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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1971)
Of the more than 100 graduate programs which the University offers, 23 have been rated as among the most highly regarded in the country. However, the rating, which was released earlier this week, has recently drawn strong criticism from nationally recognized scholars. Rating was done by Kenneth Roose and Charles Andersen for the American Council on Education (ACE), and is essentially a follow-up to a similar study (known as the Cartter report), results of that it never presyjned to be anything more than a “reputational” study—one that rates programs on the basis of what outstanding members of the discipline think to be the case. Francis Boddy, associate dean of the graduate school at the University of Minnesota, commented that subjective evaluations of graduate education have always been made by potential graduate students, government agencies, and legislators. While the new survey is admittedly subjective, he Graduate program study slammed, supported (From local and Chronicle of Higher Education reports) which were released in 1966. It involved 130 institutions of higher learning in 36 different disciplines in the country. The study covered both the quality of graduate faculty and effectiveness of doctoral programs. Officials in the University graduate school have not spoken out against the report, although others in the nation have, according to Associate Dean of the University graduate school Robert Mazo. Mazo told the Emerald Wednesday the study “had merit,” although it was a “very highly sub jective report” and was “not based on any quan titative methods.” He likened the report to an opinion poll, in that it was conducted by asking for opinions of national scholars and gathering that information together. Results of the report, Mazo continued, are “somewhat useful” to prospective graduate students and University administrators. Although Mazo was not highly critical of the study, others in the nation were. “Having made an incredible blooper in 1964, the ACE is now going to make the same blooper all over again,” said Trevor Colboum, dean of the graduate school at the University of New Hampshire. As a whole, the study “can be regarded at best as interesting and refined gossip,” he said. “The result is a publication which is taken with disarming seriousness by people who don’t know any better.” Defenders of the study pointed out, however, said, it is based on broader information and on information from significant numbers of established scholars. “These kinds of things have been circulated and are being circulated in Washington with far less evidence than we have here,” Boddy said. “I think it is a very well done job of a very difficult problem,' he added. While the graduate deans differed over the value of publishing the ratings, most of them agreed that the ratings could be misapplied to entire in stitutions rather than to 36 specific departments. Boddy noted that Ph.D.’s were offered by 78 departments at the University of Minnesota. It would be dangerous to generalize about the quality of those not rated, he said. Other deans noted that both the original survey by Cartter and the second one by Roose tended to focus more heavily on the humanities and traditional sciences, rather than on new fields like computer science. Institutions concentrating much of their graduate work in new, technical areas therefore appeared to be undervalued, the deans said. Beyond those specific criticisms were some general fears that, at a time of dwindling support for graduate education, the new ratings would be used to justify eliminating some graduate programs completely. Kip Morgan to open own bookstore Kip Morgan, last year’s ASUO President, is in the process of opening a bookstore in Port land-just downstairs from the Selective Service Induction Center. The materials featured by the store may not be looked upon with favor by the employees of the Selective Service as they go past the store’s windows and upstairs to work. Morgan says he will stock the store with books which include his philosophies. The former ASUO leader was convicted of disrupting the Selective Service in two separate incidents last year. During Christmas vacation, Morgan, two friends and a dog were applying the finishing Kip Morgan touches to the store, to be named “The Looking Glass.” The shelves were installed and the store was pretty much ready for business. Its interior had been painted an almost flourescent green and Morgan said he would receive his first shipment of books sometime around the beginning of January. Morgan was convicted of disrupting the Selective Service in connection with mock trials of the Eugene and Roseburg draft boards. Convicted along with Morgan was Dave Gwyther, who was also then a student. Gwyther now runs Koobdooga, a bookstore similar to Morgan’s, which is located in Eugene. t •Always The Latest New Books •Records For The Connoisseur on campus •Libidinal Posters For Your Place • A new arrival of India tapestries is ini ALL AT DISCOUNT PRICES 877 East 13th ON CAMPUS U of O Peasant Headquarters, 1971 i I Reg. THE PEASANTS ARE HERE AND ON SALE Come See the Most Fantastic Selection of Peasant blouses, skirts, dresses to be found anywhere! REG NOW PEASANT BLOUSES 6 „„ _ _ 5.44 PEASANT SKIRTS 9.00 7*" PEASANT DRESSES 9.00 ^ 99 FAIR TRADE ITEMS EXCEPTED * BANK AMERICAS!) * MASTS "CHARGE CAMPUS STORE ONLY 880 East 13th