CORNELL UNIVERSITY OFFICIAL PUBLICATION Vol. 30 July 15, 1938 No. 2 Forty-sixth Annual President's Report by Edmund Ezra Day 1937-38 With appendices containing a summary of financial operations, and reports of the Deans and other officers PUBLISHED BY CORNELL UNIVERSITY AT ITHACA, N. Y. Monthly in September, October, and November Semi-monthly, December to August inclusive [Entered as second-class matter, December 14, 1916, at the post office at Ithaca, New York, under the act of August 24, 1912] CONTENTS PAGES President's Report 5 Summary of Financial Operations ... 22 Appendices I Report of the Dean of the University Faculty i II Report of the Dean of the Graduate School iv III Report of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sci ences . xii IV Report of the Dean of the Law School xix V Report of the Dean of the Medical College xxvi VI Report of the Acting Secretary of the Ithaca Divi sion of the Medical College xxx VII Report of the Dean of the New York State Veteri nary College xxxiii VIII Report of the New York State College of Agricul ture and of the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station xxxvi IX Report of the New York State Agricultural Experi ment Station at Geneva xl X Report of the Dean of the New York State College of Home Economics , xlii XI Report of the Acting Dean of the College of Archi tecture xlvi XII Report of the Dean of the College of Engineering . 1 XIII Report of the Director of the Graduate School of Education Iii XIV Report of the Administrative Board of the Summer Session lvii XV Report of the Dean of Women. lix XVI Report of the Director of Admissions lxii XVII Report of the Registrar lxv XVIII Report of the University Placement Bureau lxxii XIX Report of the Director of Physical Education and Athletics lxxvii XX Report of the Department of Hygiene and Pre ventive Medicine lxxix XXI Report of the Director of Extra Mural Courses lxxxiii XXII Report of the Librarian . lxxxiv ' XXIII Publications xc REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT FOR 1937-38 To the Board of Trustees of Cornell University: I have the honor to present the following report on the University for the academic year 1937-38. In a series of appendices will be found reports for the same period from the nine deans and the several heads of independent departments and offices, all of which I venture to commend to the Board's attention. ADMINISTRATIVE ORIENTATION OF THE YEAR The year ended June 30, 1938 the first of the present administra tion was not intended to be one of innovations. Any modern uni versity is a complex organism, the nature and habits of which are not to be learned from brief acquaintance. The President has felt that a fairly extended period, certainly not less than a year, should be in vested at the outset in wide contacts and careful observation, with a view to obtaining a well-grounded understanding of how the different parts of the University are functioning and how promising new de velopments can best be initiated. This orientation of purpose was maintained by the new administra tion throughout the year. In so far as changes of organization and procedure were effected during 1937-38, they were either forced by circumstances or were of such a character as not to raise broad questions of policy. In general it may be said that the President during his first year in office was directing his attention very largely to getting acquainted. Much time and energy were devoted to a wide variety of contacts within the University, with faculties, committees, deans, department heads, individual professors, undergraduate or ganizations, student activities, campus life in all its kaleidoscopic phases. Away from the University, a sustained effort was made to see the far-flung body of alumni. By commencement time in June 1938, visits had been paid to fifty local clubs in thirty-seven different communities, from Boston in the East to San Francisco in the West, from Minneapolis and St. Paul in the North, to Washington and Louisville in the South. These meetings brought face-to-face contacts with at least five thousand graduates of the University and both en livened and enriched the experiences of the year. As a period of rapidly expanding and deepening acquaintance, the year appears to have served well. Already the President feels thor oughly at home. The cordial and friendly welcome which has been extended to him on every hand has been deeply appreciated, and has contributed greatly to the enthusiasm with which he views the work that lies ahead. 