UIHistories Project: A History of the University of Illinois by Kalev Leetaru
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Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1944 [PAGE 1056]

Caption: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1944
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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

I053

Therefore to the extent to which grade point averages in the first year of work of collegiate level can be considered as an index, the quality of students admitted to the University of Illinois since 1934 has not deteriorated but actually has shown a slight improvement. Selection of Graduate Scholars and Fellows Since the selection of students for graduate fellowships and scholarships may be considered as bearing on the quality of the student body, the following discussion is pertinent here. There are two committees of the Executive Faculty of the Graduate School. The work of the Committee on Staff and Courses is discussed below.2 The Committee on Scholarships and Fellowships receives from the Dean of the Graduate School the application of individuals seeking to be chosen as graduate scholars and fellows, whether they have been recommended by a particular department or not. This Committee of five is charged with the responsibility of studying all the applications and especially those of students recommended by the departments, with the understanding that it will recommend to the Executive Faculty of the Graduate School a list of students with a list of alternates to fill vacancies. The Committee attempts to select students of greatest promise without regard to departmental distribution, except that in cases of doubt concerning relative excellence of candidates some consideration may be given to the question of the most desirable distribution of students by departments. Such policy tends to bear out the old adage, "For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." s It is obvious that, in general, departments with distinguished and long-recognized reputations in national university circles will receive the greater number of better student applications, and hence usually the greater number of appointees. For example, the Department of Chemistry is much more likely to receive a correspondingly greater percentage of superior applicants than is a department in which the graduate faculty is less well known. It would seem that some more equitable basis for selection of graduate fellows and scholars

3 See page 77. 'Matthew 25: 29.

[A.C.E. Report — 35]