Change of Policy at Columbia.

The Trustees of Columbia have referred to the President and the University Council the action that had been unanimously taken by the Faculty of the School of Arts, the college proper, with reference to throwing open as electives to the seniors in the School of Arts, courses in the various schools of Law, Mines, Political Science and Philosophy that may be designated as open to them by the different university faculties having these schools in charge. As the university Council is known to be in favor of this action, only questions of detail remain to be decided.

This action is merely following in the footsteps of the changes just adopted at Harvard and will work toward the same end, which is to shorten the time necessary for a college and professional education. Columbia considers that their method is a better way of getting at the matter than the Harvard method.

Columbia will still require four years of study of the undergraduates, but the senior year may be given to some extent to the studies of the professional career.

Just as at Harvard, with the demand for better professional training, the course at the Columbia Law School has been gradually increased, until now it is of three years. The Law School during the first year required ten hours per week, the seniors in the Scool of Arts must have fifteen hours per week. Under the action just taken the seniors may elect ten of their courses in the Law School, and five more under one or more of the other faculties. They will remain members of the School of Arts, and will receive their degree of Bachelor of Arts from that school as heretofore, but when they graduate they will have accomplished already one year of the required training for their degree as lawyers.

Men who intend to enter business cannot maintain that their college work has been less valuable, while those who study law will gain a whole year. Similar privileges producing parallel results will be extended to the seniors who desire to go through the School of Mines, and of course also to those who wish to study in the School of Political Science or in the School of Philosophy.

It is also affirmed that the Columbia degree of Bachelor of Arts will remain as full and as rich as ever, perhaps it will be even more rich, while at the same time a full year is saved to those who propose to add to the college course advanced or professional study.