Bender Quits Dean's Office for Admissions

Wilbur J. Bender '27, Dean of the College, will leave that post and as of September 1952 will become Director of Admissions. He will replace Richard M. Gummere, whose plans have not been revealed, but who has served long enough to earn retirement.

The switch will be officially announced about the time of the Princeton weekend, when the Alumni School Committees, which screen applicants for admissions, will meet in Cambridge. In no way does the change indicate disapproval with Gummere's or Bender's work nor does it mean a change in policy.

Bender's appointment is still subject to the approval of the Governing Boards of the University. It is not yet certain whether the appointment has passed the Corporation.

Last night neither Bender, Gummere, nor Provost Buck would comment about the forthcoming changes. None of the three would deny the story.

Not a Step Down

For Dean Bender, the move to the Admissions Office is not a step down; at Harvard the Dean of the College holds a position comparable to Dean of Men at other colleges. The chief of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences here is Provost Buck. While he has been Dean, Bender has always been keenly interested in the Admissions picture and sat on the Committee on Admissions.

From 1931 to 1936, Bender was an assistant dean for Freshmen. In this post he was a key figure in developing the National Scholarship Program. He became Dean in November 1946 after having worked as University Counsellor for veterans.

While an instructor at Phillips Andover Academy he was an advisor to the President's Committee on General Education (1943) and his work on that project attracted the administration's attention.

More recently Bender served as the master craftsman on a report which made recommendations to improve the College's tutorial and advising system.

Gummere Came In 1935

Gummere has worked as Chairman of the Committee on Admissions since 1935 when he came from the Penn Charter School. One of his first major tasks was to implement the National Scholarship Program of President Conant. In so doing Gummere expanded what had been a small admissions program into a nationwide system.

Around 1946 he became aware, along with Provost Buck, that an intense rival-

ry was developing with other Ivy League colleges for the "elite" of applicants. He has since helped organize the alumni school committees and other aspects of the University's recently more aggressive admissions policy.

Nothing has been said about who will replace Bender as Dean. It is probable that such an appointment will be made early next term so that the outgoing and incoming deans can work together for a while