The story behind the modern university
Many of us take for granted that universities are a natural home for both research and teaching. But that wasn鈥檛 always the case: When the first U.S. and European colleges were established, they were largely religious institutions, designed to reinforce sectarian ideas and beliefs.
鈥淧robably the most charitable reading was that they [offered preparation] for a learned clergy,鈥 said Emily J. Levine, an associate professor at 海角乱伦社区 Graduate School of Education (GSE). 鈥淎t worst, they were finishing schools鈥. These were not places that inspired awe in science and innovation.鈥
On this episode of School鈥檚 In, Levine, author of the new book (University of Chicago Press, 2021), joined GSE Dean Dan Schwartz and Senior Lecturer Denise Pope to talk about how academic entrepreneurs both competed and collaborated to shape the modern research university.
GSE Associate Professor Emily J. Levine
Levine, one of the principal investigators of a new 海角乱伦社区 grant, 鈥淩ecovering the University as a Public Good,鈥 also shared some of the lessons the institution鈥檚 history offers about academic leadership today.
The model for a university devoted to both research and teaching, Levine said, didn鈥檛 emerge until the 19th century, in Germany, with the rise of the nation-state. The German scholar Wilhelm von Humboldt was tapped to create an institution that would cultivate civil servants and support a more competitive military 鈥 while providing scholars the autonomy to pursue their own areas of study.
This hybrid institution became 鈥渢he envy of the world,鈥 Levine said, and drew thousands of American students to Germany for a singular educational experience. After returning home to the United States, many went on to become university presidents.
The traditional narrative, she said, has American returnees importing the German model to America. But Levine鈥檚 research reveals a more complicated story.
鈥淭hey [didn鈥檛] just cut and paste the German graduate school,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey [created] a new hybrid institution of their own.鈥
As Germans and Americans 鈥 the 鈥渁llies and rivals鈥 of the book鈥檚 title 鈥 competed for world leadership, they collaborated to innovate in educational models. The process of 鈥渃ompetitive emulation,鈥 Levine said, gave rise to the now-familiar institution replicated around the globe.
This history offers lessons for academic leaders today, said Levine. 鈥淲hat we see among these academic entrepreneurs 鈥 is that they鈥檙e very skilled at moving back and forth between different circles: between the scholars and their values of science and pure research, and the needs of society, be they economic or political,鈥 she said. 鈥淵ou often don鈥檛 know what side they鈥檙e really on, which I think is key. The chameleon-like quality of that negotiation required to move across this complex terrain is really what we need in our leaders today.鈥
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Faculty mentioned in this article: Emily Levine
