LITTLE NEW PRESIDENT OF MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Dr. Clarence Cook Little '10, formerly secretary to the Corporation and more recently President of the University of Maine, has now taken over his new duties as President of the University of Michigan. He succeeds the late President Marlon LeRoy Burton, the noted educator who nominated Calvin Coolidge for the Presidency of the United States a year and a half ago.

One of the country's leading biophysicists, Dr. Little is the youngest of the heads of state universities. He is 37 years old, one year younger than Glenn Frank, former editor of the Century magazine, who is now President of Wisconsin. President Little was called to Michigan last July, shortly after he had resigned from the Presidency of Maine.

Was Prominent as Undergraduate

For many years President Little was intimately associated with Harvard. After graduating from Noble and Greenough School, where he captained the track team, he entered the class of 1910 at the University. He was prominent in athletics, winning the shotput at the Intercollegiates in 1909, and leading the track team in 1910. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and secretary of his class.

Immediately after graduating, he became Secretary to the Corporation, and held that position until 1912. From 1911 to 1913, he was research assistant in genetics, and three years later became assistant dean and acting University Marshal. When the United States entered the World War, he went to Plattsburg as captain in the Signal Corps, and later became head of the aviation examining boards. He was honorably discharged in December, 1918, holding the rank of major.

Continued Research as President

After retiring from the army Dr. Little did not return to Harvard, but became assistant director of the Carnegie Institute of Experimental Evolution on Long Island. In 1922 he was called to the presidency of Maine.

By natural instincts a scientist, however, President Little did not give up his research. With Professor W. T. Bovie of the Harvard Medical School, he experimented with the application of ultra-violet rays to plant and animal diseases. With the aid of fused quartz produced by Edward R. Berry of the Lynn General Electric Company, results were produced and ultra-violet rays were pronounced valuable in the curing of rickets in children. President Little recently called the X-ray harmful to the human body, after he had experimented extensively with its effects on mice.

Is a Liberal Educationist

An open-minded liberal, President Little took an active part in the question of racial exclusion at Harvard three years ago. In a ringing speech to the alumni he denounced the exclusion policy. Since taking charge at Maine he has been a severe critic of educational methods; recently he was quoted as saying that the American colleges were best fitted for turning out "machine-made aristocrats." He is a strong believer in the personal value of education, and has said that he hopes to see the day when the personal interview will succeed the written examination.

When he resigned from Maine last July, his criticism of the support given the university by the state was sharp and to the point. In accepting the new position, he felt that the opportunities for educational reform were far greater than at Maine, as the University of Michigan is much larger in numbers and in facilities.

President Little is married and has three children. He is a trustee of the Noble and Greenough School, a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, a member of the American Society of Naturalists and the American Society of Zoologists, and of the American Association for Cancer Research.