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

Page 29 text:

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

Page 28 text:

Dei Univ intu pues is III movi piagi Socif Ities 1)1 i m long ootre km M i«5tli

Page 30 text:

leak of confidence in, and dissatisfaction with, our whole establishment. This revolution, and it is a revolution, has profoundly affected American education. When Russia sent the first sputnik into orbit, it produced the shock this country needed to awaken us from a long held complacent sense of superiority. The day of the egghead had arrived with a feverish realization of the importance of science and education to survival, and the lot of the scientist and the professor was raised several notches in our society ' s scheme of things. During these recent years substantial changes have taken place in the rigor and quality of our educational process from the grammar school through the universities . Gone from most campuses is the old easy going Joe College attitude and students are challenged and taxed to a greated extent than ever before. Many feel the educational standards have been raised too high too fast, with resulting unwholesome tension building up in many students leading to a narrower education with less emphasis on how to live and how to be a well rounded citizen in a democratic society. The free world, in its struggle to survive against oppos- ing ideologies in this nuclear age and to solve the pressing problems brought about by the knowledge explosion, has been turning more and more to the universities to solve the more difficult problems. Federal, state and city agen- cies as well as industry have sought the assistance of the trained minds available on the universities ' campuses, often with substanital finding. As a result many of the most qualified faculty members have assumed increasing re- search responsibilities and in place of their more easily pacer, individually selected research projects have turned to practical problem-solving programs. This was and is deemed in the nation ' s interest, really a patriotic and commendable trend in these troubled times. Further the research programs have been greatly enlarged as funds in, until in some instances students felt their needs and importance had been relegated to a secondary note. This growing dependence on the universities in tack- ling the nation ' s problems has been a major cause of recent campus unrest. The more competent the faculty member, the more burdened he is apt to be, the less time he has for an intimate relationship with his students, and the less time he has for contemplative, creative thinking. Universities become like corporations, where pressures for answers cause priorities which preclude the easy, in- formal practices of the past. Never have universities been so relevant to the needs of their society as they are today. Never has society so needed such relevance. Gone is the image of the pro- fessor as the long-haired, fuzzy-thinking idealist (one wonders if this has been transferred to his students). I ' m not sure the loss of this image is all to the good as I wonder if the pressured life of today ' s productive pro- fessor, with its pragmatic demands and lack of time for creative contemplation, can produce another Albert Einstein. Be that as it may, and contrary to an often voiced criticism, I suggest that the university today is highly relevant to society ' s needs. Indeed, is it not too relevant?