UNIVERSITY IDEALS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 854, 28 June 1910, Page 6

UNIVERSITY IDEALS.

; ; ■'■ •." ': '■ ———* ■ ■ ' 0 MEETING OF REFORM'ASSO'CIATION ■.■■'; SELF-GOVERNMENT. ' <:.■ ';: .(JLGAISiST OUTSIDE EXAMINATIONS. "-,-' V:: The ideals and aims of the university .-. reform movement wero clearly explained '■■'•'.'•, ,by various speakers at Viutoria College ': . last night. The occasion was a meeting ' of - the : ncwly-estaulished University Ee- ■'. ■■:. . forni Association. Mr. A. 1?.. Atkinson . V ■"'•'■., was voted to the chair,] and among those "'-.■■-':■'■ present were Professbrs -T. A. Hunter ." •'(secretary), , H. B. Kirk.T. H. Eastcrfield, ■. ■ ■■ G. W. von Zedlitz, and T. H. Lal>y, Dr. .--■.'■-..•Fe11, Mr. A. Hamilton, and others, about . - thirty in all, including several, ladies. - - :. . The principal business of tho meeting "•' ■'.- was to adopt tho "objects of the associa- '■■"■.■:'•■, iion/', which had been drafted by the ■ . committee. The clauses wero taken sen- '■'■■ . atim, . and were . adopted almost unanimously, only one dissentient voice being ..■•"■ iheard. ■ .■■ - ■ -.■■•;. ■ _ ;. . "Object. 1" was: "To increase tho effi- •,' .'■■ ciency of university edncation in New •.-■. ■■'■ Zealand." This was adopted without' disoussion.; ' ■ ■ . •. •'.. . T ■ College Government. ■ " - ' - ! Professor Easterefield, in "explanation of .' .''."■-. the second "object"—"to improve and coordinato the system of government of tho ■ ; New Zealand University and colleges, ■-:. end to:,obtain. for the colleges a-larger measure of ■ self-govcrmnent"—said the ■: - present governing, bodies were the'senate, :. itffe four councils of the colleges, and tho ;four professorial boards, and they might : lalso include tho convocation which, ,• fthough.it had no .direct powers, could ,-'■"-.. ; .make recommendations. If the powers of ■ these various bodies were compared with ': : :thqse of similar bodies at other niodern '-.-. . : universities, it would be found in many '.: instances'that what was. deputed to one •'.--•; body here :was deputed to quite a differ- . .-'■ ent body in the other universities. The ' ■ «euatc had too much work thrown upon .-';, it, especially in laying put curricmu, . '. !which would bo better done at each of ■.■'.■■■- : tha :four colleges, the senato reserving ;•■•..■•■,'. the right of rejection. If this led to a '■'.■' '.loss , of- uniformity, they'would only bo :. .In the same position as other countries ■'•;'• '."' jrhich hid various separate universities. ■I -.''• •■,'••.'.'.' ..; . Examination and Training. >~:..' Tho examinations ,in each centre would '.'' .io directed in accordance with the amount . I; /and nature of .the training given at each .. '■■/'■■ college. 'The. New Zealandtr. : would soon ■ : '.-'- : - ; 'learn in i which placs the best. training : - .in any/subject was "'to-be had. From .' thu point of view of subsequent value, . V , it did not matter where a man took his . ■': examination,, so- much as what .evidence [ho could give that he had done good iwork. '. The. tendency in New. Zealand,had . . (been too much. to-.look upon the.exam- '';■-" ..iination as the thing that would settlo '■/:'- what a man was to be for life. If they .;..-could: get people to look, more at the '■"■ .' Straining, : they would give a great; fillip ■to higher education. Legislation would ...'■be necessary to-effect any -, alteration in " ~ the.. distribution of powers among : the ■'■'. .'■■. various.'.• governing bodies.: ... ■ . ..,-• A "Fictitious Uniformity. .-.;.- Professor von Zedlitz said that tho pre- ■: 'dent distribution of powers among. : the .!■., -different'governing bodies was . due to ■'■ r ; chance .rather than design, and he thought : r ■ there; could bo .little opposition to. a : -- ■• '.to havo the system ; reviewed -■":'■ : ;by an : outside body, which, would take .':.. evidence. ' Those who ' attended the cere- '■.-".-:. 'jmoriy of conferring degrees ■ next Thurs- '... Ulay, would see graduates of several' , dif- . ''..-ifereht categories... There would .be those ~-::.\::.. who had obtained their' degrees after .;-.;.■• giving' three years "wholly to- study at ; ; .:, the ..college. . There would be others who .-- '■■-.had given their spare , time in- the'even..y'ings to preparation at the college, after \:' itheir day's work in some other capacity. . V s -Others,- again, would. have been all tho .-'>'. *;time teachers in' secondary, schools',' and -. . 'yet others.would have been residing out ~-■'.--'iof the;reach of secondary schools.or uni:V . versity colleges. Some of -these, were ';. .'teachers in the backblocks,. who had. no .-"'.-(other aid than the essential textbooks, - - iand-their, own._preat powers . of applica- .: tioh. All honour: to them, .It' would ■'.'..