The Design of the University

by Heinz-Dieter Meyer

The American university is a genuine institutional design innovation, the first to harness the power of markets, government and scholarly love for distinction without being controlled by any of them. The major tenets of the American research university teaching and research, doctoral education, the allure of a national university helped it supersede international competitors, particularly Germany, as the leading powerhouse of science and scholarship. Much of this design was borrowed from or inspired by the German example; by closely tracking the similarities and differences of American higher education and its German model, this volume identifies the practices and choices that produced the gold standard for today s world class higher education.

Following the rise and fall of the German university model, this volume provides a counterpoint to market-based explanations for America s academic and scientific global leadership, and its implications for higher education reform in today s knowledge society."

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016