Vice-chancellor

“ The Judicature Acts of 1873 and 1875 preserved the title of vice-chancellor during the lives of the existing vice-chancellors, while giving them the status of justices of the high court, and providing that no future vice-chancellors should be appointed. Though junior in office Bacon was considerably senior in years to vice-chancellor Malins, as also to vice-chancellors Wickens and Hall. Yet all three died while the veteran was still dispensing justice with undiminished vigour ”

“ They knelt down before the Vice-Chancellor one by one, and put up their hands like a child saying its prayers; the Vice-Chancellor put his hands outside theirs and said in Latin, ‘By the right of my office and the power invested in me, I create you Master of Arts or Bachelor of Arts (as the case might be) in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. ”

“ You will no doubt yourselves feel that it is desirable that this University should be represented by some one, who is free from any trammels which might interfere with his duty to the University. And even if one is not bound by such trammels it is desirable that even the bare suspicion of any cross-lights or clashing interests should never touch the Vice-Chancellor of this University, who has so often to represent it before the public and before the Government. ”

“ In November the same year he became vice-chancellor of the university of Cambridge. When chosen vice-chancellor he was only a fellow of Trinity College, ‘within which he gave upper hand to Dr. Still (then master) , but took it of him when out of the walls of the college’ (Fuller, Hist. of Cambridge, ed. Prickett and Wright, p. 281) . An act was accordingly made among the doctors that for the future no one who was not head of a house should be eligible for the vice-chancellorship (Addit. MSS. 5807 f. 40, 5866 f. 32 b) . ”

“ That every professor do continue in his office during life, unless in case of such misbehaviour as shall amount to bannition by the university statutes; or unless he deserts the profession of the law by betaking himself to another profession; or unless, after one admonition by the vice-chancellor and proctors for notorious neglect, he is guilty of another flagrant omission: in any of which cases he be deprived by the vice-chancellor, with consent of the house of convocation. ”

“ They are also very apt to mistake characters and functionaries:—I have seen a freshman cap the college-butler, taking him for bursar at least. The persons to be so complimented are the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, the Proctors, the head of your college, and your tutors. When the late Bishop Mansell was Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, he one day met two freshmen in Trumpington-street, who passed him unheeded. ”

“ The Vice-Chancellor was Dr Wood, Master of S. John’s College; the officers of the society were: Mr Whewell, President; Mr Thirlwall, Secretary; Mr H. J. Rose, Treasurer. The late Professor Selwyn, in a speech at the opening of the new Union building, October 30, 1866, stated that on the entrance of the proctors the President said, ‘Strangers will please to withdraw, and the House will take the message into consideration.’
33. ”

“ Next month officers of the court applied to him as vice-chancellor to provide an English comedy for the queen's amusement, owing to professional players' inability to keep their engagements on account of the plague which prevailed in London. Still replied that it might be possible to provide a Latin play, but ‘Englishe comedies, for that wee never used any, wee presentlie have none; to make or translate one in such shortness of time wee shall not be able’ (Collier, Annals of the Stage, ii. 293) . Before his year of office as vice-chancellor ended he was appointed bishop of Bath and Wells. ”

“ Yes;—and there would be this against you—that it is so difficult for a man to go back to the verdure and malleability of pupildom, who has once escaped from the necessary humility of its conditions. You will find it difficult to sit and wait for business in a Vice-Chancellor's Court, after having had Vice-Chancellors, or men as big as Vice-Chancellors, to wait upon you. ”

“ We therefore the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and doctors, together with the Proctors, and Masters, Regents, and non-Regents of the Great Convocation of the University of Oxon, upon often Consultation and Conference had with Sir. Tho. ”

“ In 1852-3 he was senior proctor in the university. He acted with the moderate party who opposed the action taken against William George Ward [q. v.] , and against the proposal that the vice-chancellor should have power to impose a certain form which a member of the university should be required to use in subscribing the articles. ”

“ Life of Wood, ed. Clark, i. 52) . Convocation appointed Pink to discharge the vice-chancellor's duties as pro-vice-chancellor, or deputy vice-chancellor. About the middle of August Pink began to inquire into the condition of the arms in the possession of the different colleges and to drill the scholars. On 25 Aug. he held a review in New College quadrangle and proceeded to raise defences, and to attempt to persuade the city to co-operate with the university in erecting fortifications (ib. pp. 54-8; Report on the Duke of Portland's MSS. i. 57) . ”

“ He served the office of vice-chancellor of the university for the year commencing November 1569, and was in a commission to visit King's College, Cambridge, which had been thrown into a state of confusion by the conduct of Dr. ”

“ Ill-health, which before his call had compelled a two years' residence in Italy, at first retarded his progress; but in time he acquired a very large junior practice, and he became junior counsel to the treasury in equity, junior counsel to the woods and forests department, the inland revenue, and the board of works, and eventually in 1853 a queen's counsel and Bethell's successor as vice-chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. ”

“ On 11 Dec. he was one of the assessors of the vice-chancellor in the proceedings against Thomas Cartwright (1535–1603) [q. v.] He was appointed one of the visitors of St. John's College, and helped to revise the statutes in 1575–6. ”

“ This officer is the acting Head of the University, and is appointed by the Council from amongst the Heads of the Colleges, usually by rota, year by year. The Chancellor, whom he represents, is always some specially distinguished notability, and is appointed for life. ”

