University of Chicago - Cap and Gown Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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Interviewer: The College has been in a state of continuous change since its establishment. DO you see any drastic changes in the College in the near future? MT. Beadle: One of the special characteristics of the College at the University of Chicago is that it has always been able to change with the times. This characteristic is a vaiuabie one, and we are striving to maintain it. The College is at once an individual unit and a part of the entire Univer- sity It can and does take primary responsibility for the general education of undergraduates and at the same time maintains effective contact with graduate departments. Interviewer: How do you like Chicago as opposed to California? 11 Mr. Beadie: I grew up in the Midwest, and my wife lived here in Chicago for many years, and so we are not strangers to this part of the country. We are somewhat dismayed, though, when we see the snow tum black soon after it falls. We feel that there is still a great deal to be done in collabora- tion with city authorities and neighborhood or- ganizations in achieving a eieaner city. On the other hand, we do enjoy the changing 56350113 We find Hyde Park-Kenwood a most stimulat- ing community; it is easy to be enthusiastic ab0ut it. It has a cohesiveness that is unique for any Uni- versity community. Some 70 percent of the faculty live near the University, which is unusual for an urban university. The result is that Hyde Park- Kenwood is a community in which there is a great deal of extraeclassroom interaction between Eac-

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The second primary factor to be considered is the University's student body. The situation in the College is a unique one. Teaching is done by faculty members who want to teach. Many faculty members hold joint appointments in the Divisions and the College, adding stimulation of research activities to teaching. The result is a hliberal arts college, set down in the midst of a great univer- sity. It has the advantages of both, through its ac- tive collaboration between the College and the graduate facilities. The advantages and quality of the College are such that it should attract the best student body in the country. A major problem of the graduate student in the University is the lack of adequate scholarship and fellowship assistance. Most universities use teach- ing assistantships as a device to support graduate students. Chicago believes teaching should be done by full-time faculty, and 50 we have very few assistantships. Therefore we need increased funds for fellowships, again especially in the Social Sci- ences and Humanities. The University dOes provide unique Opportu- nities for its graduate students in some Fields, such as the Argonne Laboratory. The University oper- ates this laboratory under contract with the Atom- ic Energy Commission of the United States Gov- ernment, and its facilities are available to faculty and graduate students of the University. Through the Associated Midwest Universities, some 31 oth- er universities of the llidwest likewise depend on the Laboratory's facilities for research, espe- cially reactor research and high-energy physics. Our graduate students in appmpriate areas have the opportunity to work at this unique facility with the most advanced equipment available. 10

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ulty and students, as well as between University peeple and members of the community. Interviewer: What do you feel about the future of Hyde Park-Kenwood? Mr. Beadle: We would like to see continued prog- ress in the area. This Unixtersity is unusual in its interest in its surrounding community There are many problems; for example, those concerned with urban renewal. The University has much to offer in the solution of these problems. Interviewer: What do you visualize as the future of the University? M'r'. Beadle: The University of Chicago, as a ma- jor private university of the Midwest, must re- main strong and must become stronger in order to 12 retain a leading position. It is an important asset to the community, the city, and the nation. The trustees recognize this fact. They have supported the University in all its activities, as have the alumni, individuals, foundations, and government agencies. In addition to such support, the Univer- sity-as are many other universities in the United Statese-is being supported to an increasing extent by private industry. Members of industry recog- nize that the University is an asset to them as well as to the rest of the community. Today, many of the Universityts units, especially the Medical School, the Business School, and the Physical Sci- ences are supported to a considerable extent by industry, and we are conhdcnt that the support will increase.