In the mid-19th century,electiveness became the focus of debates in the field of higher education in the U. S. Charles William Eliot strongly advocated the implimentation of electiveness in the universities. During the period when was the president of Harvard University(1869-1909),Eliot, with perseverance, was able to establish the system of electiveness and the curriculum of elective courses which played an important role in turning Harvard University from a community university into a national key university.