Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1954 [PAGE 740]

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1953]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

737

in the staff and student body of the Department of Chemistry under Professor Roger Adams. I agree with the Committee that there should be a Medical Director of the Hospitals, but I regard it as crucial that the Medical Director be placed under the Dean of Medicine, preferably as an Associate Dean of the College of Medicine. If there must be a change in medical deans — and frequent changes are to be deplored — then each new dean in turn should have jurisdiction over the focal point of his work, namely, the Research and Educational Hospitals. One of the aims I have in mind is to fix the lines of responsibility so as to stabilize the administrative set-up. Experience in the past several months under the temporary arrangement of an Administrative Committee leads to three observations: That much of the work that has come to the Vice-President's Office is work which, in other areas of the University, would have been done in stride by the deans or directors; since the higher office existed it was natural to await final decisions there. That the professional faculties in their respective colleges should be encouraged to assume more academic and professional responsibilities in order that Illinois may be placed in a better competitive position in the selection of students and interns and in the procurement of staff members willing to devote a larger proportion of their time to the University. That the only solid public relations are those based upon the devotion, achievement, and imagination of the staff and student body. Regular community channels and news agencies may be expected to carry the message to the people of the state and to the nation. A thrilling example of this professional teamwork which required no stimulation but only control in public information was the case of the Brodie twins. Actually, since the arrangement of 1939-1943 there has not been a VicePresident or Executive Dean on a full-time basis. The present Vice-President is also a professor in Clinical Science and Head of that Department; he has been able to devote a substantial amount of his time to medical research and to public matters. The members of the Board of Trustees whose service goes back to 1946 will recall, I am sure, that the setting up of the Office of Vice-President was not based on a study of the administrative plan in the Professional Colleges. To summarize, in view of the historical development of the Professional Colleges, together with the comparative experience under various organizational plans, I am unable to support the idea of a "floating" Vice-President without other assigned duties. It would mean the placing of one high-salaried officer directly over three other officers who are not only responsible but also in a position to solve their problems, as it were, from the ground up. Permit me to say here, to avoid any possible misunderstanding, that I regard all the health professions as being on an equal basis, and the3' should be so in view of their equally valuable contributions to society. The realities I have touched upon have nothing to do with priorities among colleges and divisions, but with differences in size, complexity, and administrative function. In the recommendations that follow I shall not attempt to outline the duties of the officers listed. The positions themselves indicate to some degree the respective areas of responsibility. Where more is needed I think a few brief statements could be developed jointly by representatives of the faculty, the administration, and the Board of Trustees.

Ill

for Action It is recommended: 1. That the position of Vice-President of the University in Charge of the Chicago Professional Colleges be abolished as of September 1, 1953. 2. That the Dean of the College of Medicine be designated also the Executive Dean of the Chicago Professional Colleges and Chairman of the Administrative Committee recommended below. 3. That an Administrative Committee for the Chicago Professional Colleges be established, to be composed of the Dean of the College of Medicine as Chairman; the Dean of the College of Dentistry; the Dean of the College of Pharmacy; Recommendations