Rudolph: Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Progressivism and the Universities

The Progressive spirit embodied the American person in his or her effort to create true progress in society by reaching out to all members in that society. Influenced partly by President Theodore Roosevelt’s Square Deal initiative, the university began to seek to give back to the community it resided in. they began to deal with the realities of the inefficiencies of the current system and to regulate it in such a way to make it beneficial to the greater society. Student groups would go into the slums to rehabilitate the downtrodden and share their knowledge for their good. I doubt that many of the truly poor would seriously accept the teachings of the students at first glance. College students typically would not have come from that poor background, therefore could not relate personally to the plight of the poor. I do believe that they were thankful for the cheap baths and services of the students and graduates.

The university had already contributed to the society through the students it had graduated such as doctors an lawyers. The Progressive movement also brought about public service majors and various issue centered clubs to the campus. A true sense of giving back was in the hearts of the students. I believe public service, especially to the community which the college inhabits, is an integral part of the university. Such a vast amount of knowledge and talent is being cultivated at this institution. If you were to plant a large farm next to a desert region, you owe it to your neighbors of less fortune to share the fruits of that garden. In the same metaphor, the neighbors must want to receive the fruits and do their best to cultivate their land or work with the farm. Simply put, communities are a cooperative effort that require the mutual respect of neighbors.