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The William G. Bowen Series
Higher Education in America: Revised Edition
A sweeping assessment of the state of higher education today from former Harvard president Derek Bok
Higher Education in America is a landmark work--a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the current condition of our colleges and universities from former Harvard president Derek Bok, one of the nation's most respected education experts. Sweepingly ambitious in scope, this is a deeply informed and balanced assessment of the many strengths as well as the weaknesses of American higher education today. At a time when colleges and universities have never been more important to the lives and opportunities of students or to the progress and prosperity of the nation, Bok provides a thorough examination of the entire system, public and private, from community colleges and small liberal arts colleges to great universities with their research programs and their medical, law, and business schools. Drawing on the most reliable studies and data, he determines which criticisms of higher education are unfounded or exaggerated, which are issues of genuine concern, and what can be done to improve matters.
Some of the subjects considered are long-standing, such as debates over the undergraduate curriculum and concerns over rising college costs. Others are more recent, such as the rise of for-profit institutions and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Additional topics include the quality of undergraduate education, the stagnating levels of college graduation, the problems of university governance, the strengths and weaknesses of graduate and professional education, the environment for research, and the benefits and drawbacks of the pervasive competition among American colleges and universities.
Offering a rare survey and evaluation of American higher education as a whole, this book provides a solid basis for a fresh public discussion about what the system is doing right, what it needs to do better, and how the next quarter century could be made a period of progress rather than decline.
Higher Education in America is a landmark work--a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the current condition of our colleges and universities from former Harvard president Derek Bok, one of the nation's most respected education experts. Sweepingly ambitious in scope, this is a deeply informed and balanced assessment of the many strengths as well as the weaknesses of American higher education today. At a time when colleges and universities have never been more important to the lives and opportunities of students or to the progress and prosperity of the nation, Bok provides a thorough examination of the entire system, public and private, from community colleges and small liberal arts colleges to great universities with their research programs and their medical, law, and business schools. Drawing on the most reliable studies and data, he determines which criticisms of higher education are unfounded or exaggerated, which are issues of genuine concern, and what can be done to improve matters.
Some of the subjects considered are long-standing, such as debates over the undergraduate curriculum and concerns over rising college costs. Others are more recent, such as the rise of for-profit institutions and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Additional topics include the quality of undergraduate education, the stagnating levels of college graduation, the problems of university governance, the strengths and weaknesses of graduate and professional education, the environment for research, and the benefits and drawbacks of the pervasive competition among American colleges and universities.
Offering a rare survey and evaluation of American higher education as a whole, this book provides a solid basis for a fresh public discussion about what the system is doing right, what it needs to do better, and how the next quarter century could be made a period of progress rather than decline.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
33 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Derek Bok
32 books17 followersDerek Curtis Bok (born March 22, 1930) is an American lawyer and educator, and the former president of Harvard University.
Bok was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Stanford University (B.A., 1951), Harvard Law School (J.D., 1954), and George Washington University (A.M., 1958). He taught law at Harvard from 1958, where he served as dean of the law school (1968–1971) and then as university president (1971–1991). Bok currently serves as the Faculty Chair at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard and continues to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Kennedy School.
After 15 years away from the Harvard presidency, Bok returned to lead the university on an interim basis after Lawrence Summers's resignation took effect on July 1, 2006. He was succeeded by Drew Gilpin Faust on July 1, 2007.
Bok's wife, the sociologist and philosopher Sissela Bok, née Myrdal (daughter of the Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal and the politician and diplomat Alva Myrdal, both Nobel laureates), is also affiliated with Harvard, where she received her doctorate in 1970. His daughter, Hilary Bok, is a philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University.
Bok was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Stanford University (B.A., 1951), Harvard Law School (J.D., 1954), and George Washington University (A.M., 1958). He taught law at Harvard from 1958, where he served as dean of the law school (1968–1971) and then as university president (1971–1991). Bok currently serves as the Faculty Chair at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard and continues to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Kennedy School.
After 15 years away from the Harvard presidency, Bok returned to lead the university on an interim basis after Lawrence Summers's resignation took effect on July 1, 2006. He was succeeded by Drew Gilpin Faust on July 1, 2007.
Bok's wife, the sociologist and philosopher Sissela Bok, née Myrdal (daughter of the Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal and the politician and diplomat Alva Myrdal, both Nobel laureates), is also affiliated with Harvard, where she received her doctorate in 1970. His daughter, Hilary Bok, is a philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 18, 2021
Two and a half stars.
Bok provides a useful introduction to the history of college curricula in the U.S.. He makes a case for the AAC&U's curricular reform initiative. When at his strongest, he draws on research to illustrate what colleges have done and what they may and may not be able to do toward better educating our citizenry. Too often, he makes unsubstantiated, disparaging claims about faculty, administrators, coaches, various types of educational institutions, and the structural economic forces impeding progress.
He offers a few (well, duh! type) suggestions: Define education goals. Rely less on lecturers. Hire administrators who care about student learning. Invest in education research. Close the assessment loop. Help faculty adopt effective teaching techniques.
The book's subtitle asks, "Can Colleges Teach Students What They Need to Know in the 21st Century?" Bok seems confident only in the belief that, should the answer turn out to be no, "self-serving" tenure-track faculty will be the ones to blame.
Bok provides a useful introduction to the history of college curricula in the U.S.. He makes a case for the AAC&U's curricular reform initiative. When at his strongest, he draws on research to illustrate what colleges have done and what they may and may not be able to do toward better educating our citizenry. Too often, he makes unsubstantiated, disparaging claims about faculty, administrators, coaches, various types of educational institutions, and the structural economic forces impeding progress.
