the university by Texas

[masterding]

Quote from a Harvard open course:
Is there a principled distinction between the invocation of the social purpose of the college or the university today in the diversity rationale and the invocation of the social purpose or mission of the university by Texas in the 1950s or Harvard in the 1930s? Is there a difference in principle?
I wonder why it should not be "the university of Texas "?
Thanks.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The way I'm reading it, the writer wonders whether the mission that universities invoke today is different than the missions invoked by Texas in the '50s or Harvard in the '30s.

"Is there a... distinction between the invocation... today... and the invocation... by Texas... or Harvard...."

Does that fit the sense of the article?

 

[masterding]

The way I'm reading it, the writer wonders whether the mission that universities invoke today is different than the missions invoked by Texas in the '50s or Harvard in the '30s.

"Is there a... distinction between the invocation... today... and the invocation... by Texas... or Harvard...."

Does that fit the sense of the article?

Yes, it does. In that case ,can I just say "the invocation of the social purpose of colleges or universities today....invocation of the social purpose or mission of universities by Texas "?
Thank you so much.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Probably. But if you're doing a rewrite, why make it that convoluted?

Several of the instructors here have said that Harvard's open-source texts are badly written. Of what I've seen, that's true. For example, the phrase "the invocation of the social purpose or mission" is really brutal abuse of a perfectly good language.

 

[MikeNewYork]

The University of Texas was established in 1883. There is no reason to refer to it as the University by Texas. It is just wrong.

 

[masterding]

Probably. But if you're doing a rewrite, why make it that convoluted?

Several of the instructors here have said that Harvard's open-source texts are badly written. Of what I've seen, that's true. For example, the phrase "the invocation of the social purpose or mission" is really brutal abuse of a perfectly good language.

Maybe because it's a transcript from a spoken lecture, the language may not be so perfect.

 

[MikeNewYork]

If this was a native English speaker, there is no way the person could confuse the University of Texas with the University by Texas. This is just impossible.

 

[Tdol]

Could it be the State of Texas? It makes no sense as the name of the university to me.

 

[SoothingDave]

Read it as "the mission of the university" by Texas or by Harvard. What was Texas' goal in chartering and furthering a university?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Ah! Good point, Dave.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Read it as "the mission of the university" by Texas or by Harvard. What was Texas' goal in chartering and furthering a university?

Right. That's exactly what I said to Masterding above:

"[T]he writer wonders whether the mission that universities invoke today is different than the missions invoked by Texas in the '50s or Harvard in the '30s.

"'Is there a... distinction between the invocation... today... and the invocation... by Texas... or Harvard.... '"​

"University of" is understood.

Masterding, is this still making sense?

 

[masterding]

Read it as "the mission of the university" by Texas or by Harvard. What was Texas' goal in chartering and furthering a university?

But can I say ""the mission of universities" instead? Because it's not a mission of one particular university.

 

[masterding]

Right. That's exactly what I said to Masterding above:

"[T]he writer wonders whether the mission that universities invoke today is different than the missions invoked by Texas in the '50s or Harvard in the '30s.

"'Is there a... distinction between the invocation... today... and the invocation... by Texas... or Harvard.... '"​

"University of" is understood.

Masterding, is this still making sense?

Yes ,it is making sense, and I believe that's what the lecturer was trying to say.

 

[SoothingDave]

But can I say ""the mission of universities" instead? Because it's not a mission of one particular university.

You could, but it is fine as is. It isn't about one particular university, it is about "the university" as an abstract concept, as an ideal.