the higher learning in america-第24章

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only　by　the　formal　ratification　of　his　decisions　by　the　board　of



directors　who　will　be　careful　not　to　interfere　or　inquire　unduly



in　these　matters；　　so　long　as　their　strong　man　shows　results。



　　　　The　details　and　objective　of　his　strategy　need　not　be　known



to　the　members　of　the　staff；　indeed；　all　that　does　not　concern



them　except　in　the　most　general　way。　They　are　his　creatures；　and



are　responsible　only　to　him　and　only　for　the　due　performance　of



the　tasks　assigned　them；　and　they　need　know　only　so　much　as　will



enable　them　to　give　ready　and　intelligent　support　to　the　moves



made　by　their　chief　from　day　to　day。　The　members　of　the　staff　are



his　employees；　and　their　first　duty　is　a　loyal　obedience；　and　for



the　competitive　good　of　the　concern　they　must　utter　no　expression



of　criticism　or　unfavourable　comment　on　the　policy；　actions　or



personal　characteristics　of　their　chief；　so　long　as　they　are　in



his　employ。　They　have　eaten　his　bread；　and　it　is　for　them　to　do



his　bidding。



　　　　Such　is　the　object…lesson　afforded　by　business　practice　as　it



bears　on　the　duties　incumbent　on　the　academic　head　and　on　the



powers　of　office　delegated　to　him。　It　is　needless　to　remark　on



what　is　a　fact　of　common　notoriety；　that　this　rule　drawn　from　the



conduct　of　competitive　business　is　commonly　applied　without



substantial　abatement　in　the　conduct　of　academic　affairs。（4*）



　　　　Under　this　rule　the　academic　staff　becomes　a　body　of　graded



subalterns；　who　share　confidence　of　the　chief　in　varying　degrees；



but　who　no　decisive　voice　in　the　policy　or　the　conduct　of　affairs



of　the　concern　in　whose　pay　they　are　held。　The　faculty　is



conceived　as　a　body　of　employees；　hired　to　render　certain



services　and　turn　out　certain　scheduled　vendible　results。



　　　　The　chief　may　take　advice；　and；　as　is　commonly　the　practice



in　analogous　circumstances　in　commercial　business；　he　will　be



likely　to　draw　about　him　from　among　the　faculty　a　conveniently



small　number　of　advisers　who　are　in　sympathy　with　his　own



ambitions；　and　who　will　in　this　way　form　an　unofficial　council；



or　cabinet；　or　〃junta；〃　to　whom　he　can　turn　for　informal；



anonymous　and　irresponsible；　advice　and　moral　support　at　any



juncture。　He　will　also；　in　compliance　with　charter　stipulations



and　parliamentary　usage；　have　certain　officially　recognized



advisers；　　the　various　deans；　advisory　committees；　Academic



Council；　University　Senate；　and　the　like；　　with　whom　he　shares



responsibility；　particularly　for　measures　of　doubtful　popularity；



and　whose　advice　he　formally　takes　coram　publico；　but　he　can　not



well　share　discretion　with　these；　except　on　administrative



matters　of　inconsequential　detail。　For　reasons　of　practical



efficiency；　discretion　must　be　undivided　in　any　competitive



enterprise。　There　is　much　fine…spun　strategy　to　be　taken　care　of



under　cover　of　night　and　cloud。







　　　　But　the　academic　tradition；　which　still　drags　on　the　hands　of



the　captains　of　erudition；　has　not　left　the　ground　prepared　for



such　a　clean…cut　businesslike　organization　and　such　a　campaign　of



competitive　strategy。　By　tradition　the　faculty　is　the　keeper　of



the　academic　interests　of　the　university　and　makes　up　a　body　of



loosely…bound　noncompetitive　co…partners；　with　no　view　to



strategic　team　play　and　no　collective　ulterior　ambition；　least　of



all　with　a　view　to　engrossing　the　trade。　By　tradition；　and　indeed



commonly　by　explicit　proviso；　the　conduct　of　the　university's



academic　affairs　vests　formally　in　the　president；　with　the　advice



and　consent　of　the　faculty；　or　of　the　general　body　of　senior



members　of　the　faculty。　In　due　observance　of　these　traditions；



and　of　the　scholastic　purposes　notoriously　underlying　all



university　life；　certain　forms　of　disinterested　zeal　must　be



