The consequences of the German model for the relation between university professors and students and between students and society are summarized. Two positions are outlined, using a novel by German author Michael Zeller to illustrate some of the problems of student ideologies in higher education. The novel illustrates a period in the history of European universities from Follen to Buchwald and some of the contradictions inherent in the theory and practice of this university project. Four points in the German model are stressed: (1) the university is a place for research (which affects professional training); (2) to do research is to seek truth, i.e. the university has an ethical task to perform; (3) characteristic of this search for truth is that it is never-ending; and (4) for the individual, the search for truth means the development of a deeper insight into his own self and into reality. The university must convey these insights to students, start the process, and teach them to create it out of themselves. Details on student associations formed around the turn of the century and their impact on society are provided. Features of importance in the development of the relations between students and the state are noted. The transformation of cultural radicals