Dr. John Silber, a philosophy professor and former dean at the University of Texas, was appointed the seventh president of Boston University yesterday.

Silber was the final choice of a search committee which consisted of students, faculty. administration and alumni working with the BU trustees.

First

This was the first time that members of the BU community other than the trustees had an active role in the selection of a new president.

Silber went to the University of Texas from Yale in 1955 as a philosophy professor. In 1961 he became the chairman of the philosophy department.

In 1967 he was appointed Dean of Liberal Arts at Texas. He was ousted as dean last July in a dispute with Frank Irwin, the conservative chairman of the Board of Regents.

Silber said yesterday that he "would include fund raising as a major responsibility" in his new position. "As president of Boston University, I want to help to produce finances for the educational programs I'm interested in," he said.

He has already suggested the possibility of deficit financing for BU He hopes to make the deficit up with foundation money for BU

He has also proposed an immediate increase of 30 in the BU faculty in an attempt to improve the student-teacher raio of 38/1.