Latin American Students Fill Administration School Now

Emphasizing the increasing number of foreign students now studying at the new Graduate School of Administration, Dean John W. Williams announced that already two-thirds of the present student body consists of foreigners, with the highest percentage coming from Latin America.

Although the chief problem thus far has been the investigation and selection of the students, particularly those coming from Latin America, the training of foreign students in U.S. universities is a development hoped to persist after the war as well as at the present time.

A merit selection among the Latin American applicants has been especially difficult because of the totally different educational system coupled with inadequate facilities to do any efficient investigation. Dean Williams excepted the Canadian students to this rule, saying they have been well chosen.

Up to the present moment, seven students have been sent by the Central Bank of Argentina, who have been well qualified by their past public service. In these seven cases, the entire expense of their educations has been borne by the Bank.

In order to get the greatest benefit possible from their studies, South American students have been repeatdly urgd to remain for the full two years of instruction. After the difficult adjustments have been made in the first year, the second year becomes one of even greater benefit both for the student and the Graduate School itself.

Although the program of the School has been frequently impeded by wartime conditions, seminars and research have continued. Much of this valuable work has been of necessity experimental in character, concerned with the complicated problems of public policy and administration. During the past academic year alone more than 75 officials in federal, state, and local governments have conducted seminars at the school. Some of the topics considered in these discussions have been: the administrative process, agricultural, forestry, and land-use policy; economics of collective bargaining; fiscal policy; housing administration and project management; international economic relations, and public administration.