UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1808, 22 July 1913, Page 5

UNIVERSITY REFORM.

THREE SCHEMES. FOR CONSIDERATION OF GRADUATES. ACTION BY THE SENATE. The Registrar of the New Zealand University, acting under the instructions of the Senate, lias addressed to the graduates of the University a circular memorandum, in which arc sot forth three tentative schemes for the rcconstitution of the University. Graduates are invited to cast , their votes upon tho particular scheme which they may prefer, and to offer opinions on the respective merits of the schemes and submit suggestions. Tho schemes will bo discussed at a meet•■JG °f tho Court of Convocation of tho Middle University District (of which Victoria College is the centre), on Tuesday ovening of next week. In view of the interest whioh has attached_ to -the question of University reform in Zealand of late, the proposals of the Sonato, set out hereunder, will no doubt be of interest. The First Schema. , Scheme A provides for a Senate constituted as follows:— (1) Chancellor, oleoted by the Senate at its meeting next before the dato of the triennial elections of members of Senate; (2) Vice-Chancellor, elected by the Board of Studies, and, in addition, (8) two appointed by tho Govornor-in-Council; (4) four members elcctod by tho oouncils, ono bv each of'tho affiliated colleges; (5) oight elected by the District Courts of Convocation, two by eaoh; '(G) four elected by the General Board of Studies; (7). tho Chief Justice; or, if he bo Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor, the next senior Judge; (8) the Inspector-General of Schools; or, if he bo Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor, the 'Assistant Inspector-Gonoral of Schools: (0) a representative of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association; (10) a representative of the New Zealand Society of Accountants. Note.—(9) and (10) are included to secure representation in , the special branches of' studies for degrees in Medicine and in, Commerce. As th® supreme governing body of tho (University, to make statutes, appoint officers, expend funds, and generally manage thel affairs of tho University; .pro l fnded that it shall not pass any statute or touching schemes of studies or examinations for degrees, diplomas, scholarships, or prizes, without a recominendation from the Board of Studies unless_ the latter Ens had reasonable opportunity to consider and report thereon; Hot ahlall it, except with the same limitations, appoint examiners. Th)a Senate may delegate to the Board of Studies, as it thinks fit, either generally or for any specified time, such powers of conducting examinations, and conferring degrees, diplomas, scholarships, or •prizes, and (after report from the Boards of Faculties concerned) of drawing up iouree3 of, study_ in any subject or subjects, and appointing examiners. The Board of Studies would bo constituted aa follows:—(1), Vdce-Chanoellor (chairman); (2) on® member elected by each of the Boards of Faculties; (3) (a) twenty members, five oleoted by eaoh of the four Professorial Boards; or (b) twelve members, thfree elected by each of tho four Professorial Boards. Its powers would bo to miake recommendations to the Senate as to degrees, driiplomas, scholarships, and prizes, courses of study and examinations ; to receive recommendations as to any of these matters from the Boards of Faculties or the Professorial .Boards; to exercise any of the powers delegated to it by tho Senate.

Note—The Senate and the Board of Studies inay appoint their own standing committees with certain executive powers The faculties would be (a) arts, including musio and commerce (except law subjects); (b) eciencß .(namely,, mathematics, chemistry, botany, zoology, physiology, geology); (o) law, .including law subjects in commerce course; (d) medicine, including - dental surgery and veterinary science; (e) technology, including engineering, mining, architecture, and agriculture; and such_ othof faculties as the Senate on the advice of or after consultation with the Board of Studies shall decide; and tho Senate in like manner shall, except where they are defined herein, decide what are the subjects of each faculty. The board of each faculty shall consist of the Dean of the Faculty j (elected by thie Board of the Faculty), who shall be chairman of the board, of the professors in the subjects of the faculty, or such leoturers in ' charge of these subjects as have seats on the Professorial Boards of the colleges, and of such other professors, lecturers, or othter persons as the Senate on the advice of the General Board of Studies rihall add. (For instance, a professor of mathematics and a professor of physios or the principal of an agricultural college might be added to the faculty of technology; one or more professors of biology, and tho president of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, or thte Chief Officer of Health, to the faoulty of medioine; a barrister in practice, or a Judge, to the faculty of law, and so on.). Its powers would ba to recommend to the Board of Studies programmes of work in the subjects of the faculty or changes therein; to recommend to the same body examiners in the several subjects; and to make recommendations or suggestions to the Board of Studies ns to any other matters relating to tho faoulty. District Courts of Convocation would be 03 at present. Any professorial board or board of a faoulty shsflJ have tho right, if its recommendation be not adopted within three months by the Board of Studies, to put such recommendation directlv before the Senate, which deal with it in accoTdanoo with its powers as defined above; tint except in the case of such appeal no professorial board or board of faculty shall approach the Senate oxcent through a board of studies. Every College Connoil and every-"Courts of Convocation shall tare the right to make recommendations (lireotly to the Senate. Under Sch'ei'nn A. much of the work' of the boards of faculties could be done by correspondence, and .they would not ha.v<e to meet very often. The Board of .Studies would receive much of the matter for its consideration in a definite form from the boards of faculties, and its meetings would therefore probably occupy le?s than a week in each year. Most of tho Senate's work would also be presented to it in precise form by tlilo Board of Studies and fts meetings need not occupy more than half the time they do now. The work of the committees of tho Senate that now _ocoupiies so much of the annual session would! be so simplified as in somo ca«es to bo little moro than nominal. The wholo work of government of tho Univerpity baing thus organised, much more of the' formal work could be done by standing committees of the Senato and Board of' Studies. The exponso of full meetings of these bodies would be tnus largely reduced.

