Diplomatic Work
After the first World War, Seymour served on treaty and territory commissions dealing with Romania, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia and headed the Austro-Hungarian division.
Assuming the presidency of Yale in time for the end of the depression and the outbreak of the war, he saw the enrollment rise from a pre-war 5,300 to 9,000, and drop back to 8,400 this fall.
Educational advances and experiments during his administration have been distinguished by constant liberalization and widening of the undergraduate's potential field of study.
Students' choice of majors has become almost unlimited, with the institution of interdepartmental majors ranging from Science and Music and Engineering and Drama to any combination the administrative board can be persuaded to approve.
This increased freedom to study in "unrelated fields" came into effect two years ago after ten years of study initiated when Seymour took office. In addition, the Yale undergraduate can take an almost unlimited number of courses in the graduate schools and may even major in a field in which a graduate school offers the only courses available.
Other Seymour innovations are required summer reading, the experimental directed studies program, division of studies into five sections, the Scholars of the House program, and revision of methods of history instruction.
The requirement that all undergraduates do a specified amount of reading from a list each summer for a fall examination has been termed a success, as has the substitution of visual techniques for texts and use of source documents in teaching of history.
Directed Studies
The directed studies program takes about 40 students each year through the freshman and sophomore years and prescribes practically all their courses. Applicants for the program are screened to form a cross-section of the undergraduate body in regard to scholastic and social history, aptitudes, and predicted college record.
Results so far have been markedly higher than average scholastic records, both during the program and in the junior and senior years.
The Scholars of the House program takes under 40 juniors and seniors, with no special requirements other than high scholastic standing and approval by a faculty committee.
Lastly, Seymour has appointed heads of six newly-formed divisions: sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, medical affairs, and engineering. The sciences division now offers three courses (Sciences I, II, and III) similar to Harvard's General Education Natural Sciences courses.