THE IDEA OF THE UNIVERSITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY: AN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE.

This article aims to take a critical look at contemporary universities in the U.S. The themes in discussions of the university's mission are teaching, research, public service, and learning. The domination of the contemporary university's hierarchical-collegial and bureaucratic organization in fulfilling many of its stated missions is apparent. All observers agree that the contemporary university has remarkable resources and capabilities. In the expansion of its responsibilities, the university must devise ways of bringing its educational benefits to an ever enlarging and broader constituency.