Scheme B, Under Scheme B tho university would be constituted of the four colleges instead of being, as at present, an examining body with teaching institutions affiliated to at, and would be controlled by tho following bodies with the powers specified. Thoro would be four Courts of Convocation, one for each university district, find each including all persons or not less than six months' residence who are graduates of any British university holding a charter from the Crown or of any other university recognised by tho Senate for this purpose: judges, and stipendiary magistrates, Mayors of boroughs and towns, presidents of learned societies, members of the governing bodies of secondary schools, tends of secondary schools and of primary schools above erode, Council of the Accountants' Socicty, presidents of law and medical societies, of A. and P. societies and of Chambers of Commerce, and such other classes of persons as the Senate, with the approval of the Governor-in-Council, may from timo to time determine. Their powers would be to elect six representatives to tho College Council, to mal» representations to tho College Council and through it to the conjoint Professorial Board and tho Senate on any matters affecting the college or the universitj'. There would also bo constituted four councils, the governing body of tho colleges—'one for each collcge, constituted as follows(a) One memlier appointed by the/'Gfovernor-in-Connci 1; (b) the chairm/an of the Professorial Board and one .father seleoted by tho board; (c) six elected by the Court of Convocation.

Note—No member of the teaching staff to be eligible for election under (c). The powers of tho councils would bo to manage, the college as at present, provided that no appointment to a chair shall bo made until tho council has had a report on tho matter from tho committee of selection appointed by the conjoint Professorial Board, and until the approval of the Senate has been obtained. In addition there would bo four professorial boards,. as at present, and also a conjoint professorial board consisting of all tho professors of the university, with powers to make recommendations to tho Senate as to degrees, diplomas, scholarships, prizes, examiners, courses of study aiul examinations;' to receive recommendations on any of these matters from the oouncils. Professorial Boards or Boards of Faculties, to recomnicnd to the Connoils Committees of experts to advise the Councils in the appointment of professors; to exercise any powers delegated to it by tho Senate or Councils. Boards of Faculties are also provided for in Scheme B, tho Board of each Faculty to consist of tho Dean of tho Faculty (elected' by the Faculty), of the professors of tho subjects of tho Faculty, of lecturers in independent charge of subjects of the Faoulty, with powers to make recommendations to the conjoint Professorial Board on the programmes of work in the subjeots of the Faculty, ono the appointment of oxaminers of the several subjects, and on any academio matters affecting the Faoulty. ~ , , , Note I.—Faculties would be: Arts, soience, law, medicine and dentistry, commerce, engineering, mining, agriculture, home science. ~ Note ll—Tho Boards of Faculties would meet, whenever it should be ncoessary, just before the regular meeting of the conjoint Professorial Board, thoreby presenting undue expense in theso meetings. Tho Senate, tho supreme governing body of the university, would be constituted! by the appointment of tho twentyeight non-professorial members of the Councils (seven from each), and the ohairmnn for the time being of each Professorial Board., Note. —Tho Sonato to elect its own Chancellor; tho chairman of each College Council to be a Vice-Chancellor of tno University. The powere of the Senate would be to make statutes, appoint officers to carry out the work of tho Senate, expend funds and generally manage the affairs of the university, provided that no statute or regulation dealing with degrees, diplomas, scholarships or prizes, or coursos of study or examinations shall be passed without a recommendation from the conjoint Professorial Board, or unless the latter has had a reasonable opportunity to report thereon, nor except with the same 1 iii'iit>> tion shall any examiners be appointed, degrees or diplomas be conferred', scholarships or prizes be awarded.

Scheme C. Scheme C is as follows:— I—Senate: Twenty-four Fellows; eight appointed by the four College Councils; eight appointed by the four district Courts of Convocation; four appointed> by the four Professorial Boards; four appointed by the Government. Powers qs _at present—the only legislative administrative body. ll—General Professorial Board 1 : One representative of each of tho four College Professorial Boards, and one representor tive of each of the Faculties as defined in Scheme A. Note. —The whole of the 6ta(fs would make an unwieldy and 1 inefficient body. Functions and powers.—(a) To form the official medium between, the Senate and the teaching staffs individually, in their separate faculties or as a whole; to ascertain the opinion of the_ latter as necessary on proposed changes in the degrees, in courses for degress, in individual subjects and their definition and in the lists of the examiners, (b) To arrange tho meeting of the teachers of a subject or of a faculty when conflict of opinion makes it necessary. (c) To Teport to the Scn;ito the result of deliberations and the oinount of the agreement reachcd. lll.—General Advisory Board.—Constitution: (a) Tho chairmen of the four College Councils, (b) The chairmen of the foar College Professorial Boards, (o) The chairmon of the four district Courts of Convocation. The board's functions and powers would bs:— (a) To ascertain-the opinion'of the College Councils. Professorial Boards and Courts of Convocation on all proposed radical changes in the constitution or working of tho university, (b) To discuss these proposals in the light of the voting on them by the councils, boards, and courts so as to find some basis of agreement; to resubmit this to the councils, boards, and courts, and, if a majority of these bodies endorse, to recommend it to the Senate. Note.—The Senate decides what is an academic question for the General Professorial Boards, t)nd what is a radical constitutional question for, tho General Advisory Board. IV.—Convocation: All graduates; functions elective.