Council Committee Asks if College Builds 'Whole Man'

The goals of Harvard education compared with the actual effect on a student of four years at the College will be the basis for a long range survey by a newly-formed Student Council "Committee for the Harvard Man," David C. Poskanzer '50 and Dominique Wyant '50, co-chairmen of the group, announced last night.

First task of the committee, which may take three to four years to complete its survey, will be to consider just what is the "whole man" and what kind of human being the Harvard education is intended to produce. Next, the investigators will attempt to find out what actually does happen to a man as a result of his total four year experience in the College.

Then directors Poskanzer and Wyant hope to be able to see if the result of a Harvard education is anything like the conceived goal. Then also they hope to decide whether Harvard produces the "whole man."

Interview Method

To find out what is the product of the four years in the Harvard community, the surveyors will use a method similar to that developed by the committee which produced the "Poskanzer Report" on Harvard education last year. Subjective interviews and questionnaires will be designed to discover "changes in the student's values induced by his living in the Harvard community." They will gather opinions on academic and extra-curricular activities and on personal matters of ideals and ethics.

The committee will probably question selected members of the Class of 1954 on these topics before the students even enter the College. Then it will question the same men about the same things during the course of their college career to see how their values have been affected by their education. Graduates also will be questioned.

Since nearly all information that the group obtains will be of a "subjective nature," Poskanzer and Wyant believe the great value of their project will be in the "insight which it leads to the College situation." "Some specific recommenda- tions on matters that the committee generally agrees are feasible will be made, however," they stated.

The co-chairmen will select approximately ten men for their committee. Most of these will have outstanding ability in one specific field but two or three men also are wanted with diversified activities to help "integrate" the discussion. "Anyone who believes he is capable or who knows of a likely candidate should contact me," Poskanzer said.

Dean Bender last night said that he believed the new committee's investigation would be valuable in showing how well the educational aims of the College are being fulfilled in practice. The official goals as expressed in General Education in a Free Society are "highly technical," he said, "and this survey might show how well they are being reached.