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A History of American Higher Education
The definitive history of American higher education—now up to date.
Colleges and universities are among the most cherished—and controversial—institutions in the United States. In this updated edition of A History of American Higher Education, John R. Thelin offers welcome perspective on the triumphs and crises of this highly influential sector in American life.
Exploring American higher education from its founding in the seventeenth century to its struggle to innovate and adapt in the first decades of the twenty-first century, Thelin demonstrates that the experience of going to college has been central to American life for generations of students and their families. Drawing from archival research, along with the pioneering scholarship of leading historians, Thelin raises profound questions about what colleges are—and what they should be.
Covering issues of social class, race, gender, and ethnicity in each era and chapter, this new edition showcases a fresh concluding chapter that focuses on both the opportunities and problems American higher education has faced since 2010. The essay on sources has been revised to incorporate books and articles published over the past decade. The book also updates the discussion of perennial hot-button issues such as big-time sports programs, online learning, the debt crisis, the adjunct crisis, and the return of the culture wars and addresses current areas of contention, including the changing role of governing boards and the financial challenges posed by the economic downturn.
Anyone studying the history of this institution in America must read Thelin's classic text, which has distinguished itself as the most wide-ranging and engaging account of the origins and evolution of America's institutions of higher learning.
Colleges and universities are among the most cherished—and controversial—institutions in the United States. In this updated edition of A History of American Higher Education, John R. Thelin offers welcome perspective on the triumphs and crises of this highly influential sector in American life.
Exploring American higher education from its founding in the seventeenth century to its struggle to innovate and adapt in the first decades of the twenty-first century, Thelin demonstrates that the experience of going to college has been central to American life for generations of students and their families. Drawing from archival research, along with the pioneering scholarship of leading historians, Thelin raises profound questions about what colleges are—and what they should be.
Covering issues of social class, race, gender, and ethnicity in each era and chapter, this new edition showcases a fresh concluding chapter that focuses on both the opportunities and problems American higher education has faced since 2010. The essay on sources has been revised to incorporate books and articles published over the past decade. The book also updates the discussion of perennial hot-button issues such as big-time sports programs, online learning, the debt crisis, the adjunct crisis, and the return of the culture wars and addresses current areas of contention, including the changing role of governing boards and the financial challenges posed by the economic downturn.
Anyone studying the history of this institution in America must read Thelin's classic text, which has distinguished itself as the most wide-ranging and engaging account of the origins and evolution of America's institutions of higher learning.
738 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
December 6, 2016
I used this textbook in my History of American Higher Education graduate course. For a textbook, it was pretty enjoyable to read. As others have said, Thelin does ramble sometimes, but the material is easy to read, understand, and digest. My only issue with the text came from using it for a historical timeline assignment - I realized as I flipped through every chapter looking for specific dates that the book is excellent as a general overview of higher education, but it was hard to find information on specific dates and events. There were a lot of passages that would state generalities of certain decades and say, "From the 1880s-1900s, such and such trend..." So using it for the timeline was difficult. But, as an overview of the history of American higher education, it was a pleasant and informative read.
January 2, 2020
I had to read this as the primary vehicle for historical context of higher education in America for my graduate program. It was the first book I read in the program and it was essentially my only introduction to the history of American higher education. I have to say, it was actually...extremely disappointing. The book rambles and drones on and on in a somewhat nonsensical format (a historical novel that is thematic instead of chronological?), but this is an aside. Despite the book being disastrously difficult to access for anyone without advanced literacy skills, the most prominent issue I have with this book was the clear whitewashing and avoidance of critical social topics such as Civil Rights, Civil War and other wars, women in education (touched on briefly, but did not go into enough depth, in my opinion)- it seemed like Thelin just cherry-picked what he felt was most important to include based on his own experiences. Many of the topics that were only mentioned briefly are simply included to set up a larger discussion for what Thelin seemed to feel was most relevant. The entire book is from the perspective of an older white male (which, of course, Thelin is). Yes, the historical facts are relatively unbiased and it is relatively comprehensive, but the exclusion of certain topics, the failure to elaborate on other topics, and the incessant droning made it difficult to trust in the book's validity and accuracy sometimes. This is touted as one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive history books that chronicles American higher education, so why leave out serious social issues like classism, racism, war, etc? I read the edition published in 2011, an edition that, in my opinion, should have been updated to reflect modern practice and thought. With the change of focus within higher education pointing to diversity, equity, and social justice, I'm a little shocked that the book hasn't been updated to support modern praxis. Certainly, Thelin has had roughly 20 years since the original publishing to expand upon and explore additional important topics like feminism (or other isms). I believe that this book's usefulness for modern practice is waning due to this critical issue. Overall, it was a good start to chronicling the history of American higher education, but it does leave a lot to be desired simply due to the evolving nature of the profession.
