Building knowledge:the research mission in american universities, 1890–2018

Abstract

In American universities, research has been one mission among several. This was the case at the beginning of the twentieth century when American universities were provincial outposts in the world of science; and it was true at the end of the century, when they were global leaders – the model for world-class universities. This chapter examines the role of the research mission in the evolution of American universities and relates this mission to the extent to which institutions engaged a learned faculty and advanced students and provided them with the resources to pursue knowledge. The dialectic between the university development of a research capacity and the resources competitively available in the research economy is traced. Due to the expense of pursuing a research mission, the largest and/or wealthiest institutions were the original American research universities. After the Second World War, the increasing volume of federal research support allowed more institutions to develop a research mission. The specialized requirements of research tasks and the needs of research patrons caused much university research to be located in semi-autonomous centers and institutes. The achievements of American academic science have been possible, in large measure, due to the abundance of the research economy, the economic relevance of academic research, and the organizational flexibility of universities in accommodating a research mission.