ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT SHOWS MARKED GROWTH

Of the Economics Department.

The outstanding facts about the Department of Economics are that it is of comparatively recent origin, and that its growth has been extremely rapid. The first chair of Political Economy was not established until 1871, and prior to that time the only instruction offered in the subject was one short course given by the Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity. The growth of the Department during the last half century can best be shown by the following statistics: Year.  No. of Teachers.  No. of Courses.  Hours of Instruction per Week.  Students. 1867-68  1  1  1  26 1887-88  3  9  221/2  427 1907-08  20  17  51  1255 1915-16  22  171/2  51  1733

The number of teachers above stated increased from one professor in 1867, who gave but a small part of his time to the subject, to seven teachers of professorial rank and five instructors, giving all their time to Economics and requiring the services of ten assistants, during the present college year. The number of courses stated in the table is given in terms of full courses. In 1887 six of the nine were undergraduate courses, and three were designed primarily for graduates. In 1916 the seventeen and one-half courses offered are practically evenly divided between the graduate and under- graduate groups. The hours of instruction are stated in terms of hours per week during the entire year, full courses being rated at three hours per week. The number of students is stated in terms of students pursuing a full course throughout the year.

Growth Reflected Spirit of Age.

The rapid growth of the Department indicated by these figures is due, of course, to the great interest in economic problems during the last thirty or forty years. The familiar statistics showing the number of students now concentrating in the Department of Economics also reflect the spirit of the age. Whether we would have it so or not, the Department is under the necessity of doing a very large part of the teaching both in Harvard College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The chief needs of the Department grow out of the conditions just stated. Since its development is so recent the Department has had necessarily to do a great deal of pioneer and experimental work. The subjects to be taught and the methods and aims of instruction had to be determined as the work went along, and of necessity mistakes were sometimes made. The teaching staff has been obliged to deal with large and rapidly increasing numbers of students, and has never had the teachers or the material equipment necessary for the very best results. The Department budget, of course, has steadily increased, but not in proportion to the amount of work that has had to be done, so that the first and most important need has always been for more money.

Another difficulty has been that of obtaining suitably trained men for the posts of instructor and assistant. This was probably more serious ten or fifteen years ago than it is today, because in recent years the number of graduate students in Economics has greatly increased and the Department has been able to draw upon a larger supply of candidates for teaching positions. It has not been possible to increase the rate of compensation, but more employment can be offered, and there has been, therefore, some increase in the total amount that assistants have earned. In most of the courses the Department is now able to provide older and more experienced assistants than it was formerly possible to secure.

Significant Changes Made Recently.

In the methods followed there has been in late years not a little change. The amount of lecturing has decreased, and there has been an increased employment of the method of class discussion. Particularly significant was the change made in the conduct of Economics A a few years ago when the number of lectures was reduced from two to one per week, and the number of section meetings increased from one to two.

Among the most recent developments have been the establishment of a laboratory for the courses in Statistics and Accounting and an experiment now being tried with the thesis work in Economics 2. Dissatisfied with the results secured in ordinary thesis work, the Department this year employed an additional assistant in Economics 2, and has more than doubled the amount of help and supervision that the students have received in the preparation of their theses. The results already appear to justify the expenditure of the additional money, and it is hoped that a new and better standard of thesis work is being established in this course. About two years ago the Department of Economics invited the Department of Education to undertake a survey of its work. This study has been carried on as fast as the resources of the Department of Education would permit, and it is expected that by the end of this year the task will have been completed. Already valuable results have come from various suggestions made by the Department of Education, and it is believed that the completed survey will be of greatest aid to the Department of Economics.

Particularly noteworthy has been the increase in the number of graduate students in Economics. In 1902 the number of such students was 16; by 1907 it had increased to 33; by 1912, to 38; and by 1914, to 48. During the present year the enrolment of graduate students has risen to 53. As already pointed out, the growth in the number of graduate students has enabled the Department to secure better assistants and instructors in the undergraduate courses than ever before. But it has also increased materially the work of the professors who have to do with graduate students. Such work is largely of an individual character, and the amount of time that the older members of the staff have devoted to it in recent years has greatly increased.

Improvement Depends on Graduate Men.

It is perfectly clear, however, that the improvement of undergraduate instruction is largely conditioned upon the growth of our body of graduate students. To provide the instructors and assistants that were required in 1916 would have been almost, if not quite, impossible ten years ago; and twenty years ago it would have been absolutely out of the question. There is a somewhat prevalent impression that the work of the Graduate School has been developed at the expense of Harvard College; but in the Department of Economics, at least, it is perfectly clear that, without a large body of graduate students, undergraduate instruction would practically break down. If during the next five years the number of graduate students in Economics continues to increase at the present rate, the standard of instruction in the undergraduate courses will tend to be raised; whereas if the number should decline to the level of ten years ago, the Department would be unable to provide ade quately for its undergraduate work.

Funds Needed for Research Work.

