The federal government's involvement in higher education is discussed, and the part that the national government has played in American history since colonial days is briefly traced. Four major points are made about developments before World War II: (1) the federal government exercised some role in higher education since the earliest days and has a constitutional right to act in this field; (2) the government's activities have centered on meeting identifiable national needs; (3) the accepted definition of such needs has been broadened over the years; and (4) federal activities have touched both public (state) and private (religious and secular) institutions. After World War II, important developments were: federal aid to provide returning veterans with education and training for civilian jobs; federal support for basic research; aid directed to the construction of campus buildings; programs giving tuition and subsistence aid to needy students, including work-study grants, direct grants, and student loans; programs to help upgrade the teaching skills of teachers; and the integration of all-white state universities. It is concluded that there is no clearly established commonly accepted set of goals for higher education, and therefore no effective federal role can be defined. (SW)