Education: More Kudos

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    Personnel

    At Johns Hopkins a new Dean who has not a single earned or honorary degree, at the University of California a President who was once a newsboy; a new President at Connecticut College for Women; a Novelist-Professor at the University of Chicago—these were among changes announced last week in the ever-shifting personnel of U. S. universities.

    Edward Wilber Berry. Dr. Joseph Sweetman Ames, Johns Hopkins' brand new president, appointed Professor Edward Wilber Berry of the science staff to be the University Dean and Provost, the position held by Dr. Ames prior to his election to the Presidency last fortnight. Professor Berry first went to Johns Hopkins in 1906 as an assistant in paleontology. In 1913 he became associate professor of paleontology, and four years later a full professor. Before his pedagogical career Professor Berry roamed through the South as a cotton goods salesman. For a time he was president, manager and treasurer of the Daily News in Passaic, N. J., near Newark, where he was born. During these years he studied paleobotany and paleontology as a hobby, so assiduously that he became famed as an amateur expert. Johns Hopkins got wind of him through his membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Socié té Gé ologique de France, the Paleontologische Gesellschaft.

    Katherine Blunt. Philadelphia-born Dr. Katherine Blunt, head of the home economics department of the University of Chicago, was last week elected President of Connecticut College for Women, which this year functioned president-less under the guidance of Faculty Dean Irene Nye, Director of Admissions David Deitch Leib and Head of the German Department Herbert Z. Kip. Trustees of Connecticut College, pleased at getting Dr. Blunt, chuckled with satisfaction over the number of other educators who had been candidates for the position. Dr. Blunt said last week that she would not regret leaving Chicago for Connecticut, that the ''new job interests me very much as an educational opportunity."

    Allen C. Valentine, 28. was appointed Dean of Men at Swarthmore College. Dean Valentine, onetime Rhodes Scholar, had lately become secretary of the Rhodes Foundation at Swarthmore. Swarthmore's President Frank Aydelotte is President of the Rhodes Scholars Association in the U.S.

    Robert Gordon Sproul, 38, was last week appointed President of the University of California. Because of his comparative youth, President Sproul was of course compared to Chicago's young President Robert Maynard Hutchins. who is eight years younger. The Sproul childhood was spent in San Francisco, where he once sold newspapers. He worked through high school and college. He was graduated from the University of California in 1913, became efficiency expert of the city of Oakland. Nine years ago he was named comptroller and vice president of the University. President Sproul has two college degrees, but neither of them is the Ph. D. which used to be a sine qua non of college presidents. The Sproul degrees are B. S. California, LL. D. Southern California (Occidental College).

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