I have said nothing about one important function of the Department, that of scientific research. Obviously, its first duty has been to provide the large amount of graduate and undergraduate instruction which the conditions have seemed to demand. This has not prevented the staff from carrying on more or less work of research, and the development of graduate instruction has tended to increase materially the number of investigations that are being carried on under the direction of the Department. But it is becoming more and more evident that this work requires larger pecuniary resources than have ever been available, and one of the urgent needs of the Department is the endowment of economic research. To this I called attention last year in an article published in the Harvard Graduates' Magazine, and therefore I will not enlarge upon the subject now. I allude to it merely to show that the Department is not without appreciation of its duties in the line of scientific investigation

The number of teachers above stated increased from one professor in 1867, who gave but a small part of his time to the subject, to seven teachers of professorial rank and five instructors, giving all their time to Economics and requiring the services of ten assistants, during the present college year. The number of courses stated in the table is given in terms of full courses. In 1887 six of the nine were undergraduate courses, and three were designed primarily for graduates. In 1916 the seventeen and one-half courses offered are practically evenly divided between the graduate and under- graduate groups. The hours of instruction are stated in terms of hours per week during the entire year, full courses being rated at three hours per week. The number of students is stated in terms of students pursuing a full course throughout the year.

Growth Reflected Spirit of Age.

The rapid growth of the Department indicated by these figures is due, of course, to the great interest in economic problems during the last thirty or forty years. The familiar statistics showing the number of students now concentrating in the Department of Economics also reflect the spirit of the age. Whether we would have it so or not, the Department is under the necessity of doing a very large part of the teaching both in Harvard College and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The chief needs of the Department grow out of the conditions just stated. Since its development is so recent the Department has had necessarily to do a great deal of pioneer and experimental work. The subjects to be taught and the methods and aims of instruction had to be determined as the work went along, and of necessity mistakes were sometimes made. The teaching staff has been obliged to deal with large and rapidly increasing numbers of students, and has never had the teachers or the material equipment necessary for the very best results. The Department budget, of course, has steadily increased, but not in proportion to the amount of work that has had to be done, so that the first and most important need has always been for more money.

Another difficulty has been that of obtaining suitably trained men for the posts of instructor and assistant. This was probably more serious ten or fifteen years ago than it is today, because in recent years the number of graduate students in Economics has greatly increased and the Department has been able to draw upon a larger supply of candidates for teaching positions. It has not been possible to increase the rate of compensation, but more employment can be offered, and there has been, therefore, some increase in the total amount that assistants have earned. In most of the courses the Department is now able to provide older and more experienced assistants than it was formerly possible to secure.

Significant Changes Made Recently.

In the methods followed there has been in late years not a little change. The amount of lecturing has decreased, and there has been an increased employment of the method of class discussion. Particularly significant was the change made in the conduct of Economics A a few years ago when the number of lectures was reduced from two to one per week, and the number of section meetings increased from one to two.

Among the most recent developments have been the establishment of a laboratory for the courses in Statistics and Accounting and an experiment now being tried with the thesis work in Economics 2. Dissatisfied with the results secured in ordinary thesis work, the Department this year employed an additional assistant in Economics 2, and has more than doubled the amount of help and supervision that the students have received in the preparation of their theses. The results already appear to justify the expenditure of the additional money, and it is hoped that a new and better standard of thesis work is being established in this course. About two years ago the Department of Economics invited the Department of Education to undertake a survey of its work. This study has been carried on as fast as the resources of the Department of Education would permit, and it is expected that by the end of this year the task will have been completed. Already valuable results have come from various suggestions made by the Department of Education, and it is believed that the completed survey will be of greatest aid to the Department of Economics.

Particularly noteworthy has been the increase in the number of graduate students in Economics. In 1902 the number of such students was 16; by 1907 it had increased to 33; by 1912, to 38; and by 1914, to 48. During the present year the enrolment of graduate students has risen to 53. As already pointed out, the growth in the number of graduate students has enabled the Department to secure better assistants and instructors in the undergraduate courses than ever before. But it has also increased materially the work of the professors who have to do with graduate students. Such work is largely of an individual character, and the amount of time that the older members of the staff have devoted to it in recent years has greatly increased.

Improvement Depends on Graduate Men.

It is perfectly clear, however, that the improvement of undergraduate instruction is largely conditioned upon the growth of our body of graduate students. To provide the instructors and assistants that were required in 1916 would have been almost, if not quite, impossible ten years ago; and twenty years ago it would have been absolutely out of the question. There is a somewhat prevalent impression that the work of the Graduate School has been developed at the expense of Harvard College; but in the Department of Economics, at least, it is perfectly clear that, without a large body of graduate students, undergraduate instruction would practically break down. If during the next five years the number of graduate students in Economics continues to increase at the present rate, the standard of instruction in the undergraduate courses will tend to be raised; whereas if the number should decline to the level of ten years ago, the Department would be unable to provide ade quately for its undergraduate work.

Funds Needed for Research Work.

I have said nothing about one important function of the Department, that of scientific research. Obviously, its first duty has been to provide the large amount of graduate and undergraduate instruction which the conditions have seemed to demand. This has not prevented the staff from carrying on more or less work of research, and the development of graduate instruction has tended to increase materially the number of investigations that are being carried on under the direction of the Department. But it is becoming more and more evident that this work requires larger pecuniary resources than have ever been available, and one of the urgent needs of the Department is the endowment of economic research. To this I called attention last year in an article published in the Harvard Graduates' Magazine, and therefore I will not enlarge upon the subject now. I allude to it merely to show that the Department is not without appreciation of its duties in the line of scientific investigation