ABSTRACT
Higher education in the United States is today over three hundred years old. In the span of three centuries it has yielded a variety of forms—among them the New England hilltop college, the state university, the school of technology, the complex municipal college or university, the community or junior college. Each of these represents a significant stage in the growth of American civilization. Yet in the midst of this diversity we may well ask whether there are any features which distinguish the evolution of American higher education. We think there are such distinguishing features, possessing a common imprint—democracy.
