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The University: An Owner's Manual
"Superb. . . . Rosovsky has written an important book―probing, wise, shrewd, fair. . . . Deserves to be widely read." ―James O. Freeman, Washington Post A view of America's colleges and universities and how they are run, the challenges they face and the issues that affect their "owners" - students, faculty, alumni, trustees and others. Among the issues covered are tenure, the admission process in elite institutions and curriculum.
309 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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March 4, 2012
Henry Rosovsky should be read by everyone interested in higher education, but particularly by students. It will provide them with a very practical introduction to the American university. Rosovsky discusses the value of the research university compared to the independent college, graduate students as teachers, and the relative responsibilities of the administrators compared to those of the faculty.
Rosovsky, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, makes an excellent case for the advantage to students of attending a research oriented university as opposed to the more pedagogioally oriented independent colleges. He defines research as "studíous inquiry, usually critical and exhaustive investigation of experimentation having for its aim the revision of accepted conclusions in the light of newly discovered facts." Emphasis on research implies a love of learning and abiding faith in the notion of progress, i.e. a basic optimism about the human condition. He infers from this that research oriented professors will be less likely to be cynical or reactionary and less likely to suffer burnout from basically repetitions teaching. He also proposes that research quality is much easier to measure and define than teaching quality, and therefore one is more likely to find quality in a research oriented institution. (A risky proposition at best.)
Rosovsky delivers an impassioned plea for a liberal education as opposed to merely training for a task. "General education means the whole development of the individual, apart from his occupational training. It includes the civilizing of his life purposes, the refining of his emotional reactions, and the maturing of his understanding about the nature of things according to the best knowledge of our time." This liberal education should be enable the student to:
1. Think and write clearly; to communicate with precision and force.
2. Develop a critical appreciation for the manner in which we gain knowledge. This means teaching historical and quantitative techniques of analysis.
3. View personal experience within a wider, multicultural context.
4. Gain experience ín thinking about ethical and moral dilemmas.
5. Achieve some depth of knowledge in a particular field (i.e. the "major".)
He addresses Bloom’s nostalgic concern for a common body of knowledge and argues that this sentiment for a "better time" does not reflect reality as it existed 30 years ago. Instead it expresses an inadvertent realization of and yearning for the homogeneity of the past, which Rosovsky implies was "a consequence of narrow class privilege." At entry to college the race is uneven, not everyone starts with equal handicaps. Our concern should be for how the race ends. A liberal education can help. Training may be too restrictive. ”Up-to-date information can always be acquired without too much difficulty, human understanding cannot be reduced to asking the computer a few questions."
Rosovsky, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, makes an excellent case for the advantage to students of attending a research oriented university as opposed to the more pedagogioally oriented independent colleges. He defines research as "studíous inquiry, usually critical and exhaustive investigation of experimentation having for its aim the revision of accepted conclusions in the light of newly discovered facts." Emphasis on research implies a love of learning and abiding faith in the notion of progress, i.e. a basic optimism about the human condition. He infers from this that research oriented professors will be less likely to be cynical or reactionary and less likely to suffer burnout from basically repetitions teaching. He also proposes that research quality is much easier to measure and define than teaching quality, and therefore one is more likely to find quality in a research oriented institution. (A risky proposition at best.)
Rosovsky delivers an impassioned plea for a liberal education as opposed to merely training for a task. "General education means the whole development of the individual, apart from his occupational training. It includes the civilizing of his life purposes, the refining of his emotional reactions, and the maturing of his understanding about the nature of things according to the best knowledge of our time." This liberal education should be enable the student to:
1. Think and write clearly; to communicate with precision and force.
2. Develop a critical appreciation for the manner in which we gain knowledge. This means teaching historical and quantitative techniques of analysis.
3. View personal experience within a wider, multicultural context.
4. Gain experience ín thinking about ethical and moral dilemmas.
5. Achieve some depth of knowledge in a particular field (i.e. the "major".)
He addresses Bloom’s nostalgic concern for a common body of knowledge and argues that this sentiment for a "better time" does not reflect reality as it existed 30 years ago. Instead it expresses an inadvertent realization of and yearning for the homogeneity of the past, which Rosovsky implies was "a consequence of narrow class privilege." At entry to college the race is uneven, not everyone starts with equal handicaps. Our concern should be for how the race ends. A liberal education can help. Training may be too restrictive. ”Up-to-date information can always be acquired without too much difficulty, human understanding cannot be reduced to asking the computer a few questions."
