Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 24, No. 12. 1961.

New People

New People

Dr. Shwayder arrived recently from the United States of America, and will be working for the next six months in the Philosophy Department. Dr. Shwayder is in New Zealand on a Fulbright Research Grant which does not require him to lecture but allows time for his own particular work. The philosophy of Language is the field in which Dr. Schwayder's chief interests lie.

Although he has travelled overseas previously, this is his first visit to New Zealand. He has found, he says, New Zealanders extremely kind, especially at the University.

Dr. Shwayder has found some of the contrasts between a New Zealand University and an American University very interesting. Here, he feels, the various staff members know each other better and are more interested in each other than in an American institution. This is explained, probably by the greater numbers at the Universities there.

The students in the United States have a wider background education and specialise later than in New Zealand.

There are some differences between the Philosophy Department at Victoria and that at Berkeley University, California, where Dr. Shwayder obtained his Ph:D., due primarily to the difference in the size of the departments, and in the rather more orthodox approach made here.

In his time here Dr. Shwayder hopes to travel to many parts of New Zealand, and also to have fortnight in Australia.

A new member on the Administrative side of the University Staff is Mr Walshe, who previously worked as an Assistant Secretary to the Appointments Board of Melbourne University. The Appointments Board, half academics and half people from industry, gives advice and information on suitable careers to graduating students. Mr Walshe dealt with Scientific and technical fields, and also some mathematics.

The Appointments Board arranges a programme of "campus interviews," when rooms are made available for employers to talk informally with graduates and undergraduates.

It is particularly interesting to look at the work of this Board in the light of "Careers Information Week" at Victoria, which could possibly lead to more ambitious work in this direction.

At Victoria Mr Walshe has the position of Assistant Registrar-Academic. He is one of the three Assistant Registrars who have recently been appointed, and will work directly, with Dr Williams. Part of his work will be to act as Secretary to various committees of which the Vice-chancellor is Chairman.