In Defense of American Higher Education

by Altbach, Philip G.; Gumport, Patricia J.; Johnstone, D. Bruce

• ISBN13: 9780801866555
• ISBN10: 0801866553
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-23
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr

Summary

The current era in higher education is characterized by increased need for accountability and fiscal constraint coupled with demands for increased productivity. Higher education is expected to meet the demand of changing student demographics, as well as requests for research and service from government and industry. To preserve the academy's ability to meet these demands, the editors and contributors to this volume argue that, while change is inevitable and desirable, any radical alterations to the practices that have established and upheld the excellence of higher education in the United States must be carefully considered.The editors and contributors cherish the best ideals of higher education: academic freedom, commitment to both inquiry and teaching, and preservation of an independence of mind and spirit in the face of external pressures. At the same time, the authors of these essays also reflect upon the failings of higher education, including problematic historical legacies such as racism, sexism, and anti-semitism. In Defense of American Higher Education is a careful analysis of what we have inherited, undertaken with a critical eye for constructive reform. It will be of interest to anyone concerned about the future of American higher education.

Author Biography

Philip G. Altbach is Monan Professor of Higher Education and director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. Patricia J. Gumport is an associate professor of Higher Education and director of the National Center for Postsecondary Improvement at Stanford University. D. Bruce Johnstone is a university professor at State University of New York, Buffalo.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(10)
Part One The University in Society
The American Academic Model in Comparative Perspective	11	(27)
Philip G. Altbach
Higher Education as a Mature Industry	38	(21)
Arthur Levine
The ``Crisis'' Crisis in Higher Education: Is that a Wolf or a Pussycat at the Academy's Door?	59	(26)
Robert Birnbaum
Frank Shushok, Jr.
Built to Serve: The Enduring Legacy of Public Higher Education	85	(25)
Patricia J. Gumport
From Mass Higher Education to Universal Access: The American Advantage	110	(34)
Martin Trow
Higher Education and Those ``Out-of-Control Costs''	144	(37)
D. Bruce Johnstone
Part Two Within the Academy
The Liberal Arts and the Role of Elite Higher Education	181	(21)
Nannerl O. Keohane
The Technological Revolution: Reflections on the Proper Role of Technology in Higher Education	202	(25)
Jack M. Wilson
Academic Change and Presidential Leadership	227	(22)
Richard M. Freeland
Graduate Education and Research	249	(28)
Jules B. LaPidus
College Students Today: Why We Can't Leave Serendipity to Chance	277	(27)
George D. Kuh
Governance: The Remarkable Ambiguity	304	(19)
George Keller
Understanding the American Academic Profession	323	(30)
Martin J. Finkelstein
List of Contributors	353	(4)
Index	357