June 8, 2024
“İnsan büyük bir okula bilginin de ötesinde bir şeyler almak için gider. Özen gösterme alışkanlığı için, kendini anlama sanatı için, görüşlerinizin onaylanmamasına katlanabilme alışkanlığı için, medeni bir şekilde olumlu ya da olumsuz görüş bildirebilme sanatı için, zevklerini geliştirebilmek için, zihinsel cesaret için…”
Üniversite: Bir Dekan Anlatıyor’un orijinal ismi “Owner’s Manual”. Lisans, lisansüstü öğrencileri, akademik kadro ve yönetim kadrosu dahil herkesin üniversiteye “sahip” olduğundan hareketle, onlara üniversiteyi anlatan bir kullanım kılavuzu yazmış.
Üniversitede bulunma üzerine çok düşündüğüm döneme, birçok gencin de ne olduğunu bilmediği üniversitenin kapısından adım atabilmek için ter döktüğü saatlere denk geldi 😓
Henry Rosovsky, Harvard’ın en büyük fakültesi olan Fen ve Edebiyat Fakültesi’nin eski dekanı. Eğitimin niteliği, öğrenci veya öğretim görevlisi olarak üniversiteyi özümsemek üzerine deneyimlerini aktardığı keyifli bir anlatı yazmış.
Kitap TÜBİTAK’ın Popüler Bilim serisinden çıkmıştı. 1996’da bana armağan edildiğinden beri kütüphanemdedir. Üniversite sınavına girdiğim yıldı, eğer o yıl okusaydım bir şey anlamazdım. Künyeye göre 1994’teki ilk yayınından itibaren 2 yılda, 8 basımda tam 18.000 basılmış. O zamanlar bilim gerçekten de popülermiş 🥹 çocuktuk, o zamanların kıymetini bilemedik.
Kitap Harvard’daki nitelikli eğitim üzerine çok çarpıcı bilgiler içeriyor. Her bölümden tüm öğrenciler için zorunlu kültürel eğitimi anlattığı kısım çok etkiledi beni: “Shakespeare okumadan Harvard’dan mezun olmanın mümkün olup olmadığı sorusu sık sık sorulur. Evet, fakat bir uzmanın rehberliğinde edebi klasikleri, eleştirmeli ve çözümlemeli bir biçimde okumadan diploma almak mümkün değildir.”
Rosovsky kendi anılarını anlattığı kısa bölümde John LeCarre romanları okuduğunu naklederek yüreğimize de işlemiştir 💙
Üniversite: Bir Dekan Anlatıyor’un orijinal ismi “Owner’s Manual”. Lisans, lisansüstü öğrencileri, akademik kadro ve yönetim kadrosu dahil herkesin üniversiteye “sahip” olduğundan hareketle, onlara üniversiteyi anlatan bir kullanım kılavuzu yazmış.
Üniversitede bulunma üzerine çok düşündüğüm döneme, birçok gencin de ne olduğunu bilmediği üniversitenin kapısından adım atabilmek için ter döktüğü saatlere denk geldi 😓
Henry Rosovsky, Harvard’ın en büyük fakültesi olan Fen ve Edebiyat Fakültesi’nin eski dekanı. Eğitimin niteliği, öğrenci veya öğretim görevlisi olarak üniversiteyi özümsemek üzerine deneyimlerini aktardığı keyifli bir anlatı yazmış.
Kitap TÜBİTAK’ın Popüler Bilim serisinden çıkmıştı. 1996’da bana armağan edildiğinden beri kütüphanemdedir. Üniversite sınavına girdiğim yıldı, eğer o yıl okusaydım bir şey anlamazdım. Künyeye göre 1994’teki ilk yayınından itibaren 2 yılda, 8 basımda tam 18.000 basılmış. O zamanlar bilim gerçekten de popülermiş 🥹 çocuktuk, o zamanların kıymetini bilemedik.
