Burbank Resigns From His Post As Economics Department Chief

Harold H. Burbank, David A. Wells Professor of Political Economy, has tendered his resignation as chairman of the Department of Economics, a post he has held for many years, it was learned yesterday.

No official confirmation of his resignation was given last night by W. Scott Ferguson, newly appointed Dean of the Faculty.

Repercussions of the recent controversy over the adoption of the new Faculty tenure system were seen in Professor Burbank's resignation. Although the noted public finance expert could not be reached for a statement, his resignation is generally interpreted as a protest against the new tenure scale, which he is understood to have opposed on the grounds that it will be detrimental to the best interests of the younger man in his department.

Staff Decimated

This year's Economics staff will be considerably decimated by the coming departure of seven annual and one Faculty instructor, who will take up posts at other colleges and universities next fall.

Moreover, it has been pointed out that the "middle group" men in the Department have decreased in the past few years. Whereas four years ago there were four assistant professors and eight faculty instructors, during the past years there have only been two of each.

The "exodus" this year was in part a result of the fact that since many of the permanent appointments in the Department are held by comparatively young men, openings for promotion into the permanent ranks will be few and far between in coming years.