■ !probably<be.'difficult ■ to.give a given in- .'..;• '[stance of energy and-'determination' of '..' ..'character. Ye.t nobody could say that . '■■:-. rthey. had; received the same training as ■ \ 'those in- the two former categories. There '■'.'■ ..','was no real uniformity about such a '.'..', jiEystem. .'.'■ . . - : '.;■' ;-. Speaking .on the third "object"—"to . :■■■': for the university and for the col- ■; . leges-on assured finartce"—'the ohairman , i, taid the university aud-colleges should ~-'■• no longer, be obliged to-go cap in hand -,' -.". 'to the and', it was hoped . ■-..:-.-.that tho public would rise jo a sense of jIl:;., their responsibilities towards higher, edu- ' ;;' : cation. ■ . •;■ - . '■' ,'. : •'■'..'■ ■■'... ■ ;• -i".:'• >;■'-. Against External Examinations. • -- I . '.'. "One of the most tital objnets of tho : \ .-■; >; association," was the chairman's descrip- ■ 1 .-'; lion of "Object 4"—"to st-cure the.aboli- : ■ tion of; erferiial examinations." . . • .'.'■; Professor Hunter, in reply to a.ques- ■ tion, explained, that what was required •.■.■.'.';.'was. that the instructor' should, be tho ■; :'/examiner or ono of the examiners. 'At ' : •".'■; presen£_ a student could keep terms in !•'•-, ,"6is subjects, and take the examination in ; .. >six others.. ' . ■' ' • 'J.. Professor.Kirk complained that 'the '■■~..' isuccess of students in the terms.examiara- ■ .; tions afforded no indication of. success in 'the English examination. . ' . : . :Professor von Zedlitz said that Sir Robert Stout had expressed himself in favour -pi -more homogeneity 'in the igrouping of the studies at the university _ .colleges. This was what the professors ; : ' -meant when they asked to have . the -.'.' 'teaching made applicable'to the reqnire- >' ments of the district. They wished t0.;.".;.'■--lave .;.".;.'■--lave the responsibility for tlie examl.ua- :••.'■'• tions tlirawnj upon the whole teaching .body, not upon, the individual profea-■.;■'-■■',-■.sors..', .'' . ■"■■: ' ... if': Professor. Basterfield, in reply to a ■';,'■ ; question, said that i\\v outside exa'inin«ra: .-■' to act with-tie pi-ofcssors should be :;' ■ New Zealand iesidents. The New Zea- :\ land University, after 40 years, of exist- • ence, must ha.ve produced enough competent graduates -for ..this.-'— - , 7 : , Professoi Hunter,snid another method ;'• Y would be■ to make the .professors, and iuitructoTs in any'subjects at all the col- ' ■ _.' leges a board of examiners in that sub- ',' . -jeet. ■ ■ ~- . . ■ . ■"■■•■ •' ■ :' ; :'-. Dr. Fell.spoke of his own , experience-in --■-■ acting with Otago professors as examiner ' '.in medicine. This'system, worked very \■; - sntisfactorily, and the professors showed ;•' no disposjtion . to let . their students •■'■'.' through too easily. They wore jea!ou3 : ..-■ for the honour of the degrees they had to ■ do with/and were usually inolined to be ■ ■'■■:'■•: moTOseyere than himsell.-.'■ .' ■'.... . . A Dissentient Voice. ,i -.■;■ Mr. A. I'air spoke against the proposal ] ■',to abolish external'examinations. Its : "result would be to constitute four sepa- : Tate.nuivorsities, and W did nut know of ■■- any proposal for universities to serve- -': euch small populations. He thought tho ' professors could stop "cram" by means 01-tli& terms examinations. ."•' ■ ' "The Senate knows* and the public ' . ought to know, that the English vx- . . aminers in many cases have not marked the papers," ■ declared Professor ■ Hunter, . in replying to Mr. Fair. He urged that . the differences which might arise in the training afforded at the four colleges -.',-• would not matter in comparison with the great object of getting men trained. The : present uniformity wns the curse of the .. New Zealand University.. ,'.-' ■ Professor- Easterfield quoted the ex- - ample of four of the modern-universities in the north of England, which were for :' -.- ' ten years-united in a system like that of the New Zealand University, but whieli had become decentralised as tho result .-' of experience. The two last objects, like the above, were unanimously adopted. They were as follow:- '■-..■ "To endeavour to improve tho libraries and other equipment of > tho university colleges." . "To obtain - the co-operation of any similar bodies that may sympathise with air or .-my ot tho objects of. tho association." • On the motion of Professor ,von Zedlitz, the committee was instructed to write to examiners of the University of New Zealand resident in Great Britain, graduates of tho New Zealand University teach- • nig in'otlicr universities, and other persons in the academic world, as the committee might think fit, asking their advice on the examination system. \ The executive was empowered to ap- ''•:■■-■ point president and vice-presidents. Pro- " . fessor Hunter was appointed treasurer and secretary.