Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

deciding who should be admitted, subject to the few principles which had
been established. Thus the Director had written Professor Veblen as they
collaborated in outlining procedures before the School of Mathematics
opened:
The question of admitting students is, f think, a simple one,
There is a certain mount of money available for grznts-in-af d.
This the matheriatical group will administer, and I shall simply
exercise a fomal oversight, as I think I am in duty bound to
do. Beyond this you can admit anyone who sems to you thorough-
ly worth while at his own expense, if such there
Apparently the idea of aiding students ta pursue advanced study
sem.ed ES strange to Professor Veblen as it had to the Founders earlier.
Thus he wrote Flexner in December 1932:
At present it seems ta me that your idea of giving a feu fel-
lowships approxir~tcly equivelent to the National Research
Council fellowships is a good one. Du you propose to put
something l ike that in your Bulletin? I should think we would
want a couple of years of experience before arriving at any
definite policy,
Ten days Later he suggested that if a certain candidate for the doctorate
needed money far his studies, and could not get it £ram the Universfty,
the Institute might .well supply it, Bowever, this was never. done, because
Flexnes would allow the Institute to take no action concerning candidates. 76
Mention of the grants wes omitted .in the Bulletin: a registration fee a£
$100 was specified, however.
To r.: zruit workers, or mmbers, as they uere shortly to be
called, for the first year of operation, decided by Flexner and Veblen to
be 1933-1934, Plexner wrote to the heads of several faundetfons which
awarded felloushipa, sendlng materials and suggesting ths~ they bring the
new Institute to the attention of their Fellclus. We alerted the htlonaf
Research Council, the Cwmonveglth Fund, and the Paris headquarters of the