March 30, 2020
Required for EdD program. Informative but dry.
March 10, 2019
John Thelin’s History of American Higher Education synthesizes historical research of U.S. higher education from the 1970s through the early 2000s, to write an updated national history. The author credits Frederick Rudolph’s The American College and University: A History and Richard Hofstadter and Wilson Smith’s two-volume documentary history as substantial developments to bring a national history as recent as the 1970s. The author’s research approach includes “vertical” and “horizontal” histories, organizational “saga” histories, architectural histories, “episodic” histories, inclusion of fiction and memoirs as historical sources, and historical statistics.
In nine chapters, Thelin describes episodic trends in national history with institution-specific examples. Those chapters include colonial era colleges, the earliest American colleges, post-Civil War college growth and expansion, the generation of administrator college-builders, the growth of student enrollment up to World War One, the further institution expansions through World War Two, Cold War era federal education and research policies, the late Cold War funding and demographic shifts, and the financial constraints of the 1990s through the present.
This book is a helpful resource with a challenging organization of content. While some readers will not find the book's thematic organization helpful for understanding chronological trends in higher education, other readers might appreciate the breadth of issues presented. Readers with an interest in historical research of U.S. higher education should be interested in the book's content. Readers unfamiliar with U.S. higher education history will likely be confused and overwhelmed by this work.
In nine chapters, Thelin describes episodic trends in national history with institution-specific examples. Those chapters include colonial era colleges, the earliest American colleges, post-Civil War college growth and expansion, the generation of administrator college-builders, the growth of student enrollment up to World War One, the further institution expansions through World War Two, Cold War era federal education and research policies, the late Cold War funding and demographic shifts, and the financial constraints of the 1990s through the present.
This book is a helpful resource with a challenging organization of content. While some readers will not find the book's thematic organization helpful for understanding chronological trends in higher education, other readers might appreciate the breadth of issues presented. Readers with an interest in historical research of U.S. higher education should be interested in the book's content. Readers unfamiliar with U.S. higher education history will likely be confused and overwhelmed by this work.
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April 27, 2024omg this semester is almost over
May 3, 2025
This is a well-researched and well-written book. It runs a little long, but that is a natural result of taking on such a large topic. I read it because I was interested in the original purpose of higher education and how the current version of the research universe developed and it answered that very well. I knew a little about that but this got deeper into the evolution of the university in the 20th century. I am not sure I would recommend the book to many people because of its length and how it is forced to bounce between different aspects of colleges and universities. But if you want to know more about the development of higher education, this is the book for you.
There was so much information that I noted what I thought were the most important issues so that I could refer back to them later on. :
The introduction is ponderously long and could easily be skipped. This contrasts with the section on early college and universities is very good. It looks at institutions of learning that tried to emulate institutions from Britain but with limited success. They were always bound by budgetary concerns and the fact that a degree from a college was not required for entry in any profession. For instance, Harvard didn't ordain ministers even though many that it educated went into that field. That changed a little after the American Revolution, but not as much as you would think. The number of colleges ballooned, but there still wasn't a requirement for a degree for most jobs. It was only around the middle of the 19th century that professions, and colleges with them, began to establish certification requirements.
One big change came with the success of German universities and American attempts to emulate them. This started with The Johns Hopkins University, which was focused on research and providing training for future scholars. Other colleges and universities followed suit with mixed success. Throughout this time period, there was a tension between schools wanting to raise their standards and needing to admit students to pay the bills. This was especially hard in the South that had be devastated by the Civil War. Some robber barons from the north tried to step into the gap, notable Cornelius Vanderbilt and, later, Washington Duke. As part of this attempt to replicate the German model, universities worked together to establish uniform requirements for certification, beginning with the Association of American Universities in 1900
Another big change was the infusion of funds from the government to land-grant universities, although many states contributed as little as possible and a few spent the money on private universities. It opened higher education up to more people, although it still had relatively restricted access. It also offered a new focus of research into more practical fields of agriculture and engineering. A subsequent bill opened up land grants for African-Americans, leading to some of the best HBCUs.
The chapter on colleges becoming social phenomena was particularly interesting. Thelin looks at the advent of college sports as a big money maker both in terms of ticket sales and donations goes all the way back to the late 1800s, but really takes off in the 1920s. There was large scale corruption as well as institutions putting winning ahead of academics. This was put into film in the Marx Brothers' Horse Feathers, where Groucho was hired to save a college and mainly focused on the football team. The film was also indicative of college life making its way into popular culture in a broader sense.
