World conference of universities

Title

Creator

Philippine Weekly Review

Language

English

Year

1965

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

The last meeting of the representatives of distinguished institutions of higher education and its significance.

Fulltext

■ The last meeting of the representatives of distin guished institutions of higher education and its significance. WORLD CONFERENCE OF UNIVERSITIES One of the most important conferences on higher education took place in Tokyo from August 30 to September 6 this year. It was the quinquennial meeting of the International Association of Univer sities. The meeting preceding it was held in Mexico City in 1960. About 400 universities and institutions of higher learning from all parts of the world participated in the Tokyo conference. Seven Philippine institutions were officially represented. They were the Univer sity of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, University of the East, Centro Escolar de Senoritas University, Philippine Womens University, National University, and Foundation College of Dumaguete, these being full members of the IAU. 1 The International Association of Universities is not sponsored by any government or state. So uni versities from all parts of the world, public and pri vate, free, communist, and neutral, sectarian and non sectarian, are represented without distinction. Poli tical subjects are not included in the agenda at any meeting. The sole requirement for membership is that an institution should maintain satisfactory stan dard of instruction. And in this connection, the di rectorate has decided that admission of new mem bers will henceforth be stricter than in the first years of the Association’s life, some twelve or fifteen years ago. September 1965 ;7 In the Tokyo conference the general subjects in the agenda which were discussed by the represen tatives were three in number, namely: Access to Higher Education, University Autonomy, and Con tribution of Higher Education to Economic and Cul tural Development. To enable the entire conference to consider the different points or phases of each subject, three se parate working groups, which were smaller groups or committees of about 20 members each, were or ganized. The procedure followed was: first, a ple nary session was held on each subject; and this was succeeded by a close-door session of the working group or committee assigned to consider the points raised during the plenary session and to summarize them. Another meeting of the working commit tee was held the day following to which any member or representative of any member institution could go and take part in the discussion of different points brought together in the first meeting of the commit tee. In this session any member may question any point presented before or add any new idea pertinent to the general subject. After this the rapporteur makes a summary of the various points which re ceived group approval. In the general and final ple nary session, the 3 working committees presented their summaries. The President of the Association then submitted them to the entire conference for fi nal approval or modification. This was the conclud ing part of the program of the conference. On the last day the election of the President for the following five years took place. Dr. Zurhaik, well-known professor of history of the American Uni versity of Beirut and former university rector, was unanimously elected to the post. He succeeds Dr. F. Cyril James, the retiring President, a former prof essor of economics of the University of Pennsylva 8 Panorama nia and former President of McGill University in Montreal, Canada. One cannot help but admire the ability, dignity, and poise of Dr. Cyril James. His speeches were mc> dels of clearness in thought and in the logical pre sentation of pertinent ideas, without circumlocution nor pompous appeal to emotion. His delivery was deliberate and pleasantly measured. Every word and phrase were distinctively expressed, every sentence left no doubt in the hearer’s mind about its inten ded purpose. Vivid pictures and scholarly expres sions, all clothed in language of simplicity, made Dr. James’ addresses, which were never tedious and long, something which served to enlighten the minds of the representatives at the conference on the signifi cance of the role of universities in the present-day world. The delegates were largely university presidents, rectors, and vice-chancellors of institutions in Eu ropean, British, North American, South and Central American, African, Asian, and Australian countries. Ancient universities, such as Paris, Oxford, Heidel berg, Cambridge, Milan, Salamanca, Cordova, and more modern ones, such as Harvard, Yale, Michigan, California, Moscow, Berlin, to mention but a few, were all represented. Meeting famous scholars, scientists, academic executives, all with long and rich experience in the pursuit of education and learning, is a distinct privil ege for all who appreciate the intellectual life. One cannot help but notice the gulf of difference between such event, on one hand, and a convention of politi cians, on the other, in which no more than pompous and futuous addresses and comments fill the hall in boresome repetition. This second group attempts to believe that it could solve problems with hasty and superficial solutions. The first realizes the difficul ties of the problems it discusses and proposes no 9 more than suggestions for needed action which may fit certain conditions, with full awareness of the com plexity created by rapid changes taking place in the present fields of scholarship, education, technology, and science. The Tokyo conference of the IAU was of special significance to the emerging nations or the less dev eloped communities in the world today. For in ad dition to the discussion of the subjects common to all institutions of higher education everywhere, the conference gave particular attention to the role of higher education in the development of the economic, social, and cultural conditions of the new nations to day. The Japanese managers of the conference de serve full praise for the orderly way the sessions were conducted, the excellent reception of the dele gates, and the perfect smoothness with which the ac tivities were carried out. Japanese hospitality was unsurpassed. Finally, one could not help but notice the rela tively minor attention given to the matter of the election of the succeeding officials of the Associa tion. There were 28 posts in two administrative bo dies to be chosen, but only 24 nominations were sub mitted by the members or delegates. Consequently, the outgoing executive committee on elections had to designate 4 more candidates in order to fill all the 28 posts. What a contrast this presented to what hap pens in Philippine elections where for one vacant post there are always ten or more candidates fighting noisily for it. The explanation is simple: the mem bers obviously went to the conference chiefly to par ticipate in the discussion of the subjects rather than to concern themselves with the election of officers. The inexperienced university head who went there to get himself elected to a high post must have come out badly disillusioned. io Panorama Membership in the International Association of Universities is surely a mark of distinction and a high privilege for the university or college who ac quires it; and attendance in its quinquennial con ference can prove a stimulating experience to heads and professors of institutions of learning who are able to take part in its discussions. — Philippine Weekly Review. WISE AND OTHERWISE Laurels have a habit of dropping when you try to rest on them I — Drew Pearson She learned to say things with her eyes that others waste time putting into words. — Corey Ford Overheard: “My dear, she's the sort of woman who always enters a room voice first.” — Tit-Bits, London The test of good manners is being able to put up pleasantly with bad ones. — Betty Bartholomew 1 Nothing is particularly hard if divided into small jobs. — The Gates Way Some girls show distinction—or should one say distinctly?—in their clothes. — Duncan Caldwell All magicians agree that highly intelligent per sons are the most easily deceived. — Fred C. Kelly A politician thinks of the next election; a states man, of the next generation. — James Freeman Clarke September 1965 11

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