Dr. Wilson H. Elkins, President of the
University of Maryland, strongly en-
dorsed a constitutional provision that
would give the University a measure of
autonomy. His recommendation con-
cluded a long interchange of corre-
spondence with the chairman and mem-
bers of the Constitutional Convention
Commission, running over several
months.
Dr. Elkins supported his position by
calling attention to the fact that several
other states acknowledge the virtue of
constitutional recognition for their
schools of higher education, including:
The University of Michigan
Michigan State University
The University of California
Oklahoma State University
The University of Minnesota
The University of Colorado
The University System of Georgia
The University of Idaho
The University of Utah.
He emphasized the importance of
giving the Board of Regents power to
manage their own affairs with reason-
able exception from political considera-
tions or the pressures brought on by
politics, particularly as the University
became more complex with its vast
research program. He said: "This will
become increasingly important as the
University gets more involved with the
Federal Government as I am sure it will
during the next decade." He might
have said "during the next year" be-
cause, in less than twelve months, the
University received from the federal
1 This article was prepared for the Commis-
sion from its file materials by Clyde C. Hall;
A.B., 1926, Dartmouth College: George Wash-
ington University (1932-34); member of the
National Press Club, Washington, D.C.
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government the largest grant for educa-
tion it had ever received from any source
— $3.7 million from the National Science
Foundation for improving several areas
of its science curriculums.
Dr. Elkins' recommendation was sup-
ported by Charles P. McCormick,
Chairman of the Board of Regents, who
said in a letter to the Chairman of the
Constitutional Convention Commission:
"I, personally, endorse the recom-
mendation of Dr. Elkins for it would
give to the University the status to
which it is entitled and it would aid
in defining the powers of the Board
of Regents and give the decisions and
actions of the Board greater stability
and continuity and protect them from
fluctuating political pressures.
"I have been advised that consti-
tutional recognition has substantial
precedent and that, in recent years,
constitutional autonomy giving power
of management to the Board of
Regents, has been established in a
number of state universities."
Not all students of government and
politics agree with Dr. Elkins, however.
Some feel that authority conferred by
the constitution removes the university
from close relationship with its spon-
sors, the people, through their elected
representatives in the state legislature.
This group opts for statutory as opposed
to constitutional authority. Others feel
that the university is not a creation of a
bureaucracy and should not therefore
be established by a state constitution.
The latter viewpoint was expressed by
the Chairman of the Constitutional
Convention Commission as follows:
". , . It is our objective to make of
the Constitution, to the extent we are
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