This article explores the origins of researcher development in British universities. Its principal aim is to provide a coherent, and reasonably succinct, account of the evolution and development of researcher development that is as consistent as possible with what is known about the development of the Western university, the history of the…

This article offers an answer to the question: What goals have persisted across all the stages of the development of the Western university? The main conclusion is that the following three goals have been the common threads: the higher education of students, the advancement of knowledge, and service to those outside the walls of the university.…