ABSTRACT
One of the most interesting aspects of the rise of American universities, both public and private, has been the relation of the federal government to their development. Although the United States Constitution nowhere gives the national government specific power to exercise authority over education in the various states, federal influence has been nevertheless steadily increasing. Examples of federal concern for higher learning can be found in the early years of the Republic, but the most extensive development of national interest in this field has occurred in the twentieth century and, more particularly, since the Second World War. The increasing complexity of modem life and the nation’s growing involvement in world affairs have made this inevitable.
