ABSTRACT
The idea of the university as a major contributor to national purpose, which first came to the fore in Britain and in the United States during the Second World war, has since become universal. Professional and public comment tends to emphasize the troubles higher education is experiencing. The Wingspread conference raised questions as to how much the changes will affect higher education as a whole. The message that emerged from Wingspread is as optimistic as it is realistic: Tomorrow’s universities have healthy roots, both in the lessons of yesterday’s experience and in the courage demonstrated in today’s continuing innovation. Extending access to new groups also encourages diversity--among institutions in large systems of education and within an institution in smaller systems. As the goals of higher education expand, new kinds of institutions will acquire respectability, attracting the talented faculty that tends to migrate to the prestigious institutions in the developed world.
