'Men Working on the Frontiers of Knowledge'

Among the many scholars and teachers who hold permanent faculty appointments in the University, five hold a position which represents one of the highest academic distinctions attainable in this country. They are all University Professors--men free to investigate and to participate in any phase of Harvard's intellectual life, unrestrained by the usual departmental bound-aries.

This concept of the "roving professor" originated more than 20 years ago with President Conant. He first mentioned his views in the President's Report for 1933-34--his second annual presidential report. Writing about "methods of counteracting the centrifugal forces which tend to separate our faculties into an ever-in-creasing number of sub-divisions," he claimed that the University should "emphasize those programs of teaching and research which cut across the conventional boundaries."

As one means to this end Conant suggested that "we need a certain number of university professors with roving commissions whose teaching and creative work shall not be hampered by departmental considerations. Such professors without portfolio would have to be recruited from scholars who had already proved their worth not only as productive thinkers but as stimulating personalities. The endowment of their chairs should include an adequate research fund which could be spent for assistants or for publications as the incumbent in each case directed.

"These would not be research professorships,--inspired teaching along unconventional lines would be an important phase of the work. Such posts would afford an unusual opportunity for brilliant and imaginative men: the positions by their very nature would be a challenge,--a challenge which must be answered by earnest attempts to achieve that synthesis of modern knowledge which the world demands with so much insistence."

Conant discussed the idea again, before the Harvard Club of New York the same month that his original proposal appeared. Again he emphasized the importance of the inter-departmental, intellectual cross-fertilization, of getting "university-minded men" to help counteract the divisive effect of Harvard's size, of commissioning "outstanding scholars who would be free to roam about the entire university."

By this time, Conant knew just what he wanted. But before he could do anything about it, he had to raise enough endowment funds to pay for the salaries, to provide research facilities, and to meet all the other costs of each professorship. It was a slow, long process.

Today, however, there are eight endowed chairs for university professors--three of them vacant at this moment. And the whole concept has proved so successful that just last summer President Pusey announced two new professorships--the Ford and Lowell chairs--to fulfill the same purpose as the university professorships on the college level.

Fortunately for Conant, back in 1934, an occasion for popularizing and for raising money for his new idea was approaching--the 1936 Tercentenary Celebration. He was shortly to announce the formation of a Three Hundredth Anniversary Fund one of the purposes of which was to raise money for university professorships.

At least one professorship was soon assured by a $500,000 gift from Thomas W. Lamont '92. Conant continued to explain his idea in letters and pamphlets sent to alumni.

In an often quoted phrase, he stated, "It is proposed to reserve these new chairs for men working on the frontiers of knowledge, and in such a way that they cross the conventional boundaries of the specialties."

Conant continued to emphasize the necessity of few, if any, restrictions a University Professorship. The endowment would, if possible, not be assigned to any faculty or department. Each chair would be open to scholars in any field, and, when again open, would not necessarily go to someone in the same area as the original holder.

During the 22 years since Conant's original proposal, funds for eight such unrestricted chairs as he envisaged have been donated. The newest chair, the Loeb University Professorship, is as yet unfilled. The retirements of Nobel prize physicist P. W. Bridgman '04 and of lawyer Zechariah Chafee, Jr. leaves two more chairs vacant. Holding the five remaining chairs are theologian Paul Tillich, economist Sumner H. Slichter, Middle East authority Sir Hamilton A.R. Gibb, classicist Werner W. Jaeger, and language expert I.A. Richards