Repository: UIHistories Project: Booklet - State of University (1958) [PAGE 9]

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The President's Faculty Conference To assist the Committee in measuring the acceptam of its general premises and to stimulate and collect suggestions which might be useful in future deliberations, a conference of approximately 100 faculty members was called 1 in an all-day session on June 9, 1958. Because I believe the conclusions of the Committee and the confereiu will be influential in the future administration and planning of the University, I give them stress today. The statement of future aims and responsibilities of the University, the heart of the report, follows. Future Aims and Responsibilities of the University

We will assume that state-wide educational developments look toward wider sharing of undergraduate education among public and private institutions, especially at the freshman and sophomore level. On the other hand it may be assumed that for the next decade at least the University will continue to be the principal public institution with comprehensive programs at advanced levels in the fundament; fields of learning and in the professions. T h e spectrum of the University's activities will continue to be broad but the chief functions on which its efforts should be focused as the State's educational system develops are the following: a. Teaching, research, and scholarly and creative activity in the fundamental fieldof learning. b. Teaching and research in professional and occupational areas closely dependent on the fundamental fields of learning. c. Liberal education of able young men and women who do not intend to become highly trained specialists and, to the extent possible, of students aiming toward specialized or professional training. d. Vocational training in fields which are clearly of substantial and wide importance to the State and Nation, especially those which require four-year programs including sound preparation in the fundamental fields of learning and which the University is uniquely or best fitted to provide. e. Extension education and essential public services which require the kinds an level of expertness represented in the faculty of the University. The characteristic feature in all of these functions is the emphasis and dependence on the fundamental branches of learning. It is this feature which will give the University unity and coherent purpose in the midst of diversity of function and of laroc numbers of students and faculty. All of these objectives arc important. T h e order in which they are listed expresses the completeness with which the Universit) must attempt to fulfil them. Thus teaching and the advancement of knowledge in the basic fields must underlie all of the University's essential work. Tor the next de< ade at least the University will have nearly unique responsibilities among the

state-supported institutions in graduate teaching and research in the basic fields and in a number of professional and occupational fields. Liberal education, how ever, will be shared among many colleges, as will vocational MU\ some profess The abstract of proceedings of the conference together with the preliminary report will he printed within the next few weeks and made available to the members of the

ICulty a n d o t h e r s w h o are especially interested. At the d o s e of the c o n f e r e n c e , a consensus was s t a t e d , a l t h o u g h , of c o u r s e , not every p a r t i c i p a n t n. tsaril) l u b s c r i h > every p a r t of every Statement.

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