6 PRESIDENT S REPORT IMPORTANT CHANGES OF PERSONNEL A great university is a thing, not of machinery, but of men. Ad ministration may make a difference, but if it makes a difference that is worth while the difference will appearin the manifest facilitation of the work of the teachers and scholars and scientists who individually carry on the work for which the University exists. Administrative leadership in any institution of higher learning ultimately must be judged in terms of the quality of faculty it retains in service and the conditions it creates for the faculty's effective pursuit of the intellec tual interests which lie at the very heart of the institution's life. In the enlistment, nurturing, and encouragement of able and stimulating personnel, the administrative direction of a University faces its most serious responsibility. No phase of the University's work has had more of the President's thought and concern during the past year than necessary changes in the University staff. The changes that occurred during 1937-38 were numerous, and in a number of instances of major significance. The changes are given in full in the several lists that follow. In the first place it is the administration's sad duty to report an appallingly heavy mortality during the year. Between July 1, 1937, and June 30, 1938, the University lost through death fifteen men, twelve still in active service, who had distinguished themselves in the life of Cornell. These fifteen men were : Charles Dibble Bostwick, Comptroller of the University, died in Ithaca on December 15, 1937. Born in Ithaca, Mr. Bostwick entered the University in 1888, taking the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1892 and the Bachelor of Laws in 1894. From 1898 until 1903 he was Legal Assistant to the University Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer from 1903 until 1 9 13, and Treasurer from 1913 to 1919. He was appointed Uni versity Comptroller in 19 19 and served in that capacity until his death. George Lincoln Burr, Professor of Medieval History, Emeritus, died in Ithaca on June 27, 1938. Early associated with President White, Professor Burr was first appointed to the staff as Instructor in History in 1881, the same year in which he received the Cornell Bachelor of Arts degree. He was successively appointed Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor of Medieval History, serving Cornell from 1881 until his retirement in 1922. In 1919 Pro fessor Burr was named the John Stambaugh Professor of History. From 1878 he served as Librarian of the President White Library. John W. Churchman, Professor of Experimental Therapeutics in the Medical College in New York City, died on July 13, 1937. Dr. Churchman was first associated with the Medical College in 1923, when he was appointed Associate in Hygiene. In 1925 he was made Associate Professor and, in 1927, Professor of Experimental Thera peutics. THE FACULTY 7 Peter Walter Claassen, Professor of Biology, died on August 16, 1937. He came to Cornell in 191 5 as Assistant in Entomology, was appointed Instructor in Natural History in 191 7 and made Assistant Professor of Biology in 19 19, having received in 19 18 the Cornell Ph.D. degree. In 1926, he was named Professor of Biology. Herman Diederichs, Dean of the College of Engineering, died on August 31, 1937. After his graduation from the University in 1897, he was successively appointed Assistant, Instructor, Assistant Pro fessor, and Professor of Experimental Engineering. In 192 1 he was appointed Director of the Sibley School of Mechanical Engineering, and in 1928 named to the John E. Sweet Professorship in Engineering. He was made Dean of the College of Engineering in 1936. William Alexander Hammond, Professor of Ancient Philosophy and of Aesthetics, Emeritus, died in Washington, D. C, on May 7, 1938. In 1 89 1 he was appointed Instructor in Greek Philosophy, in 1892 Assistant Professor, and in 1907 Sage Professor of Ancient Philosophy. In 1930 he retired from active service. Dr. Hammond served as Secretary of the University Faculty from 1903 to 1920 and as Dean of the University Faculty from 1920 until his retirement. Merritt Wesley Harper, Professor of Animal Husbandry, died in Ithaca on May 9, 1938. Appointed Assistant in Animal Husbandry in 1905, he was made Instructor in 1906, Assistant Professor in 1907, and Professor of Animal Husbandry in 19 13. Herbert Andrew Hopper, Extension Professor of Animal Hus bandry, died in Ithaca on November 26, 1937. He was appointed Assistant Professor in Extension,in 191 1, served as Lecturer in Winter Courses in 191 2, and in 19 13 was elected Extension Professor of Animal Husbandry. Myron A. Lee, Professor of Industrial Engineering, died in Ithaca on May 8, 1938. In 1909 he was appointed Instructor in Experimental Engineering, in 19 10 Instructor in Machine Design, in 19 16 Assistant Professor of Machine Design, in 192 1 Assistant Professor of Indus trial Engineering and, in 1924 was elected Professor of Industrial Engineering.