The antiquated university.

oday, not a few university rectors are conscious their inadequacy to deal with the complex situation of higher education. I join the group, but my courage to put some educational thoughts on paper derives from the fact that I am kept on my rectorial toes by the impact of a young, dynamic university. I hope to be able to share my worries with the vanishing race of non-gowned university members who have as yet escaped the serious malady of staff conservatism. ~ndeed, once attacked, the victim seems incurable. I wish to make it clear at the outset that I doubt whether rectors will be influential in the crisis brought upon their universities by the disciples of the philosophy of social relevance. These adepts are concerned with the conflict between two concepts, the one where the university is fulfilling a spiritually autonomous, creative and critical function by the search for truth, the other where the university is serving society by constantly reacting to its demands for means of survival. It seems to me, however, that the relevance antagonism may be viewed from a different angle, that is, between the preparedness of the university to act towards the distant goal of truth, or to act toward the immediate aim of survival. Though it may seem paradoxic to identify the search for means of survival of mankind with a short-term goal, this becomes clear when recognizing as the driving force the anxiety of the individual concerning his own and his children's existence. The search for truth then appears