This volume presents six lectures on the future of universities in the 21st century, and how they can best meet the future economic and social needs of the United Kingdom. "The Idea of a University?" (Stewart Sutherland) reviews some dominant images of university and concludes that university educated individuals should be better equipped to play a wide variety of public roles. "One Industrialist's Views" (Graham Day) reviews post graduation employment, admissions standards, customer satisfaction, the teaching research relationship, and institutional management. "The Research Mission and Research Manpower" (David Phillips) reflects on the emergence of the research mission in universities, characterizes diverse university funding sources, describes the relationship between universities and their funders, and looks at the need for long-term planning in research workforce development. "University 2050: The Organisation of Creativity and Innovation" (Hans Van Ginkel) focuses on the up-scaling of society and the recent development of a knowledge-intensive society. "The University in the Community" (Anne Wright) argues that universities are places for learning and that teaching students is the university's central purpose. "Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities for a New Century" (Ernest Boyer) considers the future of the University from the perspective of higher education in the United States. Following the text of each lecture are discussions that occurred on each occasion. (JB)