Big Objective
This speech was given by Jenkins at numerous events throughout the 1960's and 1970’s. This speech highlighted the "Big Objective" of colleges and universities, that is, the goal of educating and adequately preparing as many students as possible to further the "educated citizen status for as many people as can profit by it." The speeches were generally consistent in theme and content, however. This and other speeches may be found in the records of the Chancellor's Office, Record Group CH1050, Series 2, Speech File, in the University Archives.
To say that we are in a period of revolution is to state the obvious. Almost daily we read of riots, curfews, demonstrations, occupation of buildings, and various other forms of disruptive activity in our cities, churches, places of business, and, most frequently, on college campuses. Numerous population explosions, automation, the intellectual explosion, particularly in technology, the breakdown of the influence of the home, and many others. Some observers claim that the many material benefits that have accrued to our so-called affluent society because of the great post-war technological breakthrough have overwhelmed some of our young people. Our society, they claim, has been thrown out of kilter because of the absence of equally spectacular breakthroughs in law, government, sociology, and other important disciplines. The affluent society that finds Americans in possession of half of all the world’s wealth came too quickly for some of us to digest. The world has never known a growth in material comforts as spectacular as that which has occurred in America. We have come from a Gross National Product of less than $100 billion in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s days to one approaching a trillion dollars. This has resulted in millions of people enjoying comforts unknown to their ancestors. Many cannot cope with this.They have become so baffled that they are shouting, “Stop the world, I want to get off!”
We find this rejection of the affluent society difficult to understand. In many cases, the beneficiaries are inherently unable to assume the responsibility thrust upon them by their very affluent position.With all our scientific and technological breakthroughs, we are still unable to make silk purses out of sow’s ears. Perhaps there are still other reasons for some of our present difficulties.It may be that our cells are being destroyed by radiation or DDT. At any rate, I shall not make an attempt to appraise any of these.I would like instead to describe briefly a few aspects of higher education and a few courses of action that may enable us to preserve our colleges and universities.
From the beginning, we must recognize that universities are not strangers to change.In fact, change is continuing at a rapid pace on most campuses. Let us observe a few statistics. In 1900 there were 230,000 college students in the United States.Today, there are over 6,000,000; and this number will probably grow to 8,000,000 during the 1970’s.
In 1900, 4% of our high school graduates went to college, and generally they came from affluent families with only the occasional Horatio Alger working his way through. Locally, college students were celebrities. Today, over 50% of our high school graduates go to college, and in some of our cities in North Carolina the percentage is in the 90’s.Some institutions, such as East Carolina University, have more employees today than they had students twenty years ago.
These statistics portray or paint a picture that results in raising many questions. It is rather obvious that you who are from the business community are greatly concerned by the answers to these questions, for you pay a large part of the bill for the operation of these institutions.
Why the rush to college? The birth rates in America started to rise rapidly in 1942 and reached a new high after the war, and for several years stayed at this new level. This meant that increasing numbers of people were approaching college age. With this came an increasing desire, created by society, for a college education.Screening processes in industry, which began during World War I, established a barrier at that time requiring a high school education for entrance into many desired positions in industry. This barrier was raised four years after World War II making the college degree the acceptable requirement for employment.Thus, there was great economic pressure pushing people into colleges. In view of the fact that many of the colleges could not handle these burdens, entrance requirements were raised sharply throughout our land. SAT scores became a household concern, with a low score often resulting in a family tragedy.Even though the prognostic value of these tests is open to challenge because they do not measure motivation, they nevertheless assumed increasing importance. The college and university had to rely on them and other tools in their attempt to be as democratic as possible in admitting new students.
The next question concerned limiting enrollment. The state-supported institution should avoid entering into any policy that will limit enrollment for essentially two reasons. Our democracy is founded on the dependence on an educated citizenry; therefore, every attempt should be made to increase rather than delimit opportunities for citizens to attain this education. Secondly, we have numerous unsolved problems in our social, economic, and professional communities that can probably be solved better through the efforts of highly trained people.
The last two questions lead to a third one. Why are retention policies so severe? The answer to this question relates to space limitations, dignity of the institution, and significance of the degree. But, probably one of the overriding reasons is the fact that all students, without exception, in North Carolina ‘s state-supported colleges and universities are recipients of taxpayer’s scholarships. They, therefore, owe an obligation and a responsibility to be worthy of this support. Every student on the campus of the University of North Carolina, for example, receives a taxpayer’s scholarship of $1172. Every student at East Carolina University receives a scholarship of $774.With this being the case, these institutions, and all other state-supported institutions, cannot become rest havens for the indolent, correctional institutions for the undisciplined, remedial centers for the untrained, and most certainly not sanctuaries for the lawless.
Now that we have reviewed a little of the background, two important questions remain unanswered. What is the big objective of the universities in America, and why have some of them become battlegrounds? The first question may be answered by stating that the paramount aim is the realization of the dignity of man; the creation of the educated citizen status for as many people as can profit by it. Associated with this is the training for careers in various professions. This immediately brings us into a struggle that has been going on for years, vocationalism versus the liberal arts. The good universities are trying assiduously to prove that these are mutually dependent and not in conflict. Living is as important as making a living. The lawyer must be an educated person first, and then a lawyer.
Associated with this is the problem of rugged individualism versus organizational acuteness.Our products must be men and women who are capable of acting purposely, responsibly, and with wisdom; but they must also simultaneously act alone for self-improvement and with the group for social betterment.This is easier said than done, for as John Gardner said, “I don’t mind the organization scratching my back. I do mind their telling me where I itch.”Now the inability of some of our people to comprehend these objectives, as well as the almost complete rejection of them by others, has created extremely tense situations on some campuses. In fact, these two conditions have created a challenging atmosphere for professional disrupters, for students caught in these positions are ready dupes for these agitators. This has resulted in some of our campuses becoming battlefields.
