Basic Research 

 and the LIBERAL 

 ARTS COLLEGE 



LAURENCE M. GOULD 

 Carleton College 



1 INTERPRET my assignment to be con- 

 cerned only with the independent liberal arts college — not with 

 liberal arts colleges which are parts of universities. 



No one would think of defining a university leaving out 

 basic research as one of its foundation stones. Without this 

 ingredient a university would scarcely be one even in name. 

 On the other hand, the role of research in the liberal arts col- 

 lege is much less clearly defined. Indeed, research is apparently 

 not even recognized in the majority of them. There is, of course, 

 a so-called educational point of view which holds that research 

 and teaching are incompatible, but I must eliminate that from 

 our consideration immediatelv. 



I am not suggesting that research could or should have the 

 same status in an undergraduate liberal arts college as it does in 

 a graduate school. A liberal arts college is not something which 

 has not become large enough to be a university; the basic 

 difference is not one of size. A liberal arts college is primarily 

 a society of teachers. The emphasis should be at this point, and 

 the major reasons for recognition and promotion should be 

 based upon the quality of teaching. I hasten to add that for 



73 



