I 'T'uesday, August 27, 1968
THE MICHIGAN dAIL.Y
Paae Three
Tuesday, Augqst 27, 1968 THE MICHIGAN tAlLY
. ... .. . " .. vv
r
Hays prepared
to cope with hectic
5
I 1
job
By URBAN LEHNER
Editorial Director'
Hypothetical situation: literary
college Dean William Hays is con
ferring with a talented young as-
sistant professor who has only
recently reteived his appointment.
In the course of their discussion,
the rookie scholar tells Hays
bluntly that he is interested in
attaining the literary college
deanship within 20 . years, and
asks him how to go about getting
there.
What would Hays do?
"I'd have him locked up some-
where," laughs Hays, who took
over the dean's post July 1, upon
the retirement of William Haber.
"He'd have to be some kind of
'masochist."
University administrators tradi-
tionally have gone about their
daily chores in a spirit of semi-
facetious martyrdom. But in the
case of William Hays, at least,
there are strong reasons for won-
dering why anyone would want
his job.
As dean, Hays will have to di-
vide the college's $19 million
budget among 30 departments
and '6 area programs in a man-
ner that will neither overly dam-
age or offend any of them, and
still avoid running a deficit. Each
year, he will have to lobby with
the President and vice presidents
for the funds to meet the col-
lege's growing needs. He will have
to reconcile increasingly clamor-
ous student demands for a voice
in the decision-making processes
of the college with the faculty's
often closely guarded sense of
prerogatives.
Mostly Hays, working hand in
hand with the college's executive
committee of 6 elected faculty
members, will have to continue
the increasingly difficult job of
recruiting top flight professors
and' keeping, those already here
happy..
"Historically, the function of
the dean has been to serve as the
voice of the faculty," notes Hays.
Even that is not an easy job. Ask-
ed what the faculty thinks about
a problem, he often answers, "I
cannot speak for the faculty.
There are as many faculty opin-
ions as there are faculty members.
I can only represent them as I
understand their feelings."
Even so, few men have assumed
the literary college deanship with
Hays' ability to cope with its
problems. With a meteoric rise
through the ranks of the psy-
chology department and the liter-
ary college behind him (he was
appointed assistant professor only
11 years ago), the 42-year-old
Texan is genial, tactful, and po-
litically adroit.
Hays defines his role as "talk-
ing to people," and it is at talking
to people-both publicly and pri-
vately- that he is best. He is
frank, articulate, and agreeable-
too agreeable for some people.
"When we had the Students for
a Democratic Society convention
here last summer and he was as-
sociate dean, I went in to talk to
him about getting University
sponsorship," recalls one campus
radical. "He said he thought it
was a great idea, but nothing ever
happened."
Indeed, Hays has apparently
heard the complaint himself.
"Just because I think something is
a good idea," he warns, "doesn't
necessarily mean it's a feasible
one."
A student who has observed
meetings chaired by Hays re-
marks: "He was really smooth.
Everybody always knew who was
in charge."
The new dean thinks it inevit-
able that students will gain an in-
creasing voice in literary college
decisions-probaly at the depart-
ment level- and welcomes the
trend toward more and better "in-
puts into the decision-making pro-
cess.
"What higher education is
shortest of is good ideas," Hays
insists, "and I don't care where
they come from.
"If you want to look at the
university as an industry, we're
the only industry that has ab-
solutely no product feedback."
U niversity
Players
Department
of
Speech
Present
i.
=_..
New LSA Dean William Hays
-ME
PLAYBILL
'68 -'69
Former LSA Dean Haber
recalls his administration
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" 3 r
By JILL CRABTREE
William Haber, who retired on
July 1 as dean of the literary col-
lege, likes to compare his five-'
year administration to the Battle
of Paris in World War I.
"When the French general Jof-
fre was asked who was responsible
for winning that skirmish," Haber
says, "he replied that he did not
know. But he added he was cer-
tain that if it had been lost, the
blame would have been placed
squarely on his shoulders."
Some of the conflicts which
emerged at the University during
the past five years at times did
seem to have all the earmarks of
open battle. And Haber has en-
gineered a few victories.
However, Haber's style of ad-
ministration has not been one of
direct confrontation with the dis-
contented, but rather of judicious
accommodation. "The times re-
quire adjustment to the world of
change," he says.
For example, a threatened fac-
ulty strike to protest the war in
Vietnam was turned into the first
"teach-in" three years ago after
Haber agreed to provide necessary
assembly halls, classrooms and
amplifying equipmelt.
Haber feels such accommoda-
tion is necessary to keep opera-
tions "on an even keel." "In a
period like this," he says, "mere-
ly to survive is almost an accom-
plishment."