Before discussion this part of the academic picture, however, it should be made clear that we are talking about a small group of students in relatively few institutions.You must not lose sight of the fact that most of our 6,700,000 college students are, this very day, quietly studying for final examinations. You, as businessmen, must recognize that the United States has some 2,500 colleges and universities, and scarcely two dozen have been seriously disrupted.
I want you to know, also, that a closer analysis of the trouble on these few campuses often reveals that the damage was caused by a small group assisted by outside agitators, and that the disruptive power was out of proportion to their number. I plead with you to understand that colleges and universities are very vulnerable to rude and brutal attack, for they are not trained to cope with it. The attacker knows he will meet with an excess of indulgence and takes advantage of this.
There are a few basic principles or guidelines that we in higher education must insist upon and hope that we will have the vigorous support of the business community as we proclaim them. No one in North Carolina has an inherent right to be in a college or a university supported by the taxpayer.Faculty, students, administrators, and all employees are volunteers. They have come together to from with the help of the citizens of this state a community of scholars. These faculty and administrators are not experiences in enforcing the law. They are there for the purpose of providing the best education possible. They are in pursuit of excellence. In carrying out this objective, they find themselves in a constant state of change. This change, however, must be through the established democratic procedures and not by force or threats of intimidation. Whoever interferes with academic due process, either by violence or threats of violence, places himself outside the academic community, and incurs the sanctions appropriate to the gravity of his offense, from censure, to suspension, to expulsion.
In view of the fact that this community of scholars has no training in the professional enforcement of the law, its leaders have no alternative when laws are broken than that of seeking the help of professional law enforcement people. We cannot tolerate disruption for disruption’s sake, and we must let it be known that any act that is a violation of the law off campus most certainly is a violation of the law on campus.Violence should never be permitted to pay off. We should never be so stupid as to leave our universities in possession of those who use or threaten violence to impose their will on others.Our universities must be institutions operated under specific and well-defined laws. We must proclaim loud and clear that these laws are to be respected and obeyed.We should be very cautious that there does not develop an implied double set of laws or a dual set of policies in enforcing the laws. It is not our privilege to have one law for the college student and another for the non-college youth. Inconsistency in enforcing the law is a disservice to young people. If we turn our head to a violation on Monday and then adopt a very tough policy for the same violation at the end of the week, we only create confusion.
Please permit me to remind you again that I am only talking about the conduct of probably less than 5% of the typical student body who, on some of our campuses, are bent on disobeying accepted rules of conduct.The other 95% live with mutuality of respect. They know that academic freedom in itself demands this, for when the mutuality of respect is gone, when responsibility is not present, when common sense is absent, then academic freedom can become indistinguishable form academic anarchy. We must continue to proclaim to everyone in our society that the student who desires an education will be guaranteed an opportunity to pursue this undisrupted. It is common knowledge that all legitimate grievances have historically been treated seriously, and I feel confident that this will continue to be the policy on our good campuses. We must continue to consider an affront to the least protected of us.In guaranteeing this condition, however, we must be careful not to close our eyes to expressions of lawless behavior on the part of the students who in the name of freedom to pursue their studies. In carrying this out, we must always be conscious of the significance of the hard earned, democratic procedures.Order is possible without justice. Hitler showed us this.But, justice is impossible without order. Sometimes this disguises itself in so-called confrontation politics.Let me make it very clear, confrontation politics should not be condoned.
Perhaps our most serious challenge may be that of redefining the value of the democratic process. Galileo is alleged to have said, “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it for himself.” Let us hope that these displays of lawlessness we are witnessing will cause all of us to rededicate our energy to attaining a clearer appreciation of the value of the democratic process.Let us hope that even the most militant activist will also learn of this before he does more damage. But this presents a challenge for all of us. If this higher education is worth the great investment, it has made the members of the academic communities sensitive and critical, and the one thing they cannot feel is indifference. It is also imperative that those who are dissatisfied have patience and understanding while the appropriate groups in the universities consider their suggestions for change.
I should like to make one final appeal. I urge you as businessmen to help us have the media of communications reappraise their roles. All too often acts of lawlessness tend to be exaggerates or minimized out of their proper perspective. Quite often, the most trivial gathering is played up with carefully staged pictures as examples of mass lawlessness. The old adage that it is our job to sell newspapers becomes quite disgusting during this critical period in our history. This North Carolina is their nest the same as it is everyone else’s. “A foolish bird messes his own nest.” Newspapers and television and radio owe an obligation toward preserving our society. Some groups stage acts of lawlessness merely for publicity purposes. The media does a disservice when it accedes to this request through front-page stories.
In conclusion, I hardly need to remind you that each age has been one of transition, and this period in which we live is no exception. Nor are universities strangers to change, for they have been in the foremost battlegrounds in the eternal struggle for the realization for the dignity of man and in providing an educated citizenry so vital to the welfare of our democracy. Since you are the ones who help pay our bills, I want to pledge to you especially our determination to continue to provide the finest educational opportunity possible for the young people of this state. Your support and encouragement inspire us to make every effort to send you graduates who know how to make a living and who also know how to live. Through our mutual efforts, we shall see higher education not only survive the current onslaught but actually grow stronger and thereby assure the resources we all need to build a stronger nation.
