University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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If Yoil Wen' Unive udent at the M0sc0w uw If 3 l Ilil I 'Q

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m.. TIIE CIIANCELLUR At the head of the university is an energetic and dynamic man by the name of Dr. Franklin Murphy. The myriad aspects of his position are too numerous to count, but it is because of his undying enthusi- asm for learning that K. U. is con- stantly progressing. Dr. Murphy has gained the respect of a vast number of people and his accom- plishments rank with some of the most respected men in the field of education. This summer Chancellor Murphy spent three weeks in the U.S.S.R. with a group of six other university heads, inspecting the Soviet system of higher education. It is the Jay- hawkefs pleasure to reprint Mr. james Gunn's article which relates to Dr. Murphyls trips. Mr. Gunn is the contributing editor for the Kansas Alumni M agazine. Through Dr. M urphy's observations we are able to see what it would be like if S . N M

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You would be a very lucky Soviet. Perhaps your parents or grandparents were illiterate nomads. Now you have your foot on the ladder of success and fortune and honor. You are one out of ten. Your schooling started at the age of six months. Most Soviet women work, and your mother is no exception. She is a factory worker, a coal miner, a railroad engineer, or perhaps even a university professor .... Whatever her occupation, she got 6-12 months paid leave from her job when you were born. Then, when you were six months old, she put you into a day nur- sery school and returned to her job. The nursery was well staffed and well run, but after three years you were ready to move on. The next stop was kinder- garten. You were four years old when you entered, you were seven when you left. That was when you entered the ten- year school. You studied hard there: sci- ence, mathematics, geography, languages. . . . You had to, your future depended upon it. After seven years, tests and coun- seling sent a good portion of your school- mates into technical schools to learn a trade or occupation. You were brighter and luckier. You were allowed to finish the ten-year school. It was time to apply for admission to a university or professional institute. You had to, because they are separate. Virtually every professional school other than law is outside the university framework. All are five-year courses except medicine which is six.. You Walted and lloped You decided on the University of Mos- cow for liberal arts and sciences. You took the examinations. And waited. And hoped. You were lucky that you could apply this year. Next year most of thc tcn-ycar- school graduates will have to work at some job for two years before applying. The only ones admitted immediately will be in such needed specialties as mathe- matics and theoretical physics. Toss your fur cap in the air! You have been accepted! But for every one like you, there were two' or three turned down. You are one of the elite--110i like those Americans, some 402: of whom 80 on to college, as many as half in such states as Kansas. Now you are a freshman at the Uni- versity of Moscow-a skyscraper in the capital city of the USSR. What lies ahead for you? First, you will have all expenses paid, such things as living costs and books, there is no tuition. You will have an attractive private room assigned to you. You will share a bath with another student. Your university has no worries about money. In the last nine years at least S200 million has been invested in the Univer- sity of Moscow alone, and construction is still underway. You will have first-class tools to work with: your library has 8 million volumes and capacity for 501k more. Even the USSR recognizes that all work and no play makes Ivan a dull boy. You will have good recreation facilities: well- equipped gymnasiums, theaters, lounges, ballrooms for dancing .... The llest for You Your faculty will be the best people the Soviet Union produces. The reason for this is simple: teachers are the darlings of the USSR. A full professor is paid a basic salary of 5,000 rubles a month, it is the same throughout the nation. If he is a member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, he gets an additional 5,000 rubles a month, plus a dacha Ccountry housel, servants, and a chauffered automobile. He may serve as a paid consultant to industry. He is paid also for his scholarly work-for the books and articles he writes. Some topflight people earn as much as 15,000 rubles a month-about 952,000. And this does not include the perquisites. In addition, the Soviet professor gets three times the housing allowance of the average person-27 square meters instead of 9. The Soviet professor makes a lot of money. He is in the top strata of Soviet S0CiCfY-UIOUE with generals, ministers, and plant managers. lf you study hard, perhaps someday you may be a teacher. If not you will have to go into industry at a much smaller salary. The Soviet faculty member is not so overworked that he cannot do research. In the USSR a full professor teaches 6-8 hours a week, compared with 12-14 in the USA. The Soviet govemment and people do not consider research as boondoggling. 16 It is an absolute requirement for academic advancement. The Soviets have purposefully and cold- bloodedly set up their incentives in this way because they are convinced that the battle for the 20th century can be won only by the educated. At the University of Moscow, you will get excellent training in science and mathe- matics and in some of the humanities. You will be expected to become adept in a foreign language. You will have three years of language training. Probably you will choose English: half of your class- mates do. But 307, choose German and 15'k, French. At the University of Kansas, students must pass an English proficiency examina- tion. At the University of Moscow, you must pass a proficiency examination in your foreign language. No Foolish Theories Do not expect to study the social or behavioral sciences. You will have little anthropology and less sociology. The Soviet ideology will take care of these subjects without bothering your head with foolish theories. There will be no such frivolity as allow- ing you to choose your own curriculum. That is established by a government min- istry in Moscow and cannot be changed. You will go to school about the same number of weeks as the American student, but your week is six, days long. Your classes will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and you will be expected to study at least three hours every night. You are not at the University of Moscow merely to get a little culture, you are here to further the goals of the USSR. Yon will not fail. Actually there is only a 2-577 loss for scholastic reasons. Compare this with the 50fX7 loss from the entering freshman class to the graduating class at the University of Kansas. Why? Only the cream of the cream is allowed to enter the Soviet higher edu- cational system in the first place, you are twice-selected. A good student is not con- sidered a grind He is a hero not only to his fellows but to himself. And if you fail, you will have lost all chances for advancement.