Former Dean of the Faculty Franklin L. Ford, who is McLean professor of ancient and modern history, says it is "much more difficult to find faculty who are willing to take on important tasks" today than it was during his time as dean.

Faculty seem to have less and less interest in their historic role of governing the College.

Apathy has been so great for the last few years that the Faculty Council, which approves the dockets sent to the full Faculty, has had to fill out its ranks with its own nominees. Not enough faculty members suggested candidates.

Herschbach says the tiny turnout for Faculty Council elections shows that faculty members are becoming less interested in asserting their own authority over University governance.

"If they aren't active, power gradually moves away from professors," Herschbach says. "There is weakening commitment to feeling citizenship--for example, faculty meeting mean less today than they used to."

The power exerted by the full Faculty hasdeclined over the last 30 years, says Secretary ofthe Faculty John B. Fox Jr. '59. Once, the Facultywas engaged in more day-to-day governance, hesays.

But "If a faculty meeting agenda from the 1950swere presented now, there would be a revolt," hesays. "People don't want to talk about the detailsof College life anymore."

Several Explanations

Professors offer several explanations for thedecline in faculty citizenship and governingpower.

The University's increasingly global andcomplicated interests necessitate professionaladministrators, says Dean for UndergraduateEducation Lawrence Buell.

"University affairs are much more complex thanthey used to be," Buell says. "It's harder forinvolved in University affairs to fell that theyhave a good handle on how the institution worksglobally, and how it makes decision day-to-day andcrisis-to-crisis."

Herschbach says Harvard's burgeoningbureaucracy crowds out faculty for a share ofUniversity power.

"Harvard has an increasing number of 'civilservants,'" he says. "There is an infrastructureof deans and advisors that do a lot of things interms of detailed governance that faculty membersat smaller colleges do."

But other professors offer alternative reasonfor the decline of faculty power.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III says thedeclining sense of faculty responsibility may bedue to the rapid turnover in the professorialranks.