GSAS Sets Ten-Year Maximum

Under a new policy designed to cut down on long student tenures in the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS), graduate students who take more than 10 years to complete their dissertations will be not be allowed to re-register at Harvard.

The change could cut off some students who had not expected the abrupt dissertation deadline, but their records will remain intact. If they complete their dissertations after leaving GSAS, they can return to receive their degrees.

The policy, which will go into effect next year, was announced to the graduate student presently beyond the 10-year limit through letters from their individual departments. There are now 120 students who register 10 years of study or more in the GSAS.

The 10-year cutoff is necessary to streamline Ph.D. programs and ensure that the school's limited academic and financial resources are available to newer students who really need them, said Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Christoph J. Wolff.

"We only have so much money and we only have so many teaching fellow positions," Wolff said. "It's hard to justify providing jobs and support to people who I don't really consider students anymore."

Under the present system, Wolff said, GSAS can act as a form of "social security" for graduate students unwilling to leave the comfortable confines of the University.

The job market for new academics is bleak, and many students are understandablyreluctant to give up secure and subsidizedemployment, housing and research opportunities,Wolff said.

The change from a formerly lenientextension-granting policy could prevent make itmore difficult for some students to finish theirdegree requirements.

John A. Collins '72, a graduate students in thegovernment department, charged that his medicalcircumstances have prevented him from completinghis thesis so far. He will not be able to completehis thesis, of which he said he has written 1,500pages, by next year.

The 20th-year graduate student was grantedseveral medical exemptions to the current rulerequiring students to get permission to continuegraduate studies beyond the 10th year.

But Wolff and other officials said the policy,which is being implemented through the individualdepartments, will be flexible in certain cases.

"This is not in any sense final," said Gurneyprofessor of English Literature Derek A. Pearsall,who is the department's director of graduatestudies. English is one of the departments withthe highest number of seasoned graduate students:it has 12 this year.

"This is an attempt to give an incentive tothose who need it, not an act of execution," headded. "And we've ensured that it is to thestudents' advantage by consulting both with themand their advisors,"

The dean said he had not heard of Collin's'cricumstances and would look into them, but addedthat he was quite ready to make exceptions to thenew rule and consider individual circumstances.

"What we're trying to do is not to persecuteanyone, but rather to force departments to take aharder took at their critical stages, he said. Wehave an underdeveloped advisory culture here andwe want to both free up resources and re-focusgraduate programs so that students will begin tofocus on their dissertation projects earlier.

The change from a formerly lenientextension-granting policy could prevent make itmore difficult for some students to finish theirdegree requirements.

John A. Collins '72, a graduate students in thegovernment department, charged that his medicalcircumstances have prevented him from completinghis thesis so far. He will not be able to completehis thesis, of which he said he has written 1,500pages, by next year.

The 20th-year graduate student was grantedseveral medical exemptions to the current rulerequiring students to get permission to continuegraduate studies beyond the 10th year.

But Wolff and other officials said the policy,which is being implemented through the individualdepartments, will be flexible in certain cases.

"This is not in any sense final," said Gurneyprofessor of English Literature Derek A. Pearsall,who is the department's director of graduatestudies. English is one of the departments withthe highest number of seasoned graduate students:it has 12 this year.

"This is an attempt to give an incentive tothose who need it, not an act of execution," headded. "And we've ensured that it is to thestudents' advantage by consulting both with themand their advisors,"

The dean said he had not heard of Collin's'cricumstances and would look into them, but addedthat he was quite ready to make exceptions to thenew rule and consider individual circumstances.

"What we're trying to do is not to persecuteanyone, but rather to force departments to take aharder took at their critical stages, he said. Wehave an underdeveloped advisory culture here andwe want to both free up resources and re-focusgraduate programs so that students will begin tofocus on their dissertation projects earlier.