Kitap Harvard’daki nitelikli eğitim üzerine çok çarpıcı bilgiler içeriyor. Her bölümden tüm öğrenciler için zorunlu kültürel eğitimi anlattığı kısım çok etkiledi beni: “Shakespeare okumadan Harvard’dan mezun olmanın mümkün olup olmadığı sorusu sık sık sorulur. Evet, fakat bir uzmanın rehberliğinde edebi klasikleri, eleştirmeli ve çözümlemeli bir biçimde okumadan diploma almak mümkün değildir.”
Rosovsky kendi anılarını anlattığı kısa bölümde John LeCarre romanları okuduğunu naklederek yüreğimize de işlemiştir 💙
February 4, 2017
Henry Rosovsky was Dean of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1973 to 1984, and again in 1990 to 1991. He grew up speaking Russian, German, and French in Gdansk, before coming to the United States with his Russian Jewish parents when he was thirteen. Given his late start with English, the sheer beauty and elegance of his prose is remarkable.
This magnificent book distills the experience of his many years at Harvard into a guide that every prospective doctoral student and every faculty member at the top research universities should read. With kindness, wit, and unadulterated honesty and openness he explains how research universities work. Though the book is now 27 years old, it appears to be entirely accurate, with obvious exceptions like budgets, faculty pay, and the size of endowments. Running such a complex organization requires great intelligence and maturity, and both Rosovsky and the President of the university at that time, Derek Bok, were exemplary. He puts paid to so many of the easy and ignorant criticisms of America's greatest universities, which are also the greatest in the world, and the source of so much of the competitive advantage of the United States. He explains logically and humbly how intensely difficult it is to run such institutions, designed as they are to provide an environment in which great scholars can continue to learn and thrive, balancing research and teaching while struggling for tenure. Harvard, in preparing to hire a tenured professor, has always asked who is the best in the world. That seems fitting.
This magnificent book distills the experience of his many years at Harvard into a guide that every prospective doctoral student and every faculty member at the top research universities should read. With kindness, wit, and unadulterated honesty and openness he explains how research universities work. Though the book is now 27 years old, it appears to be entirely accurate, with obvious exceptions like budgets, faculty pay, and the size of endowments. Running such a complex organization requires great intelligence and maturity, and both Rosovsky and the President of the university at that time, Derek Bok, were exemplary. He puts paid to so many of the easy and ignorant criticisms of America's greatest universities, which are also the greatest in the world, and the source of so much of the competitive advantage of the United States. He explains logically and humbly how intensely difficult it is to run such institutions, designed as they are to provide an environment in which great scholars can continue to learn and thrive, balancing research and teaching while struggling for tenure. Harvard, in preparing to hire a tenured professor, has always asked who is the best in the world. That seems fitting.
November 8, 2020
A good clear analysis of the role of the university...while some of Rosovsky's ideas are outdated, he still makes a great deal of sense with the "big picture" issues.
August 30, 2020
Henry Rosovsky has a great experience as university administrator and dean. He pours his experience in this book. Usually this can be dry and painful regrading. However, his eloquent and delicate language makes it a delightful reading. Rosovsky, discuss what he considers timeless and hard questions that faces any university students , professors and governance. Under these main topics there are more details about the university life, selecting the right university, tenure and academic life, deaning and governance towards the end.
He goes into depth - and not without humor - into each of these topics with lively examples.
If only this book can be updated to reflect the twenty first century universities.
He goes into depth - and not without humor - into each of these topics with lively examples.
If only this book can be updated to reflect the twenty first century universities.
March 16, 2025
I'm not sure where I acquired this book, or how many years it was sitting on my bookshelf, but I am glad I finally got around to reading it before I have to get rid of my copy as I move apartments. It was written at the end of the 1980's and is very much a product of its time, so it is now thirty-five years out-of-date and is more a view into how academia looked around when I was born than how it looks now or how it looked when I was an undergrad twenty years ago. A lot that Henry Rosovsky describes hasn't changed, but a lot also has. Far fewer universities are run by faculty-administrators as he describes, undergraduate admissions have changed substantially and become much more of an arms race, and he was writing while there was still a mandatory retirement age for tenured faculty, though it was already in the process of being banned. (He did see that the tenure system plus the elimination of mandatory retirement would not be a good combination...but his conclusion seems to have been that mandatory retirement wouldn't be completely eliminated, since doing so would be a disaster.)
