As the Society of Research Administrators International enters its 40th anniversary, it will become necessary to critically evaluate the state of the research administration profession to chart new directions and new ideas, and to solidify our educational, professional and scholarly agendas for the future. What follows is a critical synthesis and evaluation of 20th century thought on the sociology of the professions, with integration of research administration characteristics as a public service profession. It is suggested that we establish a modern theoretical model. The model proposed is not the final one by any means, but this evaluation situates research administration in the overall study of the professions, providing an important theoretical stronghold. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)