Two Cheers for Higher Education : : Why American Universities Are Stronger Than Ever-and How to Meet the Challenges They Face / / Steven Brint.

A leading expert challenges the prevailing gloomy outlook on higher education with solid evidence of its successesCrushing student debt, rapidly eroding state funding, faculty embroiled in speech controversies, a higher-education market disrupted by online competition-today's headlines suggest...

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Superior document:Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2018 English
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Place / Publishing House:Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2019]
©2018
Year of Publication:2019
Language:English
Series:The William G. Bowen Series ; 117
Online Access:
Physical Description:1 online resource (504 p.) :; 21 b/w illus., 21 tables
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Other title:Frontmatter --
CONTENTS --
1. The Universities Expansion Made --
2. The Academic Professions and American Society --
3. The Rise of Academic Innovationism --
4. College for All --
5. Multiplying Status Locations --
6. The Priorities of Patrons --
7. An Accumulation of Administration --
8. Focus on the Classroom --
9. Other Challenges: Cost, Online Competition, Contentious Speech --
10. The Ends of Knowledge --
Acknowledgments --
Notes --
References --
Index
Summary:A leading expert challenges the prevailing gloomy outlook on higher education with solid evidence of its successesCrushing student debt, rapidly eroding state funding, faculty embroiled in speech controversies, a higher-education market disrupted by online competition-today's headlines suggest that universities' power to advance knowledge and shape American society is rapidly declining. But Steven Brint, a renowned analyst of academic institutions, has tracked numerous trends demonstrating their vitality. After a recent period that witnessed soaring student enrollment and ample research funding, universities, he argues, are in a better position than ever before.Focusing on the years 1980-2015, Brint details the trajectory of American universities, which was influenced by evolving standards of disciplinary professionalism, market-driven partnerships (especially with scientific and technological innovators outside the academy), and the goal of social inclusion. Conflicts arose: academic entrepreneurs, for example, flouted their campus responsibilities, and departments faced backlash over the hiring of scholars with nontraditional research agendas. Nevertheless, educators' commitments to technological innovation and social diversity prevailed and created a new dynamism.Brint documents these successes along with the challenges that result from rapid change. Today, knowledge-driven industries generate almost half of U.S. GDP, but divisions by educational level split the American political order. Students flock increasingly to fields connected to the power centers of American life and steer away from the liberal arts. And opportunities for economic mobility are expanding even as academic expectations decline.In describing how universities can meet such challenges head on, especially in improving classroom learning, Brint offers not only a clear-eyed perspective on the current state of American higher education but also a pragmatically optimistic vision for the future.
Format:Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
ISBN:9780691184890
9783110604252
9783110603255
9783110610765
9783110664232
9783110604016
9783110610130
9783110603231
9783110606485
9783110606591
DOI:10.1515/9780691184890?locatt=mode:legacy
Access:restricted access
Hierarchical level:Monograph
Statement of Responsibility: Steven Brint.