New Life for the Great American University?

University education has long been both scorned and desired in America. L. Frank Baum’s classic The Wizard of Oz lampooned college students—both their failure to use their brains while thinking “great thoughts” and their laziness. Yet for most Americans, college was part of the American dream. Whether it was in the great Ivies, the small, religious colleges dotting the Midwest, or the land grant universities across the land, Americans found intellectual challenge, lifelong friendships, and preparation for life as citizens, professionals, and, often, religious believers. With infusions of European intellectuals and financial resources from a racing economy after World War II, American universities became the envy of the world.