Fundamental Purpose of Universities

If asked what the fundamental purpose of a university is, I feel that most people would agree that it is to provide a higher education for the students who attend them. Since I started at Texas A&M a year ago, it seems to me, and to all of my friends (including the ones that go to different universities), that the majority of professors are concentrated more on their research than on teaching the students. If you are a student that attends a major university, which I'm sure a lot of the kids taking this summer class are, this blog from Big Jolly Politics written by Ed Hubbard will likely pique your interest. Hubbard touches on a several points, but his main point is that "providing an education is no longer the central purpose of our state-supported universities". He writes that "the central purpose of our universities is now to provide a source for economic growth for the communities in which they are situated", and that offering students a high quality education has become "an incidental source of income to the university rather than its core mission". Hubbard writes this blog beautifully, intended mainly for students who attend universities such as the ones under discussion, but also intended for adults of all ages to realize what our state's (and nation's) finest institutions have become. I think it's important for everyone to understand that a university's sole purpose should be to provide a high quality learning environment for the young minds of today, so that they may become the great minds of tomorrow.