New Committee To Find Jobs For Graduates

A new Faculty committee will be formed soon to aid graduate students in securing job opportunities after Harvard. Dean Dunlop announced Tuesday.

Dunlop said that the committee would review current procedures for placing graduate students and consider suggestions for improving the placement program.

Dunlop issued the statement after meeting with department chairmen and representatives from departments most concerned with the placement of graduate students.

"An interesting aspect of the meeting was that when departmental representatives were asked to indicate the success their own graduates had had this year in finding employment or post-doctoral fellowship support, the reports were much more encouraging than we had thought might be the case." Dunlop said.

Dunlop said that while strong national associations--like the Physics Post-Doctoral Information Pool--exist for many large fields, smaller departments must rely on their own resources.

Larry D. Benson, professor of English and supervisor of graduate placement for the English Department, said yesterday that job offers began to decrease about two years ago. However, Bernard Bailyn, chairman of the History Department, said that graduate students in History "are doing quite well."

"Most had jobs before the term began--people tend to get jobs before getting their degrees," Bailyn said.