“A Wedding Ceremony Between Industry and the University”

This chapter discusses the rising ethos of affluence in higher education, which had profound implications for colleges and universities. Whereas earlier in the century, commercialism had led a growing number of Americans to value higher education as a means by which to achieve professional success, many people now concluded that a university degree was a ticket to the good life. In addition to demonstrating the effects of a social ethos of affluence on students' approaches to higher education, the history of the University of South Florida illustrates how colleges and universities similarly prioritized acquiring wealth during the second half of the twentieth century. Although established as a low-cost institution dedicated to undergraduate instruction, the University of South Florida eventually sought to become an affluent “multiversity” by pursuing lucrative research contracts, establishing technology transfer and patent and licensing offices, and raising revenue by increasing the cost of undergraduate education, all in an effort to generate financial resources and elevate institutional prestige.