University of Virginia Library

Popular Election

Both men feel that the popular
election of the committee by
members of the faculty would lead
to extreme difficulty. There would
be a question of apportioning
representation to the various academic
fields stated Mr. Bowers.
People could be elected for the
"wrong reasons" - for popularity
rather than judgment, and dispassionate
judgment without pressure
would be more difficult to
obtain.

Full professors are selected for
several reasons. If the lower ranks
were represented, Mr. Bowers explained,
situations would arise in
which assistant professors would be
voting on full professors. Furthermore,
full professors having
achieved that rank are better judges
of what constitutes meritous work
than those in the lower ranks, said
Mr. Bowers. He added that with a
committee composed solely of full
professors, a "broader over-view" is
achieved.

After the committee has studied
the information on each candidate,
meetings are arranged in which the
recommend or of each candidate is
interviewed. Following completion
of the interviews, the committee
engages in a "searching discussion,"
after which a vote is taken on a
formal recommendation.

It is made uncommonly clear
throughout the report that quality
in teaching as well as quality in
scholarship is considered. Indeed
previous committees in the interviews
and in the discussions have
concerned themselves more with
teaching quality, according to Mr.
Bowers.