British Universities [antikvár]

AUTHOR'S PREFACETo survey the position of United Kingdom Universities is an ambitious, not to say a presumptuous, undertaking. It would be idle to offer an apology for the attempt; as to justification, if there be such it must lie in the work itself, I do, however, offer some explanation of the arrangement of the book. Any general and reasonably comprehensive study of university problems must take account of basic objectives, internal organisation, including administrative structure, teaching methods, and degree patterns, student problems and external relationships, especially with the government. But each of these has some bearing on the others. Hence while each of the topics mentioned - and others - deserves some separate attention, there is bound to be significant overlapping. I can only hope that this does not go beyond what is necessary for an adequate exposition of the relationship between these various aspects of the total complex.The sequence I have sought to follow is first a brief summary of current developments, especially in the growth of the universities, which have highlighted the underlying problems; next a discussion of the traditional objectives of universities, of their position in relation to research and to other forms of post-school education and of teaching and degree patterns, followed by a discussion of recent changes of attitude among students. Then comes an account of the universities' response to the latest demands for action and of relationships with government.Finally, after somewhat more speculative sections on possible developments in the internal government of universities and in alternative possibilities of financing, an attempt is made to bring together the main theses of the analysis with suggestions of possible future policy changes.