Elder Seeks Study of Graduate Aid, Cites Threat of Lowered Standards

"Harvard must stand firm in the coming decade as a bulwark against the grave danger of lowered academic standards," J. Peterson Elder, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said yesterday.

American colleges and universities--both on the graduate and undergraduate level--will suffer from an acute shortage of teachers over the next ten years "unless something miraculous happens," Elder commented. This problem is not anyone's fault, he added, but merely a result of the vast numbers of "war babies" who will be reaching college age in the coming years.

500,000 Teachers Needed

Although 500,000 college teachers will be needed by 1970, institutions of higher learning can only count on having about 236,000 qualified instructors, Elder predicted. While large, well-established universities like Harvard will still be able to obtain top-quality teachers, many small liberal arts colleges will find it difficult to draw enough qualified men to cope with the vast increase expected in enrollment.

Revive M.A. Degree

In order to overcome the shortage of instructors, Elder proposed that colleges make a concerted effort to interest people in attending graduate school and in choosing education as a profession. In addition, he suggested the "revival of a first-rate M.A. degree" for those who cannot remain to complete their Ph.D.

Though these measures may help some-what, there is no final solution to the problem, Elder continued. We can only wait and hope that the supply of teachers will eventually catch up with the demand as the sharp rise in the birth rate levels out, he added.