It's also worth noting that this book is very Harvard-centric, because Harvard is the author's frame of reference. This also led me to learn that Harvard doesn't use the standard system of tenure-track positions: rather than assistant professors being hired for specific tenure "lines", meaning that each one can potentially get tenure, Harvard's assistant professors are hired independent of tenure lines, and whenever a tenured slot opens up, a search is done across academia (not just among the assistant professors) to decide who to offer it to.
It's also worth noting that this book is very Harvard-centric, because Harvard is the author's frame of reference. This also led me to learn that Harvard doesn't use the standard system of tenure-track positions: rather than assistant professors being hired for specific tenure "lines", meaning that each one can potentially get tenure, Harvard's assistant professors are hired independent of tenure lines, and whenever a tenured slot opens up, a search is done across academia (not just among the assistant professors) to decide who to offer it to.
April 7, 2022
“Üniversiteler, kaçınılmaz olarak, artıları ve eksileriyle, inişleri ve çıkışlarıyla toplumun bir aynasıdır. Bu, çağımızda baskıcı toplumların büyük öğrenim merkezlerine ev sahipliği edememesinin nedenlerinden biridir. Bununla birlikte bizim, tek başımıza toplumu değiştirmeye ya da onu esenliğe ulaştırmaya gücümüz yetmez. Liderliğimiz sınırlanmalıdır. Biz yeni bilgiler üretiriz, mesleki beceriler ve temel bilgiler öğretiriz. Ama tek başımıza ırkçılığın, yoksulluğun yahut uyuşturucu alışkanlığının üstesinden gelemeyiz. Açgözlü bir toplumda üniversiteler yoldan çıkmaya karşı bağışıklı değildir. Mutsuzlar denizinde bir cennet adası olamayız.
Yüksek öğretimin başarabilecekleri konusunda tevazu ve gerçekçilik, bizim toplum yaşamının niteliklerini belirlemekteki rolümüzün küçük olduğunu hiçbir biçimde göstermez. Bizler, fikirlerin ve alternatiflerin geliştirilmesinde öncüyüz. Öğrencilere en son bilgileri verirken bir yandan da bu bilgilerin sınırını bütün enerjimizi kullanarak genişletmeye çalışırız.
Bizi eleştirenlere “honi soit qui mal y pense” (hakkımda kötü düşünenler utansınlar) diyeceğim. İlk bakışta kötü görünen şeyler, aslında önemsiz, masum ya da daha geniş toplumsal değerlerin yansıması olabilir. Kendimize ise şunu söyleyeceğim: Olduğumuzla yetinme tehlikesinden kaçınalım, mükemmel olmak için çaba sarf edelim, ideal ile gerçek arasındaki farkı olabildiğince azaltalım.”
Yüksek öğretimin başarabilecekleri konusunda tevazu ve gerçekçilik, bizim toplum yaşamının niteliklerini belirlemekteki rolümüzün küçük olduğunu hiçbir biçimde göstermez. Bizler, fikirlerin ve alternatiflerin geliştirilmesinde öncüyüz. Öğrencilere en son bilgileri verirken bir yandan da bu bilgilerin sınırını bütün enerjimizi kullanarak genişletmeye çalışırız.
Bizi eleştirenlere “honi soit qui mal y pense” (hakkımda kötü düşünenler utansınlar) diyeceğim. İlk bakışta kötü görünen şeyler, aslında önemsiz, masum ya da daha geniş toplumsal değerlerin yansıması olabilir. Kendimize ise şunu söyleyeceğim: Olduğumuzla yetinme tehlikesinden kaçınalım, mükemmel olmak için çaba sarf edelim, ideal ile gerçek arasındaki farkı olabildiğince azaltalım.”
