The Progress Machine

Why research universities remain society's most powerful engines of progress.

Public trust in higher education is under strain. Expertise is questioned, costs are rising, and universities face mounting political pressure. In The Progress Machine, Darryll J. Pines responds to this moment with a clear argument: Research universities remain uniquely equipped to confront the world's most urgent challenges.

Pines, the president of the University of Maryland, examines how institutions of higher learning have driven technological, economic, and cultural change for generations. He identifies five elements that make this possible: a sense of purpose shaped during formative college years; a commitment to scientific inquiry; communities strengthened by diversity and disagreement; an entrepreneurial orientation toward real-world problem-solving; and the arts and humanities, which supply meaning, ethics, and imagination. Rather than treating universities as abstract ideals, Pines grounds his argument in institutional practice. He addresses criticisms head-on, including concerns about affordability, free speech, political polarization, and public accountability. These challenges, he argues, demand reform rather than retreat—and reaffirm the responsibility of universities to serve society at large.

The Progress Machine offers an optimistic vision at a moment of uncertainty while presenting the research university not as a relic of the twentieth century, but as an adaptable institution capable of guiding innovation, sustaining democracy, and preparing future generations to meet complex global problems.