratory classes, and tutorials conducted.