adhered　to　in　all　official　pronouncements　of　the　executive；　as



well　as　certain　punctilios　of　conference　and　advisement　between



the　directive　head　and　the　academic　staff。



　　　　All　of　which　makes　the　work　of　the　executive　head　less　easy



and　ingenuous　than　it　might　be。　The　substantial　demands　of　his



position　as　chief　of　a　competitive　business　are　somewhat　widely



out　of　touch　with　these　forms　of　divided　responsibility　that　must



（formally）　be　observed　in　administering　his　duties；　and　equally



out　of　touch　with　the　formal　professions　of　disinterested　zeal



for　the　cause　of　learning　that　he　is　by　tradition　required　to



make　from　time　to　time。　All　that　may　reasonably　be　counted　on



under　these　trying　circumstances　is　that　he　should　do　the　best　he



can；　　to　save　the　formalities　and　secure　the　substance。　To



compass　these　difficult　incongruities；　he　will；　as　already



remarked　above；　necessarily　gather　about　him；　within　the　general



body　of　the　academic　personnel；　a　corps　of　trusted　advisors　and



agents；　whose　qualifications　for　their　peculiar　work　is　an



intelligent　sympathy　with　their　chief's　ideals　and　methods　and　an



unreserved　subservience　to　his　aims；　　unless　it　should　come　to



pass；　as　may　happen　in　case　its　members　are　men　of　force　and



ingenuity；　that　this　unofficial　cabinet　should　take　over　the



direction　of　affairs　and　work　out　their　own　aims　and　purposes



under　cover　of　the　chief's　ostensibly　autocratic　rule。



　　　　Among　these　aids　and　advisers　will　be　found　at　least　a



proportion　of　the　higher　administrative　officials；　and　among　the



number　it　is　fairly　indispensable　to　include　one　or　more　adroit



parliamentarians；　competent　to　procure　the　necessary　modicum　of



sanction　for　all　arbitrary　acts　of　the　executive；　from　a



distrustful　faculty　convened　as　a　deliberative　body。　These　men



must　be　at　least　partially　in　the　confidence　of　the　executive



head。　From　the　circumstances　of　the　case　it　also　follows　that



they　will　commonly　occupy　an　advanced　academic　rank；　and　so　will



take　a　high　（putative）　rank　as　scholars　and　scientists。　High



academic　rank　comes　of　necessity　to　these　men　who　serve　as



coadjutors　and　vehicles　of　the　executive　policy；　as　does　also　the



relatively　high　pay　that　goes　with　high　rank；　both　are　required



as　a　reward　of　merit　and　an　incitement　to　a　zealous



serviceability　on　the　one　hand；　and　to　keep　the　administration　in



countenance　on　the　other　hand　by　giving　the　requisite　dignity　to



its　agents。　They　will　be　selected　on　the　same　general　grounds　of



fitness　as　their　chief；　　administrative　facility；　plausibility；



proficiency　as　public　speakers　and　parliamentarians；　ready



versatility　of　convictions；　and　a　staunch　loyalty　to　their　bread。



Experience　teaches　that　scholarly　or　scientific　capacity　does　not



enter　in　any　appreciable　measure　among　the　qualifications　so



required　for　responsible　academic　office；　beyond　what　may



thriftily　serve　to　mask　the　conventional　decencies　of　the　case。



　　　　It　is；　further；　of　the　essence　of　this　scheme　of　academic



control　that　the　captain　of　erudition　should　freely　exercise　the



power　of　academic　life　and　death　over　the　members　of　his　staff；



to　reward　the　good　and　faithful　servant　and　to　abase　the



recalcitrant。　Otherwise　discipline　would　be　a　difficult　matter；



and　the　formally　requisite　〃advice　and　consent〃　could　be　procured



only　tardily　and　grudgingly。







　　　　Admitting　such　reservations　and　abatement　as　may　be　due；　it



is　to　be　said　that　the　existing　organization　of　academic　control



under　business　principles　falls　more　or　less　nearly　into　the　form



outlined　above。　The　perfected　type；　as　sketched　in　the　last



paragraphs；　has　doubtless　not　been　fully　achieved　in　practice



hitherto；　unless　it　be　in　one　or　another　of　the　newer



establishments　with　large　ambitions　and　e