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Friedrich Althoff (1839-1908), was head of the university department in the Prussian Ministry of Education, and played a leading role in developing the research university in Prussia. This system became the model for research universities in the United States and much of Europe.
He was a graduate of Bonn University in 1861, but never took a doctorate. When Germany took over Alsace-Lorraine in 1871, he became a legal advisor to the civil commissioners office. In 1882-1907, he served as privy councillor and chief executive officer of the Prussian Ministry of Ecclesiastical, Educational, and Medical Affairs. This put them in charge of higher education in Prussia, and the most important educational official in Germany. He achieved heavy funding and strong support from the Prussian government under Otto von Bismarck, and was in close contact with the Kaiser and with private financiers eager to help their alma mater. He strove to turn the undergraduate-oriented Prussian schools into preeminent research centers in the humanities, law, theology, sciences, and medicine. His model was soon used by new American universities including Clark University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Chicago to concentrate on advanced research. He mastered bureaucratic politics and was the virtual dictator of Prussian higher education, but was not a power in the other German states. He helped all the Prussian universities, but his favorites were the
online
* Buse, Dieter K. and Doerr, Juergen C., eds. ''Modern Germany: An Encyclopedia of History, People, and Culture, 1871-1990'' (2 vol. Garland, 1998) pp 21–22. * Peirce, William Spangar, and P. Kruger. "Entrepreneurship in a bureaucracy: the case of Friedrich Althoff." ''Journal of Economic Studies'' (1993) 20#4-5 52–70 * Senn, Peter R. "Where is Althoff? Looking for Friedrich Althoff in English Language Sources." ''Journal of Economic Studies'' (1993) 20#3-4 pp 201–261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000000179 * Vom Brocke, Bernhard. "Friedrich Althoff: A great figure in higher education policy in Germany." ''Minerva'' 29.3 (1991): 269-293. {{DEFAULTSORT:Althoff, Friedrich 18th-century Prussian educators Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities 1839 births 1908 deaths
Friedrich Althoff (1839-1908), was head of the university department in the Prussian Ministry of Education, and played a leading role in developing the research university in Prussia. This system became the model for research universities in the United States and much of Europe.
He was a graduate of Bonn University in 1861, but never took a doctorate. When Germany took over Alsace-Lorraine in 1871, he became a legal advisor to the civil commissioners office. In 1882-1907, he served as privy councillor and chief executive officer of the Prussian Ministry of Ecclesiastical, Educational, and Medical Affairs. This put them in charge of higher education in Prussia, and the most important educational official in Germany. He achieved heavy funding and strong support from the Prussian government under Otto von Bismarck, and was in close contact with the Kaiser and with private financiers eager to help their alma mater. He strove to turn the undergraduate-oriented Prussian schools into preeminent research centers in the humanities, law, theology, sciences, and medicine. His model was soon used by new American universities including Clark University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Chicago to concentrate on advanced research. He mastered bureaucratic politics and was the virtual dictator of Prussian higher education, but was not a power in the other German states. He helped all the Prussian universities, but his favorites were the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
and the University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
. In the final decision-making in hiring key people, and he disregarded local prejudices in often selecting Jews, Catholics and secular scholars. He led the German delegation to the world's fairs in Chicago in 1893 in St. Louis in 1904, and created exchange professorships with American universities.Brocke, 1991.
Notes
Further reading
* Brocke, Bernhard vom. "Friedrich Althoff: a great figure in higher education policy in Germany" ''Minerva'' (1991) 29:269–293online
* Buse, Dieter K. and Doerr, Juergen C., eds. ''Modern Germany: An Encyclopedia of History, People, and Culture, 1871-1990'' (2 vol. Garland, 1998) pp 21–22. * Peirce, William Spangar, and P. Kruger. "Entrepreneurship in a bureaucracy: the case of Friedrich Althoff." ''Journal of Economic Studies'' (1993) 20#4-5 52–70 * Senn, Peter R. "Where is Althoff? Looking for Friedrich Althoff in English Language Sources." ''Journal of Economic Studies'' (1993) 20#3-4 pp 201–261. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000000179 * Vom Brocke, Bernhard. "Friedrich Althoff: A great figure in higher education policy in Germany." ''Minerva'' 29.3 (1991): 269-293. {{DEFAULTSORT:Althoff, Friedrich 18th-century Prussian educators Members of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities 1839 births 1908 deaths