Professor F. W. Taussig '79 will discuss the merits of a three year college course for Harvard a subject which was at one time extensively discussed and even voted upon by the Board of Overseers in an address before the Liberal Club, Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock.
At Cambridge University, England, the three year course is the rule, while at Oxford, although the four year degree is more common, it is possible to take a degree in three years. At Harvard, although the work of four years may be completed in three years by taking extra courses and by summer study, the student must wait four years for his degree.
The question of revising the system at Harvard on a three year basis was first raised when Charles W. Eliot '53 was President of the University. Opinion was divided as to which policy should be pursued, and the issue gave rise to a great deal of discussion. The officers of the University considered the proposals made at that time, and finally the matter was put to a vote in a Board of Overseers meeting. The Overseers gave their approval to the four year plan as at present in force; that the three year case had many adherents among the members of the Board of that time, however, is proved by the fact that the new plan was defeated by a narrow margin only.
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