Higher Education in Industrial Societies

• Published in: Daedalus (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 1969-10, Vol.98 (4), p.1157-1223
• Main Authors: Ben-David, Joseph, Bourricaud, François, Briggs, Asa, Cappelletti, Mauro, Crozier, Michel, Dunton, A. D., Fulton, Baron John Scott, Grappin, Pierre, Graubard, Stephen R., Killy, Walther, Maeda, Yoichi, Meyerson, Martin, Morison, Elting E., Onushkin, Victor G., Parsons, Talcott, Pizzorno, Alessandro, Robinson, Marshall, Shils, Edward, Zuckerman, Solly
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: College instruction; College students; Educational research; Higher education; Industrial (see also Industrialization, Industrialized); Industrial societies; Research universities; Social sciences; Society/Societies; State universities; Universities; University administration
• ISSN: 0011-5266; 1548-6192

The 1st of a series of seminars on higher educ in industr societies. This one was held in 1969 at the House of the Academy of Arts & Sci's, Boston. The object was to bring together an internat'l group of people who do not normally meet one another to discuss problems that have a great concern for all of them. A brief agenda was prepared by T. Parsons & S. R. Graubard; it reflected on the more important diff's that presently exist between systems of higher educ in the major industr societies. The following persons participated in the debate: J. Ben-David, F. Bourricaud, A. Briggs, M. Cappelletti, M. Crozier, A. D. Dunton, J. S. Fulton, P. Grappin, S. R. Graubard, W. Killy, Y. Maeda, M. Meyerson, E. E. Morison, V. G. Onushkin, T. Parsons, A. Pizzorno, M. Robinson, E. Shils, S. Zuckerman. The problem of the greater numbers of people coming to instit's of higher educ & their greater variety of soc backgrounds is examined first. Then the mechanisms for allocating resources for U's are considered. It is found that the position of the U in society has changed very much, as has the relationship between the U system & the professional complex. 3 possible ways are noted of extending U educ: (a) increasing the size of the individual U units within the system; (b) creating new U units; (c) creating new instit's that are not U's in the ordinary sense of the world. The possibility of an internat'l system of higher educ is brought up. Comments are made re the Sherman Antitrust Act & its application to U's. The problem of utilizing market mechanisms in educ is touched upon, & gov financing of U res is considered. The situation in the USSR is described by V. G. Onushkin. Then a description of the U of Nanterre is given by Pierre Grappin, its former Rector. The student unrests are viewed as confusing the pol'al & the utopian, ideological grievances & real ones. Diff's in stance between European & US discussion participants emerge. It is attempted to sort out what societies want & what students want of U educ in modern times. On an internat'l scale, a gap is perceived between the present state of knowledge in a discipline & the type of course or teaching that is admin'ed by the professor in the U system. This gap has alienated the academic group from the most advanced & better informed students & those without proper academic credentials. The alienation of the teacher from the student body & that of the U from any of the leading & deciding agencies should be made subject for