ABSTRACT
The word ‘university’ conjures up a kaleidoscopic picture: youth, books, soaring buildings, ivy-clad towers and money. Behind this image is the reality, ranging from students shot dead on their own campus, through the anonymity of some British civic universities, to centres of genuine research and teaching which aim to conserve and extend a living tradition devoted to the activities of reason and the development of the intellect. The present picture will change, just as society will change. But in which direction and to whose benefit?
