Chapter VII.-The Graduate Staff

The most important single factor in the development of satisfactory graduate work is a suitable graduate staff. It is not easy, however, to formulate a statement which will serve as a defensible or universal criterion of such staff adequacy. The problem has been particularly difficult in technical fields, such as agriculture, home economics, and engineering.

Dean Mumford has well characterized the situation to be avoided in technical graduate schools in choice of members of the graduate staff. His points are made with reference to agriculture; they apply equally well to other fields.

Until we are willing to make a professorship in a college of agriculture a prize which may be won only by those of the highest preparation, as well as successful experience, we may not hope for great improvement. There has recently come to the writer's attention a young man, recently graduated from a college of agriculture with the degree of bachelor of science in agriculture, who is directing the work of graduate students who are candidates for the doctor of philosophy degree. It would seem to be self-evident that a man of limited experience who has not himself been trained in graduate work can not be fully qualified to direct others in advanced study. This is particularly true in the case of young men who have recently received an undergraduate degree and who have not had opportunity for advanced study. It is conceivable that a man of large experience and successful achievement in scientific research might direct a group of graduate students, but it is difficult to understand how the inexperienced man, without advanced training, can satisfy the requirements which should obtain in a graduate faculty. In the writer's opinion, there has been a material improvement in the past 15 years and this improvement has been coextensive with the progressive development of graduate study to a higher type of fundamental research in institutions where colleges of agriculture are important divisions. If our institutions are to maintain their place among higher institutions of learning, then we must insist upon a higher appreciation of scholarship and must develop among ourselves and our faculties the scholarly point of view. It is certain that we can not safely ignore or neglect an appreciation of those fundamental intellectual values in higher education which have been recognized for generations as essential in the development of colleges and universities.**

An efficient graduate staff must likewise be a research staff. The development of the research staff depends not only upon securing individuals with adequate training, but in securing those who are interested and insistent upon research, in providing them with essential facilities, and in seeing that they have the time to do their work properly.

F. B. Mumford. In Proceedings of Association of Land Grant Colleges, 1922, p. 143.

An analysis of the situation with reference to the personnel responsible for the development of graduate work would seem to require consideration of the following topics: (1) The academic training of the graduate staff as a whole; (2) the academic training of faculty advisors, chairmen of students' committees, etc.; (3) the size of the staff as shown by the numbers in charge of courses of graduate and other grades; (4) the policy as to recognition of qualified individuals not on the staff as directors of graduate work; (5) the evaluation and distribution of the teaching and service loads of members of the graduate staff.

Academic Training of Staff

It is of interest to note that "degree " tests have been suggested or used to determine eligibility of staff members of the graduate faculty or to teach graduate students. Some examples may be given to illustrate variations in practice. One institution which offers graduate work leading to the degree of master of science (not the Ph.D.) requires that members of the graduate faculty in agriculture and in engineering have at least the bachelor's degree, in teacher training the Ph. D. or its equivalent, in arts and sciences the Ph. D. “ for new heads," in commerce and business and in home economics the master's degree (in case of additions). A second institution states as prerequisite to membership in the graduate faculty "the master's degree and some productive research." Another institution usually requires the Ph. D. of graduate faculty members; in certain technical departments the criterion is the possession of a professional degree; head of departments who have a master's degree may qualify as members. Another quite appropriately specifies "Demonstrated ability and scholarship," another, "College training. Foreign study desired. Professional preparation for teaching. Teaching experience. Publications." The statement of another is, "Any faculty member with the master's degree is eligible to teach graduate work."

It is apparent that degree qualifications in practice are quite unstandardized. Some efforts have been made by associations and individuals to formulate qualifications. One such group is the home economics section of the Land Grant College Association, which has studied the problem of teacher qualifications in graduate home economics. The following recommendation of the research committee was approved by the council in 1922.

The research committee recommends that the association indorse the following qualifications as essential in those college faculty members who assume charge of, or responsibility for, research work prosecuted by home economics students.

Graduate courses and research work equivalent to that required for a doctor's degree, if this be possible and practicable to secure. Otherwise one or two years of graduate work in some graduate school of recognized standing should

be insisted upon and evidence should be presented of the successful prosecution of original investigation in the form of written or published reports of such investigation. This evidence should be such as to be satisfactory to the dean or faculty committee of the graduate school concerning the fitness of the candidate for directing research work.

