Corporation, Overseers Set Final Policies of University

In a post-war wave of efficiency, the University tried a few years ago to diagram its hierarchy and gave up after several weeks of fruitless effort. So it is not surprising that most students are graduated from the University without understanding the administrative set-up. Actually the basic outline is fairly simple, and the confusion mainly should arise when one tries to differentiate between the stated and the actual lines of power in the University.

The group that has the final say in all questions of policy is the 30-man, alumni-elected Board of Overseers. Each holding a term of six years, the Overseers are watchdogs more than anything else and rarely use their vast power. They must approve all "major policy" changes and all permanent appointments, and this involves lengthy discussions at their meetings seven times a year.

Distinguished Watchdogs

The 30 diverse and distinguished watchdogs on the Overseers include the chairman of the board of J. P. Morgan, the editor of Harper's, the headmaster of Exeter, and the man who supervised the making of the first atom bomb.

Dating back to 1637, the Board of Overseers is 13 years older than the other alumni governing board, the Corporation, which really plays a significant role in the management of the University. The President and Fellows, or Corporation, consist of five Fellows, President James Bryant Conant '14, and Treasurer Paul C. Cabot '21.

The financial affairs of the University--including the investment of Harvard's $200,000,000 endowment--are closely directed by the Corporation. Meeting twice monthly, the Corporation may approve appointments for less than a year without passing it on for Overseer consideration. A majority of the Corporation is lawyers, and five of the seven live in Boston.

Conservative in investment and political matters, the Corporation through the years has stood out consistently in favor of academic freedom. Public pressure against men like Harold Laski has been great, but the Corporation has backed the idea of free expression and inquiry.

But in spite of the two governing boards, Harvard places a great deal of final authority in its faculties. When it comes to policies on student discipline, course offerings, and admissions and degree requirements, unwritten practice gives the decision to the individual faculty involved.

Various faculty committees take the lead in studying educational problems, and programs like General Education were first conceived in faculty committees. On the other hand, the Overseers and Corporation do not generate ideas, but rather decide what to accept.

The University believes in decentralization of its many departments, and the various deans remain very independent until they have trouble balancing their budget. Provost Paul H. Buck heads the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and is the senior official of both the College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences which confers masters and Ph.D. degrees. Buck's duties also make him responsible directly to the president for the operation of such things as Widener Library and the Athletic Association.

Radcliffe Special Case

In the Harvard community there is one unusual specimen, Radcliffe. Radcliffe is not a full-fledged relative of Harvard, since the University supplies Radcliffe with courses on a contract basis in return for the payment of tuition fees and other money.

Radcliffe is an independent college, but under the present arrangement Radcliffe controls matters (social life, and academic and social discipline) most of which other colleges consider routine. All decisions of academic policy are made by the Harvard administration.