Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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20 DEAN OF THE UNIVERSITY POWER in an established university usually diffuses among a number of deans and offices; Brown, as an ex- ception, has functioned as a singular power structure. The presence of strong presidents, notably Henry Wris- ton and the current President, Barnaby Keeney, more than any conscious plan, has made the office a decision maker in all administrative areas. The method of opera- tion is reflected in the absence of a Dean of Faculty and the unity of graduate and undergraduate faculty. As Brown entered its third century, a shuffling of ad- ministrative titles and personalities suggests a tendency toward wider allocation of power. The highest new face on the university totem pole belongs to Merton Stoltz, Dean of the University. Dean Stoltz, an economics pro- fessor at Brown since 1940, specializing in mathematical economics, began administering in Robinson Hall, as Chairman of the Economics Department, and first ap- peared in University Hall as assistant dean of the graduate school. His new post places him at the head of that part of the Brown community which is specifically academic. Stoltz's academic responsibilities include faculty develop- ment and selection, improvement of instruction, and su- pervision of research. Research is financed in most cases by outside grants, easy enough to win from such Santa Claus sources as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, but grants run out at stated times; Stoltz must decide if a financed research program can continue in a self-sustaining role or should be terminated. Freely distributed science grants of the type Stoltz over- sees have alarmed many educators, who fear a neglect of the liberal arts. Stoltz points out that liberal graduate studies lose appeal in the face of science fellowships. But for those teaching, needs are more modest, especially in equipment; a quiet office takes the place of a bub- bling laboratory. Brown further aids the humanist with summer stipends for research. Planning for university expansion influences even the current activities of the new dean. He oversees the six- year medical program, in its sophomore year, with an eye toward a full medical program in the possible future. His work with graduate students reminds Stoltz of the plans for a graduate 'quadrangle with living and study facili- ties. The realization of such plans could multiply the power and responsibility of his office, and the reputation of the University.

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COVERING the myriad of responsibilities en- compassed by 'public affairs and public informa- tion, Secretary of the University Howard C. Curtis plays an important though almost anonymous role in the university administration. Under public affairs his office handles such activ- ities as the physical arrangements for Commence- ment and most of the activities of Commencement Week, the dedications and ground breakings that are constantly occurring, and the many receptions and ceremonies that take place each year at Brown. Public relations are handled by three members of Curtis's staff: Dave Griffith, who handles Brown's public relations, Hugh Lord, who does the same for Pembroke, and Bill Pierce, who takes care of radio, television, and movie activities. Articles in newspa- pers and recruitment brochures and films are all produced by these men, whose primary job is keep- ing Brown in the public eye. Secretary since 1946, Mr. Curtis has never had as many responsibilities as he has faced in the bi- centennial year. The climax of the fund-raising drive has brought large numbers of receptions, de- dications, and ground breakings, each one of which must be overseen in all its details. Curtis, as a member of the Bicentennial Steering Committee, was responsible for the actual workings of the academic convocation and the symposiums that fol- lowed. Now, having survived the bicentennial year, Mr. Curtis looks forward confidently to the coming year, the enlarged physical plant, the possibilities of an enlarged student body, and his resultant ex- panded responsibilities.

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DEAN OF THE COLLEGE LONG POPULAR among Brown men for his candid speeches and warm personal manner, Robert O. Schulze has arrived this year at the pinnacle of administrative power and re- sponsibility within the College. Assistant Dean of the College since 1959, he attained his pres- ent position in the turnover of deanships ef- fected by the resignation of Robert Morse. Since then, he has lead the new administration in general re-examination and rejuvenation of ad- ministrative policy at Brown. An undergraduate at the University of Michi- gan, Dean Schulze received his master's degree from Columbia and a Ph.D. at Michigan before joining the Brown Faculty in 1955. Now an as- sociate professor of sociology as well as Dean of the College, Mr. Schulze recently completed a sabbatic leave in which he studied the eco- nomic and power structure of Rhode Island. In keeping with the University's policy of a teaching administration, he still conducts a graduate seminar in sociology and lectures in an intro- ductory course in the same subject. Speaking to three classes and several hous- ing units within the first months of his tenure, Mr. Schulze was quick to make his opinions known. On extracurricular life at Brown, he feels that the social atmosphere leaves a great deal to be desired, partly because of a lack of facilities, and partly because of a general disjunction within Brown's social world. On the Brown-Tougaloo program: Most people are not yet mindful of the real nature of our com- mitments . . . the impact is yet to come. This impact, he maintains, will be one of increased involvement for some, and of incon- venience for others. Concerning student govern- ment organizations, he would like to see an in- creased student involvement in the meaningful affairs of the college. And, commenting on his new position as well as counseling the incoming freshmen in a letter to the Class of '68, Mr. Schulze expresses some of his hopeful cyn- icism' : I trust that most of us will somehow survive the experience of being neophytes once again.