This committee recognizes the fact that not only do the qualifications required of teachers of graduate courses vary in different institutions, but so also do the qualifications required of candidates for advanced degrees and that if we set an arbitrary standard of qualifications for teachers of graduate courses we shall have to face the very practical questions: Are there suitable and available candidates in sufficient numbers to go around? If not, what can be done about it? 25

One index to the character of the personnel of the graduate "faculty" (even though not so designated) and to the current tendency in development of standards in graduate work, is a compilation of the highest degrees possessed by those added to the faculty in the past five years (1924–1928, inclusive). Of particular significance are the different "degree" standards set by recent appointments in different institutions and in various land-grant fields. The situation in two "combined " universities with strong graduate schools (members of the Association of American Universities) may first be analyzed. The pertinent data are given in Table 11. TABLE 11.-Degrees possessed by new appointees to graduate faculty in two land-grant universities, 1924-1928

Both of these institutions possess strong colleges of agriculture and are emphasizing graduate work. At least 80 per cent of the appointments being made are of men with the doctorate. The situation in engineering is complicated by the fact that in one case the school of chemistry is included. Probably less than 20 per cent of the appointees in this period possessed the doctorate. The appointments in home economics were small in number, fewer than half had the Ph. D. In teacher training, in arts and sciences, and in commerce and business appointees generally possess the degree.

25 Proceedings of the Association of Land-Grant Colleges, 1922, p. 326.

An examination of the practice in other graduate schools of the same scope and standing gives very similar results. Apparently the best practice may be summarized as follows:

(1) Appointments to a graduate staff or graduate faculty in the fields of arts and sciences, teacher training, or commerce and business should rarely be made from those who have not completed graduate work to the Ph. D.-It should be recognized clearly that this is not the sole qualification, but it is one among several that should be emphasized. It is evident that research accomplishment and scholarship are preeminently necessary.

(2) Appointment to graduate faculties in the field of agriculture can now be made predominantly from those with the Ph. D. Exceptions will be more numerous here than in the fields included under (1), but these exceptions should rapidly decrease in the future. This requirement apparently should hold for 80 per cent or more of the appointments.

(3) Appointments to graduate faculties in engineering should be made increasingly from those who have taken the doctorate.-It is recognized that the development in this field has been somewhat different than in the others, and that for the present the number with the highest advanced degree will be relatively small. In other words, many of the most satisfactory additions for a time must be from those who have research experience and scholarship but who do not possess advanced degrees.

(4) Appointments in home economics should likewise be made increasingly from those who have the Ph. D.-The graduate development in this field is sufficiently advanced so that at least 80 per cent of the appointments should be of this nature. There is no reason why the standard should be lower than in agriculture. Very few, if any, institutions now meet such a standard. In many cases the appointments should be made of individuals who have taken their degrees in the related sciences.

(5) Increasing attention should be paid to the graduate training of men in veterinary graduate staffs.-Satisfactory progress in veterinary medical research must wait upon better training of the personnel

in the basic sciences.

It is of interest to note the practice of several of the land-grant institutions with reference to conformity to the standards indicated above. For comparison several groups of institutions may be considered.

Certain separate land-grant institutions have well-developed graduate schools, and are conferring the Ph. D. in several land-grant fields. In one of these, 25 of 34 appointees to the graduate staff during the period 1924-1928 in arts and sciences, none of 7 in engineering, 4 of 21 in agriculture, 5 of 11 in home economics, none of

4 in veterinary medicine possess the Ph. D. In another institution the figures are 4 of 14 in arts and sciences, 3 of 6 in teacher training, none of 2 in home economics, none of 1 in engineering, and 4 of 20 in agriculture. Consultation of recent catalogs indicates that a resurvey of these two institutions would show a somewhat better present record. It is apparent that in these cases there in increasing emphasis upon the academic preparation of the graduate staff. It should be emphasized that even in these institutions care should be exercised in opening up additional graduate work leading to the Ph. D. in certain of the land-grant fields until staffs are strengthened.

In contrast to the foregoing may be cited the record of one school advertising extensive graduate offerings for the degree master of science. Of the appointees to the graduate staff in the period 1924– 1928, a total of 2 of 8 in arts and sciences had taken the Ph. D., but none of a total of 11 distributed among agriculture, engineering, home economics, teacher training, and commerce and business. In another institution offering work to the M. S. degree, none of 2 in agriculture, 1 of 3 in engineering, none of 1 in teacher training, and 2 of 2 in arts and sciences had the Ph. D.

Another separate school, offering work to the M. S. only, shows the following much more creditable record for additions to the graduate staff, 7 of 18 appointees in arts and sciences, 1 of 1 in teacher training, 3 of 5 in home economics, 7 of 7 in agriculture, and 1 of 7 in commerce and business had completed the satisfactory academic training.

It can not be too emphatically recommended that land-grant institutions conform measurably well to accepted standards of academic training of graduate faculty personnel before developing graduate work.

Academic Training of Faculty Advisers, Committee Chairman, etc.

In practically all schools which offer graduate work leading to the Ph. D. degree a faculty member is designated to act as the adviser of each candidate, as chairman of the student's committee, or as a member of an examining committee. In most cases the individual designated as chairman is the one under whose guidance the research problem of the student is being worked. The "degree qualifications of individuals having such special responsibility for graduate work may thus be checked. It is possibly the best single criterion as to the adequacy of the training of the graduate staff. For the purpose of establishing a norm the practice of three "combined" institutions, members of the Association of American Universities may be noted.