An understanding of the changing social function of the university--in its interdependent relationship with the wider society--is essential to all students of higher education. Such an understanding may be the best means of restoring confidence in the education system of the 1980s. (Author/MLW)

For more than 55 years Ralph Tyler's energy and intelligence have gone into helping educators do a better job. His accomplishments and outlook for the future are described. (LBH)

Riesman's classic book, "The Lonely Crowd," has had an enormous impact on the way American society is talked about and understood. His central thesis that Americans were becoming increasingly "other directed," more concerned with how they compared with others, and less "inner directed" is examined in terms of the role…

The humanities, more than an academic discipline, are an inclination of the liberal imagination. As liberal democracy undergoes its crisis of confidence, they are endangered. Higher education must adjust to five strong forces: science, technology, democracy, mass communications, and the culture of capitalism. (Author/LBH)

The tradition of humanities and liberal arts education has become culturally dysfunctional, says the chairman of the philosophy department at Ohio Wesleyan University. The historical role of liberal arts is reviewed and the current emphasis on vocationalism is discussed. (LBH)

Recent issues in higher education suggest that universities are on the defensive, and that the educational community will be better served by trying to set a new agenda with the public. Two topics for this agenda are offered: the loss of a common perspective and the relationship of people to institutions. (LBH)

Vassar's new president believes the college can change the face of American coeducation, but there will first have to be changes made within Vassar itself. Her social outlook and administrative abilities are discussed. (Editor/LBH)

A resurgence in American higher education is coming, and that realization should shape the nation's decisions regarding the problems faced by colleges and universities. Academe must use its resources to support reindustrialization, technological enhancement, and the preservation and maintenance of the national economic structure. (MLW)

The federal role in education is likely to shift in the years ahead, says the Commission of Education, and so may the social functions of many institutions of higher learning. Discussed are federal goals, access to education, core curricula, federal aid and intervention, and governmental decision-making. (LBH)

The growth of community colleges is described and their objectives analyzed. Although community colleges can contribute to society by educating a variety of minority groups, they should not overlook their more important responsibility of educating their majorities of average students. (LBH)