During the period of Ha-
ber's administration demonstra-
tions were staged concerning Uni-
versity defense-research, policies'
toward industrial and military re-
cruiters, use of academic disci-
pline for non-academic offenses,
and evolving problems of black
students.
"It was a period of intense ac-
tivism, among both students and
faculty," Haber says. "Students
especially were questioning, and
rightfully, even the most sacred
ideas."
But Haber strongly opposes
demnonstrations which disrupt the
operations of the University. "I
have only one quarrel with the
activists," Haber says.
"Their idealism is wonderful,
and their interest in social, polit-
ical and international problems
is encouraging. Their authori-
tarianism, however, is disturbing.
They tend to impose their views
on others rather than attemp-
ting to convert them. Such im-
position would be permissible
through the democratic process,
but to do so through disruption
is both presumptuous and arro-
gant."
In spite of the tribulations as-
sociated with Haber's post, he
has enjoyed being dean.
"There is a certain tradition
about an administrative post:
one is supposed to suffer In it.
It is supposed to be denigrating
to leave the intellectual atmo-
sphere of teaching, reflecting, and
writing to become involved in
budget-making and personnel.
"This Is a lot of baloney, If I
may put it that way. Nothing can
give a person greater satisfaction
than facilitating the functions of
others."
The operations of the literary
college have seen significant pro-
gress under Haber's guidance. The
curriculum has become less rigid
with more flexibility introduced
into distribution requirements.
The college is experimenting with
pass-fail options, and has en-
larged the honors program. A
new undergraduate program in
liberal studies has been put into
operation, and the Residential
College, after some false starts, is
finally off the ground.
Haber is not unaware of sig-
nificant problems which still
ciallenge LSA, however.
Hegpraises ,the birth of such
courses as the "outreach" pro-
gram in psychology and the Inner
city course, which enable students
to apply their classroom knowl-
edge in work with the mentally
disturbed and culturally deprived.
Student support for these
courses, he says, indicate a
"strong desire for education rele-
vant to one's surroundings."
He also notes that national em-
phasis on mathematics and the
sciences has contributed to strong
University departments in these
fields.
But he feels that internationalj
scientific competition and a desire
for immediate relevance in educa-
tion have caused a "dangerous
neglect" in the humanities. He
maintains that departments in
philosophy and languages and lit-
erature have often been given
lower priority than they merit.!
"Students want relevance," he
says. "But on the other hand, it
would be a sad thing if all of lib-
eral education were based only
on today's relevance. Why then,
would we study Plato? We need
to discover the relation of the past
to the present, and the present
to the future.
"We live in a period of multiple
revolution - in science, technol-
ogy, in education and living
standards and even in morals.
The best education for adjust-
ment to this revolution is some
understanding of historical and
philosophical values, not only to
prepare one.to make a living but
to enjoy life."
Haber would like to see every
student receive a four-year-ed-
ucation in liberal studies "and
not worry about making a living
until the fifth and sixth year."
In his new post as an adviser
to the University president and
executive officers, Haber will in-
deed be involved in "budget-
making and personnel." One of
his primary jobs will be to work
with newly appointed Vice Presi-
dent for State Relations and
Planning, Arthur M. Ross. Haber
will help Ross familiarize him-
self with the state's economy and
its relation to University finances.
In addition, he will assist In
long-term academic planning.
and
a PREMIERE PRODUCTION
Euripides'
THE BACCHAE
Harold Pinter's
THE HOMECOMING
STUDENT BOOK
SGRVICG
William Shakespeare's
THE TEMPEST
1215 South University
in cooperation with the
Department of English
BANG! BANG! YOU'RE DEAD!
A Premiere Production by Mack Owen
John Osborne's
III
1 ±, 1 i
LREPERTORY
COMPANY
II THE ENTERTAINER
L, .1 illy i
M~~RE''"SPTEMABER 17-29
"" Stephen Poite
Adapted by
Richard
Wilbur
A delightful satiric romp
OCTOBER 143
A cotemporaryopproach to
Shakes peares~iI r
[Drected b s Rrzobb - Musc *yCowad Susa
OtS ER'15-27
s *F
By Sean O'Casey
Directed by Jmk O'Brien -Music by Bob James
f Anton Chekhov's
THE CHERRY, ORCHARD
Aristophanes'
LYSISTRATA
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THE BACCHAE'C
Wed., Oct. 2 Fri., Oct. 4 * I
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I THE HOMECOMINGno
Wed., Oct. 30 Fri., Nov. 1 *
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THE TEMPESTa i b
I Wed., Nov. 20 Fri., Nov. 22 *___
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MATINEE- Sat., Nov. 23_.
BANG! BANGS YOU'RE.DEADI
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THE ENTERTAINER
Wed., Feb. 19 Fri., Feb. 21 _ut*
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Pleasenote that each starred Friday or Saturday performance you
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