Page:A History of the University of Chicago by Thomas Wakefield Goodspeed.djvu/173

THE EDUCATIONAL PLAN 145 It is not necessary that every man should leave the institution on the same day. Friendships are not limited to circumstances so artificial, and no falling off of the true college spirit is anticipated in the carrying out of this plan. In justification and further explanation of his educational plan President Harper had this additional to say in the unfinished Report : It is expected by all who are interested that the university idea is to be emphasized. It is proposed to establish, not a college, but a university. .... A large number of the professors have been selected with the under- standing that their work is to be exclusively in the Graduate Schools. The organization, as it has been perfected, would be from the college point of view entirely a mistake. It has been the desire to establish an institution which should not be a rival with the many colleges already in existence, but an insti- tution which should help these colleges To assist these numerous colleges, to furnish them instructors who shall be able to do work of the highest order; to accomplish this purpose, the main energies of the institution have been directed toward graduate work The chief purpose of graduate work is, not to stock the student's mind with knowledge of what has already been accomplished in a given field, but rather so to train him that he himself may be able to push out along new lines of investigation. Such work is, of course, of the most expensive character. Laboratories and libraries and apparatus must be lavishly provided in order to offer the necessary opportuni- ties Here also is to be found the question of the effort to secure the best available men in the country as the heads and directors of departments. It is only the man who has made investigation who may teach others to investi- gate. Without this spirit in the instructor and without his example students will never be led to undertake the work. Moreover, if the instructor is loaded down with lectures he will have neither time nor strength to pursue his investi- gations. Freedom from care, time for work, and liberty of thought are prime requisites in all such work. In order to encourage it still further there have been established two classes of advanced students, namely, Docents and Fellows. The Decent is required to spend one-half his time in original investi- gation under the guidance of the Professor, the other half being devoted to the giving of instruction in his particular specialty. The Fellow is required to spend five-sixths of his time in original investigation under the guidance of the Professor, one-sixth being reserved for service in connection with the University. An essential element, moreover, is the opportunity of publishing results obtained in investigation. To this end it is provided that in each department there shall be published either a Journal or a series of separate studies which shall in each department embody the results of the work of the instructors in that department. It is expected that Professors and other instructors will, at intervals, be excused entirely for a period from lecture work, in order that