University of Tampa - Moroccan Yearbook (Tampa, FL)

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QUANTITIES and QUALITIES Freedom of inquiry . . . basic to the life of a university? Can a university dcvclopc its physical plant to its maximum potential and still fail as an institution of higher learning? be staffed w ith a competent facul- ty giving instruction in all the areas of the sciences and the arts, and not execute its most important duty? satisfy the demands of a progressive community and still neglect its primary purpose? Can a university exist without freedom of inquiry? Most definitions of a university will include this statement: an establishment or corporation com- prising a college or colleges that include a body of professors for the purpose of instruction in all or some of the sciences and literatures, and having the 12

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The college teacher is devoted to the search for truth and as such he is the envy of all those in our society who are paid to obscure or distort it. He is the only one who is paid to be as honest, as simple, and as serious as he can be . . . His final payment is in the coin of happiness: gold coin, which he shares with those who have some suspicion of its value. . . . Mark ' an Daren . . . 11

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power of conferring degrees. ' If our concept of a university and its aims is solely based on utilitarian principles, then we will accept this definition as sat- isfying the prerequisites of an institu- ton of higher learning; we would an- swer yes to the pre ious questions. We would be aware of only the service function of a university: the supplying of professional, political, and economic needs of the community. A university would then exist as a fact-disseminat- ing center for the purpose of helping its students become knowledgeable. This is certainly a legitimate ambition and one that is not to be disparaged, but ... is it the only acceptable one? 13