North Carolina State University - Agromeck Yearbook (Raleigh, NC)

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follow. There is no reservoir of knowledge with which a student may be stocked in college which will enable him to encounter the problems of a changing world. His edu- cation needs to be more a process of acquiring ways of understanding and solving problems than one of acquiring knowledge. Such an education requires an active inter- change with the world. Conventional education from kindergarten through col- lege and perhaps on to graduate school keeps young peo- ple too long in a dependent sequestered condition. To be 22 or 23 years old and never to have lived on one ' s own in an adult responsible society is too much. I would favor an education that puts young people into responsible adult positions well before they graduate. There is no good reason why more students should not move freely from jobs to the campus back again during their col- lege careers in such a way that job and education interact and influence one another considerably. In this way the working world becomes part of the university and the university is more closely allied with the world in carrying out its educational functions. In its research function the university should be more closely involved in problems outside its walls. There is a traditional belief that scholars and students should carry on their work in a protected, quiet eddy of society; that the independence and disinterest necessary for effective scholarship requires the ivory towers or the ivy covered walls. Traditional scholarship does flourish m such sur- roundings. The task of the university, though, is not merely to preserve the old tradition but to be the major institu tion enabling a modern dynamic society to understand and control change which involves human relationships and human aspirations and frustrations as the central prob- lems. Understanding of such phenomena does not come from quiet scholarship in cloistered halls. It can only come from the direct study of these problems as they occur. We need to learn better how to do this research and how to relate to the more conventional scholarly research we do in the laboratory. The third function commonly named for universities, particularly one such as ours, is extension. So that even traditionally land grant universities are deeply involved in the affairs of the world. And it is a great tradition — one that has contributed more than we can count to the wealth and productivity of a highly developed society. But we need now to extend ourselves beyond the problems of agricultural and industrial productivity into providing ser- vice and education of all sorts to the great mass of poor and victimized people in this State — much more than we have before, even though our contribution has been great. So 1 conclude that North Carolina State University and its students must if we are to serve a useful purpose become deeply engaged in the problems of the modern world as a bold and enterprising institution.

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I Dean R. Preston forestry Today one frequently hears the comment that the Universities are losing their relevance, that they are not in tune with the times. I would like to pose the provocative question that perhaps the problem with the Universities is that they have become too relevant, that they have moved so far from the Ivory Tower concept into the pragmatic that they are in danger of not fulfilling the role Society so desperately needs of providing the centers for the search for wisdom and truth, for the nobler develop- ment of the human spirit, for individual and collective free- dom of thought and expression and for an enlightened liberalism. Before examining this question we need to review brief- ly where we are and remind ourselves that we are living in what is probably the most revolutionary period in the long history of mankind. The tempo of change in our everyday world is faster than most of us can comprehend. These changes, often bewildering in their intensity, are not restricted to science and industry, but as we so well know they involve every facet of our existence and well being. Problems of urban decay, rural poverty, race rela- tions, social mores, political extremism, yes, and even values of what we consider minimum conformity and common decency involve us all. Politically we seem pushed from any comfortable middle ground toward an extreme of left or right with a vocal minority apparently bent on total anarchy. Indeed thoughtful people are ask- ing the question, Can mankind, through the social and political structures he has evolved, successfully adjust to the tremendous changes confronting him? Equally profound and complicated are the changes in science and education brought on by the unprecendented knowledge explosion. We are told that the sum total of human knowledge is doubling every ten years, that 90% of all research scientists who have ever lived are alive today, that scientists in the next 15 years will learn as much about the physical universe we live in as they h ave in the entire past, that the unlocking of the genetic code can lead to altered and improved forms of life (including human) that tax the imagination. Since World War 1! our expanding technology has made possible fantastic de- velopments in space exploration use of atomic power, automation and computerization medicine and indeed in the gadgets that bless our everyday lives such as color television, power mowers and (soon) supersonic trans- portation. Indeed our gross national product has doubled during this period, bringing to the average American an affluence never dreamed of a generation or so ago and it is estimated that the average family income will rise to $11,000 in 10 years. With these remarkable achievements have come for- midable and perplexing problems, such as decay of our cities, serious deterioration of the total environment, hard core areas of poverty, racial friction, a probable loss of idealism, and a feared weakening of our overall national character. At one and the same time our society has given its people material wealth and living standards never before approached and contrariwise an unprecendented