Appendix IX: Training for the Public Service

Abstract

This country needs effective and enlightened men, and it is up to the universities to furnish them. With these words the chairman of the department of the social sciences in a great American university signalized his assumption of its presidency. A generation and more has passed since Woodrow Wilson's stirring cry of Princeton in the nation's quickened educated men everywhere to the realization of the university's obligation to the state and its sacred duty to furnish it with an officer class. In this period of time American education has broadened very considerably, new courses have been introduced in many subjects, and yet we find that very few institutions consciously train their students for the public service. A letter of inquiry was sent to a large list of college and university presidents in all parts of the United States. The significant portions of this letter were as follows: What we hope to learn is what comprehensive curricula or groups of courses for training for any branch of the public service your institution offers, or where there is no comprehensive curriculum, what individual courses of instruction are offered with like intent. In case any such curriculum leads to a special degree, we would like to know what degree; with regard to individual courses, we would like to know whether they are graduate or undergraduate courses, the number of hours per week, and the duration of each. would also like to know approximately how many students are enrolled in each of such curricula or courses, and how many have been graduated. We do not wish to include training for teaching, or for military service. Obviously also, ordinary professional training which only incidentally leads to government employment, such as the study of law, medicine, agriculture, or the pure sciences, should not be included. Neither should general courses in political science, economics, sociology,