Northwestern University - Syllabus Yearbook (Evanston, IL)

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THE ADMINIS- TRATID -lr THE PRESIDENT D r. Franklyn B. Snyder has been termed one of the most efficient, business-like, and progressive men who have held uni- versity presidencies. To see the university's smooth shift to a war-time level Cnaming only one of its many recent accomplishmentsj and to view the composite Northwestern scene today, is to realize the validity of this. Dr. Snyder became president of North- western in the fall of 1939, succeeding Dr. Walter Dill Scott who had held the ollice since 1920. The president has been associ- ated with the university for more than thirty years, joining the faculty of the College of Liberal Arts in 1909, where he was an instructor of English for two years. He then held, successively, the ranks of assistant professor and associate pro- fessor, and since 1919 has held that of professor of English. During this time, Dr. Snyder was one of the most popular teachers in the English department. He was appointed dean of the Graduate School in 1934 and, when, three years later, President Scott set up a two-vice-president- system, he became vice-president and dean of faculties, with Harry Wells as business manager. 14 I One of the Pres- QF,-, X ident'sgreatestinter- ests lies in research ' fi! . P54 . , 4 in the works of 11 Robert Burns and in , -' other Scottish liter- ature. On the merits , ' K of his work, he was elected to the So- . ciety of Antiquaries fi '1- in Scotland. He has I F- had published several outstanding books on the life and work of Burns, is' author or editor of standard college texts in liter- ature, and is a frequent contributor to English journals and magazines. Dr. Snyder is an avid New Englander, having been born in Middletown, Connecti- cut, he returns to Vermont for trout-fishing whenever he can. The recent greater development of the university, enrollment increases, war ac- celeration of the colleges, growth of the Technological Institute to the rank of one of the greatest of its kind in the country, and the plans for post-war educational programs are a few of the milestones which mark the history of Northwestern under the leadership of Franklyn B. Snyder. if BOARD OE TRUSTEES T he forty-four members of the Board of Trustees have under their control the gov- ernment of the corporation, the decisions on all questions on policy, the election of executive officers of the university, and the administration of its fiscal affairs. Since Northwestern was incorporated in 1851,it has had on its Board of Trustees men outstanding in the business and fi- nancial world. Thirty-six of these are

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i . I -Z-.gE :..Z:' :Sli TI-IE DIRECTIVE GUIDANCE S0 NECESSARY TO THE ATTAINMENT OE A SUCCESSFUL UNIVERSITY t would be difficult to disagree with the wisdom expressed by Cardinal Newman on his idea of the purpose of a universityg the proper execution of such a plan is, however, not an easy accomplishment. On the Board of Trustees, in the major administrative positions of the university, and in the deans of her schools, North- western has found leaders who are de- termined to continue the program of devel- opment which has been established. The program of planned expansion is not a small oneg Without aggressive administration suc- cess of the plan would be impossible. We are confident that the goals will be attained. The programs of the various colleges have been affected by the complexities of War. New courses have been established to meet the demands and interests of Navy and civilian students. Several buildings have been leased to the Navy, causing alterations in class schedules. In other schools, notably the technical and pro- fessional, research programs have been expanded. Whenever the situation has demanded, NorthWestern's leaders have proved themselves capable. Let us hope fervently that the years after the war will find our school guided with the wisdom and skill which has been demonstrated in recent years. 13

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elected by the corporation, while eight are elected by conferences of the Method- ist Episcopal Church. A majority of the trustees must be members of the Methodist Church. Although these require- ments continue to exist, the group has become more and more non-sectarian. Membership on the Board of Trustees entails a responsibility for furthering the cause of education, and much of the increas- ing prominence of Northwestern has been to the leadership of members of the Board. 'A' UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION Thomas A. Gonser, vice-president in charge of public relations, who claims he has the most fun of anybody in the uni- versity, is probably the administrative ofhcer longest in continuous service at Northwestern. Ever since he came east from the cowboy ranges of Montana to study in the commerce school here, he has been connected with the university in some way. While earning his way through college, he was on the athletic teams and, among many other activities, worked on the Syllabus staff. In 1922, when still a student, he Went on the payroll of the building and grounds division and, also about this time, had charge of all veterans and government employees returning to Northwestern after World War I. He helped organize and was executive secretary of a development committee, the first public relations program at N.U. and one of the first in the country. Since then, he has been associated with alumni and university development work in all its 'li' phases, and was appointed vice-president last October. Under Mr. Gonser's office fall all public relations and promotional work, gift funds and money-raising, publishing the dlumni News, new student departments, publicity of all kinds, and keeping war records of the 8,000 Northwestern alums in the service. Fred Dow Fagg, Ir., with the title of vice-president and dean of faculties since 1939, works with educational programs of all schools on both Northwestern campuses, coordinating student and war activities, selecting faculty members, approving pro- motions and, in general, aiding the thirteen deans of the university with their educa- tional policies. His varied experience has formed a qualifying background for his present work. Following his study at the University of Redlands in California, he remained on the west coast to teach for a few years. Coming to N. U. as an economics instructor in 1923, he also attended law school here. In 1928, he went to Germany as an exchange professor at the only institute of aeronautical law in the world, then returned to teach at the Northwestern law school for eight years. Mr. Fagg was head of the Bureau of Air Commerce in Washington when he was called back to N. U. by President Scott as Dean of Commerce in 1938. He has been closely connected with avia- tion all his life, having been a pilot in the same division with Jimmy Doolittle in the last war. He regards fishing as his main recreation, and fishes anywhere there are fish. As dean of the Graduate School and chairman of the German department, T. Moody Campbell plays a dual role in the university. He has charge of the adminis- tration of graduate work, which includes that of Liberal Arts, Education, Dentistry, as well as M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Com- merce. The Chicago campus graduate work, which comes under his office, usually entails non-professional degrees. In addi- 15