American Higher Education: A History [Paperback]

Christopher J. Lucas (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312129459 | ISBN-13: 978-0312129453 | Publication Date: March 15, 1996

The roots of controversy surrounding higher education in the US extend deep into the past. This original, incisive history goes far in offering a needed sense of perspective on current debates over such issues as access, costs, academic quality, social equity, and curricula. Eminently readable and always lively, this timely historical account is sure to be an invaluable resource for assessing the present condition and future prospects of American colleges and universities.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With economy and clarity, Lucas, professor of education at the University of Arkansas, limns the antecedents of the American college and university system. Proceeding from an examination of the Western cultural heritage to today's higher educational establishments, which he characterizes as unchecked sprawl, overlapping missions and amorphous identities, Lucas avoids contrasting the "untidy" present with a purportedly idyllic past. Instead, he shows that contemporary academic issues often have ancient lineage: town-and-gown antagonism, secret societies, grade inflation. Written for the general reader, this study illuminates current issues of higher education.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Lucas (education, Univ. of Arkansas) touches upon many of the current debates in the academic world and shows how these controversies are really not new. One might believe that the early academics were solely seekers of knowledge, but the author discovers that "students in all times have pursued higher learning for a great variety of reasons, that their motives have been mixed, not pure." Lucas then explores other common misconceptions about higher education. The title is misleading as the first third of the text discusses the beginnings of education through the rise of the medieval university while the remainder documents the growth and development of American academe, including current issues such as gender and multiculturalism. Recommended for academic libraries.
Samuel T. Huang, Northern Illinois Univ. Libs., DeKalb
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (March 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312129459
• ISBN-13: 978-0312129453
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not great, history of American colleges, November 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: American Higher Education: A History (Paperback)

Lucas provides a brief overview of highlights in American college history but he fails to go into enough depth on most topics. There are a number of minor irritations as well, such as the inaccurate index. Three excellent texts to consider instead are: "The American College and University, A History" by Frederick Rudolph; "Higher Education in Transition, A History of American Colleges and Universities" by Brubacher and Rudy; and the two volume collection "American Higher Education, A Documentary History" edited by Hofstadter and Smith.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars better over time, April 2, 2006

By 

R Smith "R Smith" (chicago, il) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Higher Education, Second Edition: A History (Paperback)

If you have to own *one* history of higher ed. book, then this one is probably it. It is comprehensive and - despite the fact the author is a tenured professor - is readable. I think it is also better than another recent of history of higher ed. text by Thelin, which focuses mostly on the 30 or 40 most selective universities, paying little attention to the institutions that educate the vast majority of the rest of us.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Readable, August 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: American Higher Education: A History (Paperback)

I used this book as one of the required textbooks in a graduate course on the history of higher education. The book does a good job of providing background beginning with the earliest recorded evidence of higher education through the late 20th century. As a class text, I found the book to be very useful for the generation of discussion.