The Chasm between Rhetoric and Reality: The Fate of the "Democratic Ideal" When a Public University Becomes Elite

Abstract

The "democratic ideal"-the belief that any American, regardless of background, can attend college-is fully woven into the fabric of America's higher-education system. Historically, state colleges were the embodiment of this ideal. Yet, the democratic rhetoric did not always match the selective reality in terms of who attended state universities, especially around the turn of the 20th century. This study reveals that the University of Michigan, despite the impassioned rhetoric of its president, James Burrill Angell, had become increasingly elite and expensive by 1910. As a result, fewer students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds were able to attend. The university's rhetorical commitment to the poor; however, took another route as an increasingly research-oriented faculty began studying poverty and its related problems rather than admitting individual poor students.