The shaping of American higher education : emergence and growth of the contemporary system

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

The shaping of American higher education : emergence and growth of the contemporary system

Arthur M. Cohen

Jossey-Bass Publishers, c1998

1st ed

  • : hard
  • : pbk

Available at  / 15 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 459-472) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

: hard ISBN 9780787910297

Description

Reading history, says Arthur Cohen, is essential for those who would reform higher education.From the earliest American colleges, debates have ranged over familiar issues in higher education: curriculum changes, faculty selection and review, student admissions, and institutional funding. Yesterday's practices underlie today's problems even as the system continues evolving. How has this evolution taken place? And to what degree have things changed or remained the same?In The Shaping of American Higher Education, Cohen combines historical perspective with in-depth coverage of current events to provide an authoritative, comprehensive account of the history of higher education in the United States. From the colonial era to the present day - and with particular attention to the past 50 years - the book tracks trends in student access, faculty professionalization, curricular expansion, institutional growth, secular governance, public finance, research, and outcomes, placing them all in the context of contemporary society. Cohen organizes the book around a unique matrix of trends, topics, and eras that enables the reader either to proceed chapter by chapter through a chronological sequence of the entire history, or to easily follow a preferred topic, such as faculty or curriculum, by reading only that specific section in each era.While other books have detailed the early history of the collegiate system, Cohen's work fulfills the need for an up-to-date account of American higher education that emphasizes the post-World War II era. Cohen synthesizes prevailing views of earlier eras in order to establish a solid background for his extensive examination of the past fifty years.

Table of Contents

Introduction. 1. Establishing the Collegiate Form in the Colonies: 1636--1789. 2. The Diffusion of Small Colleges in the Emergent Nation: 1790--1869. 3. University Transformation as the Nation Industrializes: 1870--1944. 4. Mass Higher Education in the Era of American Hegemony: 1945--1975. 5. Maintaining the Diverse System in the Contemporary Era: 1976--1998. Conclusion: Trends and Issues for the Future.
Volume

: pbk ISBN 9780787998264

Description

The reader may find the title of this excellent volume too modest for the rich presentation of American educational history it offers. Much more than a shaping of that historical record, the educational facts presented gain a special resonance from the richness of the social and economic background against which the history unfolds.

Table of Contents

Preface.The Author.Introduction: A Framework for Studying the History of Higher Education.1. Establishing the Collegiate Form in the Colonies: 1636-1789.2. The Diffusion of Small Colleges in the Emergent Nation: 1790-1869.3. University Transformation as the Nation Industrializes: 1870-1944.4. Mass Higher Education in the Era of American Hegemony: 1945-1975.5. Maintaining the Diverse System in the Contemporary Era: 1976-1998.Conclusion: Trends and Issues for the Future.References.Index.

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