The ideals of the American university

What, then, is the mission of the American University? Comparing the American college with the American university one is reminded of Janus, the old Roman deity, the guardian of the entrance to the Roman home. In the early dawn of Roman history this deity had one face only, but as the Roman home grew bigger a second face appeared. The American college and the American university are the two faces of the same guardian angel; one face contemplating reverently the familiar past and the other anxiously exploring the unknown future of this nation. The college perpetuates the national idealism of the past, the university prepares its future expansion. This idealism is the bond between the two, and without this bond they lose their spiritual meaning.