In recognition of the growing interest and importance of the Orient in world affairs, Serge Elisseeff, director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and Professor of Far Eastern Languages has proposed to the Corporation that an entire new division, the Division of Far Eastern Languages, be established.

This new department, if the corporation follows Professor Elisseeff's proposal, would be composed of the present Division of Semitic Languages and History, the department of Indic Philology, and the separate courses now given in Japanese and Chinese.

Advanced Degrees

If the courses in Japanese and Chinese are grouped in a department, it will be possible for men to obtain advanced degrees, and to follow a plan of graduate study in those departments. It is partly to allow this, partly because it is felt that the history of the next few years will demonstrate the necessity of study of the Orient, that the new Division was proposed.

If Professor Elisseeff's plan is accepted by the Corporation there will still be a total of 16 divisions, since the new Far Eastern Language department would absorb the separate division of Semitic Languages.

Yenching Unchanged

The independent status of the Yenching Institute would not be changed in any way by the new plan, although its library of about 130,000 volumes and the Chinese Library would be available.