“ Henceforth the president of the association will practically be elected by goals and touch-downs, because the office goes to the Captain of the winning eleven of the Senior League. The vice-president is similarly chosen, the office going to the Captain of the champion team of the Junior League. There are to be [Pg 754] graduates on the executive committee, which is perfectly proper, but that these should be chosen from one college alone is unwise and unfair. ”

“ When its principles are better understood, you will see develop in the great financial centers some such important title as vice-chairman, in order that rank and authority may be conferred superior to that of the presidents of the constituent properties. Both the chairman and the president need a senior vice-chairman and a senior vice-president, respectively, to act as chief of staff. ”

“ Chancellor Farnsworth, the chairman of the committee appointed to confer with me, called to-day, but I was out. I saw him this evening. Whipple had repeated to him the substance of my conversation with him, and I am desired to commit my plans to writing, that he may embody it in his report at the next meeting of the regents. This I am to do to-morrow (D. V.) and to call on the chancellor to-morrow evening, with Whipple, to talk over the matter. There is every reason to believe that my propositions will be adopted. ”

“ If the society is to be a permanent one the presiding officer is usually called the president. A vice president is also elected, to preside in the absence of the president; a secretary to keep a record of the doings of the society, and such other officers as are necessary to properly perform the duties required by the organization. In such cases immediately after the temporary organization, as described in section 5, has been completed, a carefully selected committee should be appointed to draft a constitution, by-laws and rules. ”

“ At the same time, as the people had shewn symptoms of discontent, on account of the great offices being all in the distinguished families, it was thought expedient to ordain, that the Chancellor should always be taken from among the Secretaries of the senate, who were citizens. ”

“ Now, in accepting office as executive head of a university, the incumbent necessarily accepts all the conditions that attach to the administration of his office, whether by usage and common sense expectation, by express arrangement, or by patent understanding with the board to which he owes his elevation to this post of dignity and command. By usage and precedent it is incumbent on him to govern the academic personnel and equipment with an eye single to the pursuit of knowledge, and so to conduct its affairs as will most effectually compass that end. ”

“ Every member of that institution, to whatever class he belongs, from the moment he is elected should be in every respect upon precisely the same footing as those who are now considered the governing class, and the ablest man should be chosen from each grade as president or vice-president alternately, so that each department should successively occupy the chair. ”

“ In England the chancellorship of the universities is now a more or less ornamental office and is conferred on noblemen or statesmen of distinction, whose principal function is to look after the general interests of the university, especially in its relations with the government. ”

“ It is the general practice for the vice-president to vacate his chair at the beginning of the session, to permit the Senate to chose a president pro tempore, so that if during vacation the vice-president should become president, the Senate might not be without a presiding officer. ”

“ The office of college president, as it now exists, should be abolished; each faculty in a university or the single faculty in a college should choose its own executive head, who should be simply primus inter pares and should be the mouthpiece of his faculty in conference with other faculties or with the trustees. In a university, the several executives would be a council to determine matters affecting the policy of the institution as a whole. ”

“ So each rector has become an example for his successor for the most conscientious fulfillment of duty. So accrued to the office an authority which will make it possible to exercise a discreet power in fulfilling the assumed responsibilities, as well as in upholding the honors and rights of the office when sustained by the wisdom of the academic senate, by the willing cooperation of all colleagues, and by the trustful demeanor of the academic youth, who have always found in the rector the promoter and chosen solicitor of their true interests. ”

“ The first executive duty of the incumbent of office, therefore, is to keep his faculty under control, so as to be able unhampered to carry out the policy of magnitude and secularization with a view to which the governing board has invested him with his powers. ”

“ The President is not to be consulted by students on the question of applying for admission to this Board nor on their course or conduct. The students can confer with their teachers on subjects essential to their progress.
Presidency of College. SECTION 4. Should the President resign over her own signature or vacate her office of President of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, a meeting of the Christian Science Board of Directors shall immediately be called, and the vice-president of the Board of Education being found worthy, on receiving her approval shall be elected to fill the vacancy. ”

“ In other words, the individual trustees have transferred their powers while nominally retaining them.
The presiding officer of the council, the educational head of the university, should be one who has studied the educational problem from all sides; not necessarily a great scholar in any one department, but a broad scholar, possessing tact and executive force. ”

“ The president of a college teaches only one class, and has no care or responsibility as to the proper performance of the several professors. Each professor has charge of only one class in one or two branches, and is responsible for only those branches; while neither president nor any other officer has any control or responsibility except in his own department. For the president is only primus inter pares (first among equals) as presiding officer of a faculty, in which every question is decided by majority vote. ”

“ The staff, indeed, are not in any sensible degree accountable for this pursuit of prestige, since they have but little discretion in these matters; in substance, the government of a competitive university is necessarily of an autocratic character, whatever plausible forms of collective action and advisement it may be found expedient to observe. The seat of discretion is in the directorate; though many details of administration may be left to the deliberations of the staff, so long as these details do not impinge on the directorate's scheme of policy. ”

“ As his death makes a vacancy among the commissioners of the revenue, my lord chancellor and I have been talking with my lord-lieutenant on that subject, and we all agree it will be for his majesty's service that a native succeed him; and as Sir Ralph Gore, the new speaker, does not care to quit the post of chancellor of the exchequer, which he is already possessed of, and which by an addition made to the place by his late majesty is worth better than 800l. per ann., and is for life, to be made one of the commissioners, we join in our opinion that the most proper person here to succeed Mr. ”