"SMALLSVILLE COLLEGE: A DIVISION OF HARVARD.INC."

To the Editors of the Crimson:

The actions by the Graduate Student Union over the question of the financial state of the University points out something that has been long overlooked: the operation and administration of colleges and universities is chained to the past. I doubt that the Union will uncover barrels of money that Harvard is hiding from them, because Harvard clings to its 19th century notion that nonprofitability equals academic excellence. The Administration wouldn't dream of making money, because it just isn't the Harvardly thing to do.

But consider this. There are over 200 colleges and universities in the United States. With 2000 administrations, 2000 personnel offices, 2000 alumni offices, 2000 this, 2000 that. Education is big business, one of the biggest businesses in the world, and yet it is run on totally outmoded notions of organization, administration, financing, etc.

Harvard shouldn't be investing in Gulf Oil when it could be investing in education and knowledge, when it could be acquiring, yes, acquiring, scores of smaller and even more financially troubled institutions and developing a nationwide University run on modern management principles, rather that on the old school ties, when it could be going into publishing and consulting businesses in a big way, rather that leaving those profits to Doubleday and Arthur D. Little.

Smallaville College, a division of Harvard University. With centralized management, and student-faculty exchanges. Reorganzze the University along business-like principles and it will thrive. As it now stands, the students and faculty pay the price of maintaining Harvard in the 19th century, while they have to live in the 20th. Surely you can do a hell of a lot more for everyone concerned when you've got Harvard's Billion Dollar Endowment and Endless Prestige to work with. Steve Nelson   LL. B. '65   M.P.A. '66