The Elite University - Roles and Models

On 1-2 October 2015, the International Commission for the History of Universities organised its annual conference in Copenhagen. The theme of the conference was the development of Universities in early modern Europe and the US, with a specific view to the development of Universities in creating an elite and being institutions for the elite. The 11 lectures given are published in this volume.

The conference was held at the Royal Danish Academy of Letters and Science. The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479, and the Academy in 1742. Both institutions have undergone several changes since their founding. However the academy remains an institution for only a small group of those who are considered the most outstanding academics, with the number of members standint at about 250. The University of Copenhagen started as a very small institution. After the Reformation in 1536, the Faculty of Theology, which was responsible for the education of Protestant ministers, was the most important for at least two centuries. Later, Law grew as a subject and, since the 19th century, a series of subjects have made this university a full university with all faculties and around 40,000 students.