July 14, 2019
(read dates approximate)
Rosovsky was dean at Harvard for quite a while in the 1970s and 80s, and in this book talks about the university from the point of view of students, faculty and management. Chunks of it are very good, but overall it's a document that very much reflects the establishment view of one of the world's foremost institutions. He does talk about about recruiting and empowering women and under-represented minorities, but just enough, not too much.
Enlightening if you don't know much about the insides of a major university, mostly stuff you already know if you work in one, though he does write clearly and helps to crystallize some things that may not have a complete framework in your head.
Personally, I liked the section on the Harvard Core.
This was written right around the time my current campus was founded. It's interesting to think of what our campus has done/become in the last three decades, compared to what he sees.
Rosovsky was dean at Harvard for quite a while in the 1970s and 80s, and in this book talks about the university from the point of view of students, faculty and management. Chunks of it are very good, but overall it's a document that very much reflects the establishment view of one of the world's foremost institutions. He does talk about about recruiting and empowering women and under-represented minorities, but just enough, not too much.
Enlightening if you don't know much about the insides of a major university, mostly stuff you already know if you work in one, though he does write clearly and helps to crystallize some things that may not have a complete framework in your head.
Personally, I liked the section on the Harvard Core.
This was written right around the time my current campus was founded. It's interesting to think of what our campus has done/become in the last three decades, compared to what he sees.
July 16, 2017
Amerikan üniversitelerini iyi yapan nedir? Nasıl yönetilirler? Nasıl öğrenci seçerler ve nasıl bir eğitim verirler soruları temel olarak ele alınmış. Eğitim felsefesi, eğitim yönetimi ve akademiyle ilgili ciddi tecrübeler yer alıyor. Kitabın yazarı Henry Rosovsky Harvard Üniversitesi'nde 11 yıl boyunca dekanlık yapmış. Üniversite yönetiminde daha demokratik bir düzenin daha iyi sonuçlar vermediğine olan düşüncesi tartışma götürür. Bu konuda karşıtları da okunmalı.
August 22, 2017
Üniversitede çalışan, çalışmayı düşünen herkesin mutlaka okuması gerekiyor. Ekolleri anlatıp giriş bilgilerini de sağlıyor, yaptıklarını anlatarak tecrübe de ekliyor...
February 8, 2020
Kitap iyi de, veya orta, ama ceviri kotu maalesef. Ivy League'i Turkceye cevirmis, ornegin. Tubitak'tan boyle kalitesiz bir yayin beklemezdim acikcasi. Saygilar.
December 11, 2023
A classic must-read for anyone in academia
February 6, 2012
Rosovsky was the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard for many years, and uses this book to share his insights into higher education, particularly the need for tenure, why students should attend institutions which have research, shared governance, and typical administrative duties. Nothing he explains was groundbreaking to me, and I was off-put by his hint of snobbery (only focusing on the few "best" schools, not even bothering to mention that students can also choose to go to good state-funded research institutions, and his broad statements that financial need isn't a concern when applying to Harvard, or that obviously schools who promote using the tenure track have inferior faculty to those who recruit superstars from elsewhere, some of whom must have started on the tenure track). I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who already knows a lot about higher education, but to someone who wants an insight into how Harvard (pronounced in my mind HAH-VAHD) runs the show, sure, go ahead.
February 9, 2013
This is interesting book full of true stories that are intended to explain the world of higher education at Harvard. It's easy to read and informative. I like the stories at the beginning the most, especially the stories during the time when he was Dean. However, if you're looking for a book that will teach you about the world of higher education outside the Ivy League, this is probably not the book for you. Although the author mentions other universities, his primary focus is definitely on Harvard. He has no delusions that this is not indeed the case, so it's hard to criticize him for it.
July 13, 2010
An interesting insider's look at private ivy-league universities. Candid stories about the author's experience at Harvard.
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June 21, 2012Borrowed from the Professional Development Program at Franklin College.
February 26, 2023
This is a terrific book on the "big picture" of universities. It's also fascinating to read 25+ years after publication to see how certain trends have changed.
December 11, 2015
1980'li yıllarının Amerikan Eğitim Sistemi hakkında bilgi veren güzel ve eğlenceli bir kitap.
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