EDUCATION IN THE NATION'S SERVICE - An Atmosphere to Breathe - Woodrow Wilson and the Life of the American University College

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Miles

“An Atmosphere to Breathe” by McGeorge Bundy, published as Number 2 in the Education in the Nation's Service series, examines Woodrow Wilson’s Princeton presidency and draws practical lessons from Wilson’s success and failure. It also considers the contemporary relevance of Wilson’s foundational concept of higher education. The foreword explains the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s educational inquiry and its goal of fostering fresh, constructive thinking about crucial education problems.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time55 min

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McGeorge Bundy

An Atmosphere to Breathe

Foreword

Woodrow Wilson and the Life of the American University College

EDUCATION IN THE NATION'S SERVICE A Series of Articles on American Education Today # McGEORGE BUNDY AN ATMOSPHERETO BREATHE WOODROW WILSONAND THE LIFE OF THEAMERICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE TH EwoODROw W11S ON FOUNDAT ION The Woodrow Wilson Foundation assumes full responsibility for itsdecision to publish or sponsor the publication of works that appear with itsimprint.However,the decision to publish a work does not necessarily im-ply endorsement of statements of fact or opinion that appear in it. The Woodrow Wilson Foundation is a non-membership,non-profit,educational organization incor porated under the laws of the State of NewYork and governed by a Board of twenty-five Directors.Established in1922 by contributions from over 200,000 Americans,the Foundation is apermanent memorial to Woodrow Wilson,President of the United States,1912-1920,in recognition of bis service to the country and to all man-kind.The purpose of the Foundation is to further public understandingof major problens confronting the United States in terms of Wilson'sconcepts for a democracy and for world cooperation. AN ATMOSPHERETO BREATHE WOODROW WILSONAND THE LIFE OF THEAMERICAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE # FOREWORD The Woodrow Wilson Foundation,under authorization ofthe Board,has recently turned to the field of education.It was here that one of Woodrow Wilson's main contribu-tions to the national life was made.The nation's profoundconcern with education has made it seem an apt time toturn to this phase of Wilson's work. The theme of the Foundation's inquiry is "Education in theNation's Service”-a phrase which Wilson made the text ofsome of his earliest and most notable educational papers. In implementing its program,the Foundation has asked anumber of persons,either immediately involved in the educa-tional field or in a position to think constructively andimaginatively about its problems,to write papers in whichthey deal with some aspect of education which seems crucialto them,perhaps using Wilson's ideas as a starting point,but in no way limiting themselves.Our main interest hasbeen that the separate writers should let their minds rangefreely and freshly among their major preoccupations. In the hope that a distinctive service can be rendered tothe development of our national thinking on these matters,the Woodrow Wilson Foundation presents this essay on"An Atmosphere to Breathe,"by McGeorge Bundy,whichis Number 2 in the Series. AUGUST HECKSCHERPresident January,1959 # AN ATMOSPHERE TO BREATHE Woodrow Wilson and the Lifeof the American University College By McGEORGE BUNDY The collegiate university in America has no more illu-minating story than that of Princeton between 1902 to 1910,in the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson.Even at the time itsextraordinary significance was plain to men in other col-leges—it was not in empty flattery that Lowell of Harvarddescribed Wilson's work as "an example and an encourage-ment to every college in the United States."¹Fifty years laterthe verdict will not be questioned;example and encourage-ment are to be found both in the record of the administratorand in the convictions of the educational prophet.It is thepurpose of this essay to consider first the practical lessonsof Wilson's success and failure in the Princeton presidency,and second the present relevance of his basic concept ofhigher education.I must explain at the start that I writefrom the relatively narrow position of one who knows littlethat has not been learned at Yale or Harvard.Higher educa-tion in the United States is wonderfully varied,and it is wellfor each blind man to tell what part of the elephant he hasbeen touching. 1 I Wilson's later career has made him an attractive subjectfor biography,and as a result we know more about his workat Princeton than we generally learn about university presi-dents(who are peculiarly subject to the danger of immola-tion in an authorized version).The work of a number ofbiographers

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s educational inquiry?

The Foundation turns to education to build public understanding of major education-related problems, asking writers to explore crucial aspects of education and, where useful, start from Wilson’s ideas.

Why does the essay focus on Wilson’s Princeton presidency?

The essay uses Wilson’s experience at Princeton to consider practical lessons from both his success and failure, treating Princeton as a revealing case of what happens in a major university.

How did Wilson change Princeton’s approach to teaching and learning?

Wilson’s early reforms involved remaking the curriculum and revising the method of instruction, including the introduction of a preceptorial system to encourage independent student work.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Miles