Some of the characteristics of large, public universities that limit the kinds of educational innovations that are desirable are discussed. These characteristics are: Resources; The Teaching Assistant; The Faculty; State University Undergraduates; The Organizational Patterns of Large State Universities. The implications of these characteristics for innovation and improvement in social science teaching are presented. In Appendix 1, the Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores of entering Freshmen at Berkeley are compared with Freshmen classes in Harvard, Stanford, Cal Tech, and MIT for the year 1960, and with Michigan and Cornell for the year 1964. In addition, the SAT Verbal Scores for entering students in 1960-61 at Berkeley, Amherst, Cal Tech, and MIT are compared. Appendix 2 is A Proposal for an Honors College at Berkeley. (DB)