However, one can document important milestones in our U.S. system of universities. The initial creation of the uniquely American research university stemmed from the three 19 th Century European philosophies of advanced education. Later on, the unique U.S. Land Grant concept introduced a flavor of service that influenced the entire higher education scene in our nation. Still later, the very American GI Bill democratized higher education by vastly expanding the access and opportunities of a university education to a broader population. The GI Bill, which was actually written by the veterans' organizations at the end of the war and proposed to the Congress, left an indelible mark of transformation on American higher education.
Universities change both to survive and to meet the demands of an evolving society and civilization.
Despite that, one cannot ignore the reality of glaciers and other frozen landscapes at times. A new report, The Supply of Information Technology Workers in the United States , one of many on this subject, was compiled by 23 university and industry experts. It suggests that universities respond too slowly to be effective and reliable generators of the right kind of workers for a rapidly changing economy and society. There are many who stoutly defend the need for universities to resist the very impulse of these demands which would perhaps dilute or divert the long-term mission of the university. But today, as we speak, our society is a locomotive powered by information and interconnections, and driven by a knowledge-based economy.