University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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ACADEMICS ADMINISTRATION .- Top left, Rev. John E. Wash, C.S.C., Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Top right, Bro. Raphael Wilson, C.S.C., Director of Admis- sions and Scholarships. Above, Thomas E. Stewart, Associate Vice- President for Academic Affairs. 24

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Top, George N. Shuster, Assistant to the president. Above, Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Executive Vice-President. 23

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Overseeing the University ' s thirty-five departments and several academic deans is Rev. John E. Walsh, C.S.C., Vice-President for Academic Affairs. In his sec- ond year in office, Fr. Walsh emphasized the develop- ment of interdepartmental and interdisciplinary studies. The Unified Science program introduced for under- graduates attempted to bridge the traditional dispute between science and the humanities. The non-scientist should get an idea of the method, procedure and intel- lectual power of the sciences. The program combined fundamentals from several areas of science. To familiar- ize the non-Liberal Arts major with the humanities, the Collegiate seminar reading program was extended to all engineering students. Interdisciplinary studies were emphasized by the development of the Social Sciences Training Laboratory and the continuation of area studies in Latin America and Western Europe, with an African studies program begun in cooperation with St. Mary ' s. The Sophomore Year Abroad also joined with St. Mary ' s to establish a branch in Angers, France, and another program was ar- ranged for next fall with Tokyo ' s Sophia University. Growth within the departments was emphasized as well, and excellent lecture series were originated in philosophy and science. Both the philosophy and theol- ogy departments were strengthened, and the beginnings of the theology graduate school were developed. A Uni- versity committee studied the potential of audio-visual education, and to begin a campus-wide development in the field, laboratories for the Unified Science program were equipped with audio-visual facilities. Several reports on higher education published this year confirmed the high rating of Notre Dame ' s under- graduate school, but graduate departments fared much less favorably. Only in modern language are there defi- nite plans to initiate new graduate programs, and em- phasis in the near future will be on raising the quality of the graduate student. Fr. Walsh feels th e quality of the faculty on both levels is improving, but he empha- sized that more excellent scholarship is sought in new faculty members. We want men who are as much con- cerned with values as ideas, and who don ' t see a con- flict between the two. Academic developments this year sought improve- ment of each department and greater integration of the academic community. Although final decision will not be made until August, one measure of the success of these efforts was the favorable recommendation by the Phi Beta Kappa reviewing committee. Responsibility for the calibre of students at the Uni- versity lies with the admissions office. Starting with this assumption, new Director of Admissions Bro. Raphael Wilson, C.S.C., last year re-examined the admissions procedures and requirements, and discovered that rais- ing statistical admissions standards was not the only way to get better students. His new program, underway this year, is essentially one of public relations. Although Notre Dame sends out some 15,000 applications on request each year, and gets some 5,000 of them back, actual selectivity is not as high as most people assume. Many applicants can be rejected on minimal academic grounds they would flunk out if admitted and many students apply to more than one college, making it necessary to accept many more than 1,500 prospective freshmen. Thus the quality of the incoming class first depends upon who applies and then on which students finally decide to at- tend Notre Dame. The admissions office is trying to aim its high school publicity at the type of student the University desires. This requires research both into the motives of high school students and into the needs of the University. Our job now is to distill the philosophy of Notre Dame, transfer it into terms comprehensible to the high school graduate, and then project it in our brochures. We are really providing a basis for self-selection. It is also important to reach the high school principals and coun- selors who often advise on college selection. The obligation of the admissions office is to honestly portray what now exists here. Bro. Wilson has empha- sized visits to the campus by prospective applicants, and has greatly increased the involvement of students and alumni in interviewing. In these interviews, how- ever, we don ' t attempt to plumb the depths of the inter- viewee, but rather in the process to portray to him what Notre Dame is all about. The office hired four recent graduates to work on the new program, while Blue Circle volunteers conducted tours for visiting applicants and their families. For the many students who require financial aid to attend Notre Dame, he foresees a doubling of scholar- ships within two years. Meanwhile, the admissions of- fice seeks to attract men whom the University wants, but also men who need the University. Bro. Wilson de- fines the ideal applicant as not only an excellent schol- ar, but one who will profit from the special advantages for personal development that Notre Dame offers. 25