Part 1 - The Institute Libraries - Institute for Advanced Study

let it to be so now, in the hope t bt with experience would fnevitably
c m
reason and change. in Universities Flemr had decried the arbi-
trary actions of hericsn lay boards of trustees, and had advocated close
consultative relations between trustees and faculties, pointing out that
certsin grievous w.istakes which harmed the Institutions in which they
occurred vould have been zvaided hzd such a relation existed. He said
also tkzt university presidents tended to become "bottlenecksw between
the two groups in interest, capable of representing the views of neither
completely to the pther. Thorstein Veblen had czlled them "Captains of
Erudition!"
There were other conflicts in the pre-Board conferences.. Flex-
ner urged that the President and Vice-President should be meders =-
offkcio of all four standing cwmittees -- Executive, Firenee, Eduation
and Nmfnations. Hr. Ba~herger insisted on raking the President stztutorg
Chaimn of the Important Executive Comnittee, and the Vice-President end
Director statutory members. Flemer opposed the limitation put upon
expenditures through the provision that the Treasurer must sign every
check, and t h ~ President mst countersign it if he were av~ilable and
able to do so. The Board added tkt in the President's absence. any
member of the Finance Comf ttee could countersign. Dne further point:
though the President ues to preside over meetings of the Hemberg of the
I
Corporation, which met always i n April to elect Trustees, and could m nd
by majority vote the ~ y - ~ v Mr. s . 3.rr.berger ~ ~ insisted that he have the
b
responsibility for appointing the cormnittees of the Board of Trustees,
over whose meetings the airman mzs to preside- The Vice-President was
to perfom the duties of the President in his absence or disability; no