The Princeton Plan was a proposal for reforming graduate education in the United States. It was developed by a committee of Princeton University faculty in 1979 and was published in a book titled The Princeton Plan: A Proposal for National Graduate Fellowships.
The Princeton Plan called for the creation of a national fellowship program that would provide funding to graduate students in the humanities and social sciences. The fellowships would be awarded on the basis of academic merit and would be renewable for up to five years. The program would be administered by a new federal agency, the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The Princeton Plan was controversial when it was first proposed. Critics argued that it would create a privileged class of graduate students and that it would be too expensive. However, the plan was also praised for its potential to improve the quality of graduate education in the United States.
The Princeton Plan was never implemented, but it had a significant impact on the debate over graduate education in the United States. The plan helped to focus attention on the problems of graduate education and it inspired a number of other proposals for reforming the system.
Key Features of the Princeton Plan
* National fellowship program: The plan called for the creation of a national fellowship program that would provide funding to graduate students in the humanities and social sciences.
* Award criteria: The fellowships would be awarded on the basis of academic merit and would be renewable for up to five years.
* Administration: The program would be administered by a new federal agency, the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Controversy and Impact
The Princeton Plan was controversial when it was first proposed. Critics argued that it would create a privileged class of graduate students and that it would be too expensive. However, the plan was also praised for its potential to improve the quality of graduate education in the United States.
The Princeton Plan was never implemented, but it had a significant impact on the debate over graduate education in the United States. The plan helped to focus attention on the problems of graduate education and it inspired a number of other proposals for reforming the system.