Hardback
August 10, 2007
9789639776791
English
231
9.21 Inches (US)
6.26 Inches (US)
1.07 Pounds (US)
$69.00 USD, £47.00 GBP
v2.1 Reference
Paperback / softback
March 31, 2023
9789633861066
English
232
9.00 Inches (US)
6.00 Inches (US)
.7 Pounds (US)
$24.95 USD
v2.1 Reference

Higher Education and the American Dream

Success and Its Discontents

Marvin Lazerson (professor at the Central European University and the University of Pennsylvania) considers the successes of higher education in the USA and how this has also bred discontent. He traces the development of higher education from the last half of the twentieth century, and considers why the expansion occurred, how it became an industry, and the increasing role of education in job attainment, as well as problems like rising costs, debates about the economic worth of higher education, and the decline in its civic, moral, and intellectual purposes. He also discusses changes in governance to a more business-like model, the managerial imperatives colleges face, changes to curriculum and research, and reform.

About the Author

Marvin Lazerson is Professor of Higher Education in the School of Public Policy, Central European University and Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.

Reviews

"How, asks Marvin Lazerson, can a higher education system that depended so heavily on the dreams of so many millions of Americans have lost its way so completely? His readable and quietly authoritative response to this value-laden question has relevance far beyond the US."—Times Higher Education

"The unique perspective of this long-term administrator and education historian made Lazerson's memoir particularly compelling. Lazerson acknowledges many of the challenges facing American higher education, especially in the current economic downturn. Perhaps with hard work, including strong systems of truly shared governance, more and more Americans will be able to partake in the American dream Lazerson professes."—Academe

Endorsements

"Marvin Lazerson's magnificent book is not only comprehensive, but it is written from an all-embracing point of view: seeing higher education in America as an expression of the American Dream. This book should be on the reading list of all who want to understand America's actions, role and image in the world today, with and equal emphasis on their successes and the discontents they create."—Yehuda Elkana

"In prose remarkable for its clarity and analysis remarkable for its fair-mindedness, this volume delivers a penetrating, nuanced account of American universities in the twenty-first century. Blessedly without rant or cant, the book tackles topics that range from the rise of the managerial class to the failed attempts to reform practice in the classroom. It's a smart provocation—a must-read for anyone who cares about where our universities are heading."—David L. Kirp

"Professor Lazerson gives an insightful account of American higher education based on years of study and first-hand experience. He discusses both the problems and the accomplishment of our universities with equal care and thus, succeeds in providing a useful and illuminating analysis."—Derek Bok

"Marvin Lazerson's new book is exactly what is needed: a readable, cogent explanation of how the U.S. can have the best system of higher education in the world, but also a system that seems to be coming apart at the seams."—Susan Fuhrman
Central European University Press

9789639776791 : higher-education-and-the-american-dream-lazerson
Hardback
231 Pages
$69.00 USD
9789633861066 : higher-education-and-the-american-dream-lazerson
Paperback / softback
232 Pages
$24.95 USD

Other Titles by Marvin Lazerson

The University in the Twenty-first Century

Yehuda Elkana, Hannes Klöpper, edited by Marvin Lazerson
Aug 2016 - Central European University Press
$90.00 USD - Hardback

Other Titles in EDUCATION / Higher

Transylvania

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Cops on Campus

edited by Yalile Suriel, Grace Watkins, Jude Paul Matias Dizon, John Joseph Sloan, III, series edited by Michael R. Hames-García, Micol Seigel
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Voices of Campus Sexual Violence Activists

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$34.95 USD - Hardback
$34.95 USD - Electronic book text

Other Titles in Higher & further education, tertiary education

Transylvania

John D. Wright, Jr.
Dec 2025 - University Press of Kentucky
$30.00 USD - Paperback / softback
$12.95 USD - Electronic book text

Cops on Campus

edited by Yalile Suriel, Grace Watkins, Jude Paul Matias Dizon, John Joseph Sloan, III, series edited by Michael R. Hames-García, Micol Seigel
Jan 2024 - University of Washington Press
$105.00 USD - Hardback
$30.00 USD - Paperback / softback

Voices of Campus Sexual Violence Activists

Ana M. Martínez-Alemán and Susan B. Marine
Dec 2023 - Johns Hopkins University Press
$34.95 USD - Hardback
$34.95 USD - Electronic book text