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Surveys the changing landscape of American higher education, from academic freedom to virtual universities, from campus crime to Pell Grants, from the Student Privacy Act to student diversity.

In the years following World War II, college and university enrollment doubled, students revolted, faculty unionized, and community colleges evolved. Tuition and technology soared, as did the number of first-generation, minority, and women students. These changes radically transformed the American system of postsecondary education.

Today, that system is in trouble. Its aging professoriate prepares for retirement, but low academic salaries can no longer attract the best minds to replace them. A flood of corporate dollars funds commercial research, but money for basic research--the seedbed of American scientific preeminence--has dried up. Colleges and universities also face heated competition with for-profit education providers for students, faculty, and external financial support, along with the costs of providing remedial education to growing numbers of students who are unprepared for postsecondary education. Higher Education in the United States provides a comprehensive analysis of these issues and others that scholars and practitioners of higher education study, discuss, and grapple with on a daily basis.

More than 200 entries from more than 150 higher education scholars and experts around the country An extensive bibliography to guide further study, including research studies and websites An annotated chronology of important events in higher education from 1940 to the present Detailed reviews of 42 important books on higher education, arranged chronologically

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Volume I
• List of Entries(p. ix)
• Preface and Acknowledgments(p. xiii)
• Introduction(p. xv)
• Appendix A Important Books About Higher Education(p. 719)
• Appendix B Important Events(p. 737)
• Bibliography(p. 745)
• Index(p. 793)
• List of Contributors(p. 827)
• About the Editors(p. 831)
• Volume II
• List of Entries(p. ix)
• Appendix A Important Books About Higher Education(p. 719)
• Appendix B Important Events(p. 737)
• Bibliography(p. 745)
• Index(p. 793)
• List of Contributors(p. 827)
• About the Editors(p. 831)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

This useful two-volume set serves as a worthy complement to Pergamon's four-volume Encyclopedia of Higher Education (EHE) and Facts On File's three-volume Encyclopedia of American Education (EAE), now in its second edition. Instead of attempting to match the international scope of the former or the historical coverage of the latter, editors Forest (political science, United States Military Acad., West Point) and Kinser (educational administration and policy studies, SUNY at Albany) have compiled essays on selected higher education topics of contemporary interest, starting with World War II. The introduction by Philip G. Altbach provides historical perspective for the postwar years, when the American research university became the model for major institutions worldwide. Many of this volume's 177 entries, such as "Graduate Student Unions," "Intellectual Property," and "Retrenchment," are absent from the other two works. And although those works include more entries overall, the essays here are invariably longer and more thorough. The GI Bill, for example, gets a three-page write-up here but only three paragraphs in EAE and no entry at all in EHE. The concerns and implications of part-time faculty get four pages here but only a cursory nod from the other two. On the other hand, many topics that should have been included in this encyclopedia are missing e.g., grade inflation and information literacy and dozens of others have variant headings among the three sources e.g., business and finance of higher education, money management, and school funding/ finance that make cross-comparison difficult. Still, this is a solid round-up of key factors in higher education that will be an asset to the reference collection of any large academic or public library. Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

ABC-CLIO's set presents over 225 entries about issues related to US academia. Most topics are treated briefly, but more substantial topics run five to six pages. A large number of black-and-white photographs are spread throughout the volumes. The text is pitched for general readers and summarizes the subjects well; e.g., the entry for libraries presents a reasonable history of American academic libraries and successfully summarizes the key issues currently facing them. Each topic ends with a bibliography, and all the bibliographies in the two volumes are collected in a 46-page bibliography at the end of the second volume. This work is suitable for most university library reference collections. Faculty, graduate students, upper-division undergraduates. M. Lorenzen Michigan State University

Booklist Review

With the recent changes in U.S. higher education, a new encyclopedia is welcome. These volumes provide articles on higher-education history (particularly since 1945) and trends, contributed by almost 200 university scholars and other experts in the field. Authors were suggested by the editors' advisory board and by colleagues in the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the American Educational Research Association. Alphabetically arranged, the articles range in length from a page to more than a dozen pages (e.g., History of higher education in the United States). Most entries are several pages long; a few black-and-white photographs provide visual relief from the text. In general, articles include an overview of the topic, historical or social context, and current issues. The historical perspective usually extends back at least to the beginning of the twentieth century, and in most cases treatment of current issues is very up-to-date. However, the article on academic freedom shies from some current concerns, such as intellectual property. The number of contributors results in some unevenness, as in the articles that address topics such as Affirmative action, Asian Americans in higher education, Multiculturalism, and Native American studies, some of which tend to advocate for a particular view rather than present a balanced picture. In some cases, large overlaps occur. Writing is usually straightforward; happily, "educationese" seems to have been avoided. Cross-references help the reader find more information on related topics. This feature is particularly useful because some article headings, such as Theories of research in higher education, are not obvious choices. Appendixes provide a survey of "Important Books about Higher Education" and a chronology of important events. These are followed by an extensive bibliography and a detailed index. Generally, this set provides a useful introduction to the world of higher education. Indeed, beginning faculty would do well to delve into this reference book to help them navigate higher-education waters. College students will also derive a clearer picture of the "underbelly" of institutions of higher education and their driving forces. Recommended for public and academic libraries.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

James JF Forest is assistant dean for academic assessment and assistant professor of political science at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York
Kevin Kinser is assistant professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies at the State University of New York at Albany