2600 Registration Now Predicted

Reconciliation under pressure between the impatience of returning students and Harvard's intellectual responsibilities forced a tone of urgency into President Conant's annual report to the Board of Overseers, released Saturday, on the state of the University.

While four branches of the University have arranged distinct calendars to correspond with their own peculiar needs, he predicted that the College would continue the present three-term "demobilization calendar" for four or five years, with unity to be achieved through a common Commencement Day--this year, June 6.

Overcrowded College Inevitable

Crowding of College facilities Conant regards as inevitable when 4700 servicemen on leave of absence return to share classes and living quarters with a normal entering class of 1000. Next September the number will probably top 4500.

But in his aim to equip men for their place in a world of scientific as well as political complexities, President Conant seeks to admit men, to advanced study especially but to the rest of the University as well, by assessing "the quality of mind, not the quantity of learning."

First of Harvard's two present objectives is "to enable the returned serviceman to complete his professional education in a minimum of time; second, to provide for entrance three times a year"

in order to accomodate progressive relays of men as they are discharged.

While "admission to the different schools is the responsibility of each faculty concerned, . . . there is clearly no room for transfer students," he reported, and "the Committee on Admission will do the best it can with the difficult problem of selection," from screening excessive College applications to the Business School's rejection of nine out of ever ten applicants.

In addition to impatient veterans' desire for a continued twelve-week summer session, the School of Education has urged a full summer term for the benefit of teachers from secondary schools who need not sacrifice useful winter time to pursue further studies.

President Conant considered the Harvard Faculty member as well: on a year round schedule, he cannot be expected "to keep his freshness and vigor as a teacher or as a scholar," and arrangements are being made to give him a one term rest out of three or four.

Money Aid Given Students

By way of stimulating "scholarly and scientific research in the fundamental disciplines" among the generation of students interrupted by the war, the University has decided to shift the income of the Milton Fund and Clark Bequest so as to aid students primarily rather than members of the staff.

The President combined his nationally proclaimed views on the implications of present nuclear atomic knowledge with the General Educations Committee's plan for an educational nucleus to press the creation of a course "dealing with the tactics and strategy of science . . . with the maximum attention to scientific methods as illustrated by historical examples."

"There are a few skeptics," Conant admitted, "who feel that the new scheme will founder" for lack of adequate instructors, but "I believe attractive careers are open to men who undertake to make such courses a matter of their first allegiance."

Union Fellowships Tried

Trade Union Fellowships, fostered in 1942 by Summer H. Slichter, Lamont University Professor, were reported to the Overseers as being "still in an experimental stage," although "a hopeful sign" was seen in the promotion of "a number" of the 38 union men already sent here "to positions of greater responsibility."

Previous education of the men has varied from the sub-grammar school grade to holders of college degrees, but Conant declared that the University "is interested in having the trade unions send men of intelligence and practical experience who are devoted to the labor movement and who expect to spend their lives in its service.