(jiemîcal _tngîneering News
WALTER J. MURPHY f Editor
Training f o r Executive Positions A.SK THE top executives of the chemical industry what is perhaps the greatest problem their companies face and in many instances they will reply—"'finding competent young men who have the qualifications to fill top executive positions later on." It is not always recognized that the tremendous growth in the chemical industry has taken place very largely in the past 30 or 35 years. Many o f those who helped guide the destiny of these companies i n the early twenties have reached the retirement age and,, furthermore, the size of most of these companies today as compared to 3 0 years ago is such that the number of top executives needed is much greater. W e know of some companies where the realization that most of their top executives were going to reach retirement at about the same time came a s a distinct shock. Fortunately, in most instances this situation has been remedied, but only after a great amount of time and effort has been devoted to recruiting competent personnel—many of them from fields other than the chemical industry. An industry of the magnitude of t h e chemical field cannot afford to depend on 'hit or miss" methods of selecting executive or managerial personnel. I t is highly desirable, for many reasons, that the industry employ, in top-flight executive positions, m e n with technical training, background, and experience. However, not all technical graduates make good executives. Therefore, how does a company go about deciding who among the technical personnel possess the special aptitudes needed for executive work? Apparently, a few companies in t h e chemical industry have given some thought to a systematic and periodic appraisal of technical personnel with the purpose in mind of building u p a group for special training along executive lines, but t h e practice as yet is not very widespread. Firms which fail t o appreciate the importance of initiating some such plan unconsciously are creating future bottlenecks.
The Public Understands the Problem
Honoring W a l t e r A . Schmidt
( J E O R G E G A L L U P , director of the American Institute of Public Opinion, has again directed the attention of his fact-gathering organization to the draft. Some months ago, staff reporters for the institute found w h e n they questioned a cross section of the nation's voters that a majority favored the deferment of college students maintaining good marks. The most recent survey agrees vvitli t h e institute survey of July 1952, although the vote noxv is somewhat smaller. In response to Dr. Gallup's question "Should students now getting good marks in college b e drafted before they are graduated, or not?" those with n o opinion totaled 8%, those who thought they should be drafted amounted to 37%, leaving 55% who are convinced that the welfare of this country will b e served better if these young men are deferred. In the Washington Post report of t h e Gallup study, the following highly significant paragraphs appear: "The special preference given by the public to college students is a mark of the importance that the average American places on a college education. T h e worry of Dr. John A. Hannah, Undersecretary of
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Defense, and some senators over the complaints that the sons of rich m e n are deferred for college while the sons of the poor are drafted and sent to Korea is not shared b y the public, judging from the survey results. "The vote b y educational level indicates clearly that opinion is strongly on the side of college deferment among persons who themselves did not go t o college, as well as those who did/* Many of our legislators have understood the importance of providing deferments for college students so that the intellectual life of the nation is not adversely affected in a long period of international tension. Furthermore, they have agreed t h a t our one chance of survival in a World War III is that w e maintain our superiority in science and technology. But legislators have been concerned with public opinion on this matter, fearing tiiat t h e voters d i d not favor a policy of deferment for college students. Certainly the two Gallup polls, the one in July of last year a n d the 1953 survey, demonstrate a n enlightened attitude on the part of the public in this matter. Selective Service rolls now show a total of 545,763 college students, of whom approximately 220,000 are in R O T C and 32,000 are divinity students. This leaves 202,763 students w h o have "civilian student" deferments. Approximately half of the young men now in college are enrolled in R O T C , which means that the number of students going o n to graduate schools in t h e next few years will b e very small indeed and wholly inadequate to the country's need for such highly trained people. Perhaps senators and congressmen, now that they know public opinion is with them in deferring students so they can obtain undergraduate degrees, will b e willing t o frame legislation that will permit those who are really qualified to d o graduate work to d o so whether or not they are enrolled in R O T C . T h e number of specialized personnel Russia is training, including scientists, engineers, and technicians, is frightening. We might better take a realistic attitude now than to wait until it is no longer possible for us to mobilize resources sufficient to fight a modern war.
T HE Los ANGELES meeting of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL
SOCIETY is a most appropriate time t o pay honor to Walter A. Schmidt for nis long and devoted service to the Society. In addition to being named honorary chairman of the meeting, Mr. Schmidt will be further honored at the luncheon of t h e Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry on Tuesday, March 17, a t the Hotel Clark. At that time, he will b e presented with a scroll commemorating t h e many contributions h e has made to chemical science, technology, industry, and engineering, and to the chemical profession. T h e luncheon will provide the opportunity for Mr. Schmidt's legion of friends to express publicly their heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to him for his innumerable services to t h e AMERICAN CHEMICAL. SOCIETY a n d to say
what is in our hearts—that in Walter A. Schmidt w e have found a warm, considerate, understanding h u m a n being whose thoughtfulness reaches out to the most eminent and the most humble.
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