Changing functions of the university in Britain

Blau and Scott's typology of organizations is used to analyse the changing functions attributed to British universities during the twentieth century, and the implications that these functions have for the roles of various groups, in particular academics and students, in university government.This paper is based on the results of a larger study, The Changing Role of Students in Relation to the Government of British Universities, 1935–1968: A Sociological Analysis, submitted in fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Economics, University of London, 1969. The author wishes to thank J. G. H. Newfield for his assistance in the preparation of the thesis, and B. Webb and J. Lipkin for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The research was carried out with the support of a Canada Council Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and a Province of Quebec Post-Graduate Scholarship. This support is gratefully acknowledged.