He offers a few (well, duh! type) suggestions: Define education goals. Rely less on lecturers. Hire administrators who care about student learning. Invest in education research. Close the assessment loop. Help faculty adopt effective teaching techniques.
The book's subtitle asks, "Can Colleges Teach Students What They Need to Know in the 21st Century?" Bok seems confident only in the belief that, should the answer turn out to be no, "self-serving" tenure-track faculty will be the ones to blame.
May 31, 2016
Derek Bok is a significant figure in higher education and many parts of this book display his extensive experience and depth of thought about the field. The book has several shortcomings, however, that disappointingly limit its stature and usefulness. For example, in a chapter called "The Expanding Audience of Higher Education," you would expect Mr. Bok to cover topics like adult learners, nontraditional students, international students, and the many other groups who've expanded the body of students served by higher education. Nope. He spends almost the whole chapter talking about the very small handful of elite colleges who have built campuses overseas in the Middle East and China. This bias toward elite privates (where he spent his entire educational and professional life) permeates the book and he gives short shrift throughout to other types of institutions, which educate the vast majority of students. He mentions them, but not usually with any depth. I understand the "write what you know" phenomenon, but this isn't acceptable in a book that presumes to be about all of higher education in America. Mr. Bok is a talented writer and almost everyone will learn something from the book, so that's why I gave it three stars. I'm just frustrated at the lost opportunities to talk about where most college students are educated.
November 22, 2014
A comprehensive and intense book that describes the entire process of HigherEd from top to bottom, including its historic development and its current state. A basic text recommended to me by a colleague when I came into Blackboard and asked to be educated about education.
June 27, 2019
This survey is comprehensive in scope but does not dig very deep. The group of those who might benefit from this book is fairly small -- primarily new administrators or board members who need an overview of higher education. After having read this 496 page book, I came away with no action items and without being able to identify even one thing that I learned from it.
December 31, 2018
Harvard is apparently ruled by economism, not just during the Summers presidency.
June 14, 2022
Bok disappointed with this one.
April 18, 2016
Higher Education in America is a comprehensive and authoritative analysis of the current condition of our colleges and universities from former Harvard president Derek Bok, one of the nation's most-respected education experts. Sweepingly ambitious in scope, this is a deeply informed and balanced assessment of the many strengths as well as the weaknesses of American higher education today. At a time when colleges and universities have never been more important to the lives and opportunities of students or to the progress and prosperity of the nation, Bok provides a thorough examination of the entire system, public and private, from community colleges and small liberal arts colleges to great universities with their research programs and their medical, law, and business schools. Drawing on the most reliable studies and data, he determines which criticisms of higher education are unfounded or exaggerated, which are issues of genuine concern, and what can be done to improve matters.
Some of the subjects considered are long-standing, such as debates over the undergraduate curriculum and concerns over rising college costs. Others are more recent, such as the rise of for-profit institutions and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Additional topics include the quality of undergraduate education, the stagnating levels of college graduation, the problems of university governance, the strengths and weaknesses of graduate and professional education, the environment for research, and the benefits and drawbacks of the pervasive competition among American colleges and universities.
Offering a rare survey and evaluation of American higher education as a whole, this book provides a solid basis for a fresh public discussion about what the system is doing right, what it needs to do better, and how the next quarter century could be made a period of progress rather than decline.
Some of the subjects considered are long-standing, such as debates over the undergraduate curriculum and concerns over rising college costs. Others are more recent, such as the rise of for-profit institutions and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Additional topics include the quality of undergraduate education, the stagnating levels of college graduation, the problems of university governance, the strengths and weaknesses of graduate and professional education, the environment for research, and the benefits and drawbacks of the pervasive competition among American colleges and universities.
Offering a rare survey and evaluation of American higher education as a whole, this book provides a solid basis for a fresh public discussion about what the system is doing right, what it needs to do better, and how the next quarter century could be made a period of progress rather than decline.
December 11, 2014
What a long book! The author touched on issues one typically reads about higher Ed issues including the quality of undergraduate education and decreasing graduation rate. It also talked about issues with research and the commercialization of it. There's not too many mention of student affairs which is a bit disappointing.
This book is very detailed but you could just read the foreword/afterword of each chapter to get the gist of the author's POV.
This book is very detailed but you could just read the foreword/afterword of each chapter to get the gist of the author's POV.
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December 5, 2013"The two-time former President of Harvard (and former Dean of its law school) has written the most comprehensive analysis of the problems facing higher education in years. The book and its copious annotations is destined to become the authoritative text for higher ed researchers for decades to come." - Michael H. Schill
October 2, 2015
Derek Bok most definitely knows his stuff when it comes to higher education in American. If you're looking for a broad survey of the higher education landscape, this might be the best single book around. Just don't expect to be thrilled with the writing. If you're a professor, there's probably little for you here, aside from the exercise you'll get rolling your eyes at some of Bok's suggestions about how to improve undergraduate teaching.
April 30, 2018
I have read 25% of the book and I do not know whether I am going to continue. So far I have not learned anything new, and the writer's style is too dry to keep me engaged. This was an unusually expensive book for a Kindle edition and I regret that I did not buy a hard copy version, so that I could donate it to my public library.
July 6, 2015
It's a good overview of the challenges and successes of higher education today. But it was much longer than it needed to be.
June 25, 2015
An excellent explanation of the higher education system set up
August 30, 2015
Extremely interesting read for those who work in higher education.
March 19, 2016
Required reading for those of us in academia, but at 400 pgs of tiny type most probably won't make the time!
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January 30, 2017Read by ACRL Member of the Week Donald A. Barclay. Learn more about Donald on the ACRL Insider Blog.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews