The Object of the University: Motives and Motivation

The intention in this paper is not to delve into the recesses of the idea of the university as conceived by John Henry Newman¹ or Jaroslav Pelikan,² but rather to discuss the university is relation to government, its objectives, and its role in society. The question is an important one and should be addressed, implicitly or explicitly, by universities, states, and nations. One could say simply, that the quest of the university is for an educated citizenry – probably the essence of the issue. Yet consideration of the issue has historically produced several and varied responses, most of them insightful and