1905-06 Volume 30 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

THE SCROLL. 223COLUMBIA/BERLIN PROFESSORSHIPS.Announcement was made, November 12, that James Speyer,of New York, had given to the trustees of Columbia Universitythe sum of ^50,000 to endow the Theodore Rooseveltprofessorship of American history and institutions in the Universityof Berlin, in accordance with a plan approved by theGerman emperor when he received President Butler, of Columbia,in audience at Wilhelmshohe in August last.Incumbents of the professorship will be appointed by thePrussian ministry of education, with the emperor's sanction,upon the nomination of the trustees of Columbia University.The term of office of each incumbent will be one year, andincumbents will be so chosen that in successive years the fieldsof American history, American constitutional and administrativelaws, American economic and sociological problemsand movements, American education and American contributionsto science, technology, the arts and literature will be thesubject of instruction.It is proposed in this way to present in a series of years toGerman university students an outline of American historyand institutions. Nominations will not be confined to themembers of the staff of Columbia University, but professorsin any American institution of learning or scholars unattachedto any university will be eligible for nomination.The German government, in return, will establish at ColumbiaUniversity a professorship of German history and institutions,to the incumbent of which the same general conditionswill apply as for the incumbent of the Theodore Rooseveltprofessorship. The appointee to the chair in Columbia Universitywill lecture in English. President Roosevelt assentedto the request of Mr. Speyer to attach his name to the chair,and Emperor William promptly gave approval to the suggestion.The trustees of Columbia University have nominated as thefirst incumbent of the chair John William Burgess, Ph. D.,LL. D., Ruggles professor of political science and constitutionallaw and dean of the faculty of political science in ColumbiaUniversity. He will enter upon his duties at theUniversity of Berlin in the winter of 1906-07, and will giveinstructions in American constitutional history.In making the announcement President Butler, of Columbia,said on behalf of the trustees: "Mr. Speyer's gift seemsto us both striking in its originality and splendid in its possibilities.We are not without hope that before long ColumbiaUniversity will be put in position to make similar arrange-