I was surprised to see that colleges became more accessible in the 1920s, although it was still restricted by later standards. Women were often restricted to women's colleges and/or pushed into clerical work. African-Americans were generally restricted to a few colleges, some colleges in the north began to integrate. Colleges became more selective and paying for college was largely the students' problem. Colleges took a big hit during the Depression, except that a lot of them got government construction contracts meant to provide jobs, but actually helped out the colleges as well. They also survived the economic and cultural changes of World War II and came out the other side much stronger. This was at least partly because of the GI Bill, which was largely put into place to avoid another "Bonus Army", veterans of WWI that marched on Washington in 1932. It was an entitlement program with no limit on how many people could qualify for it. This cost the government a lot because veterans applied and were accepted in stunningly higher number than the architects envisioned.
In addition to the GI Bill that, states across the country began to see college as a gateway to a more educated and productive workforce. So states like California and New York invested hundreds of millions in expanded their state college systems and covered the tuitions of students. California also created a community college system that was funded off of local property tax, making them almost 13th and 14th grades that were extensions of local high schools. For some this was a gateway to universities, but for others it was a step to a vocational position. All of this added up to making college much more accessible to millions of Americans.
Also during WWII and immediately afterwards, the federal government started funding large amounts of research from university. Universities were very hesitant to take the money, fearing that it might impinge on academic freedom, but decided to take the money anyway because if they didn't, they would lost status as a research institution to universities that did take the money. There were a lot of strings attached from the government under the shadow of McCarthyism, leading to some academics being brought to testify before Congressional committees. But by the end of the 1950s there was an equilibrium between institutions of higher learning and the USG. Part of that was a sense of urgency brought about by the launch of Sputnik.
Government funding of universities changed in other ways, with it initially supporting tuition and then moving to supporting student loans. Loans were largely done by private entities but were guaranteed by the USG. Eventually the USG started giving Pell grants based on need. Government support not only opened up university to more people but also had the effect of colleges competing for students who would now pay with government money.
The 1970s were a tough year for colleges, like it was for most of the country, and brought the "Golden Age" of higher education to a close, although the reasons it was considered a golden age are a little obscure. The 1970s also saw the foundation of for-profit universities, especially the University of Phoenix, which used satellite campuses and distance learning to create factory learning.
The last few chapters bounce around a little, which isn't surprising since the original was published in 2004 followed by two updates in 2011 and 2019. But it started to explore some important questions. For instance, I was surprised by the assertion that big time sports are money losers for most colleges. I had always heard that the opposite was true, but I admit that I heard that from people trying to sell the idea of investing a university's money in sports. Thelin suggests that there are very few investments that a university could make or has made that have so overwhelmingly failed to deliver. I know that a lot of students want to go to a school for the sports atmosphere experience, but Thelin doesn't talk about its impact on admissions and I have no idea on the actual number of students for whom sports is a major factor in decision making.
Another issue he brings up is the spiraling of tuition costs that goes up a lot faster than overall inflation. He does mention that the CPI is not a good comparison because college is a long term and complicated investment and not something like the decision to buy eggs. But he also points out that administration has swelled in the last few decades with little improvement in quality of education. I might have liked him to spend more time really digging into this issue, but he had a lot of other ground to cover. He did discuss how universities are now competing for students in non-academic ways, including sports as mentioned above, but also including at non-academic amenities.
Thalin also talks about how universities are administered. US colleges were originally deliberately set up to be governed by a Board of Trustees rather than by the faculty, as was the case in Oxford and Cambridge. He looks at the powerful university president who is answerable to a board and can be sacked if he/she overseas a scandal, such as at Michigan State, Southern Cal or North Carolina.
One of the other questions he asks is what function does higher education play in modern society. It is an important question that gets rarely asked. This book was updated during Trumps first term, before he began his full assault on higher education. Answering that question has become very important in defending higher education, if it is indeed worthy of that defense.
There was so much information that I noted what I thought were the most important issues so that I could refer back to them later on. :
The introduction is ponderously long and could easily be skipped. This contrasts with the section on early college and universities is very good. It looks at institutions of learning that tried to emulate institutions from Britain but with limited success. They were always bound by budgetary concerns and the fact that a degree from a college was not required for entry in any profession. For instance, Harvard didn't ordain ministers even though many that it educated went into that field. That changed a little after the American Revolution, but not as much as you would think. The number of colleges ballooned, but there still wasn't a requirement for a degree for most jobs. It was only around the middle of the 19th century that professions, and colleges with them, began to establish certification requirements.
One big change came with the success of German universities and American attempts to emulate them. This started with The Johns Hopkins University, which was focused on research and providing training for future scholars. Other colleges and universities followed suit with mixed success. Throughout this time period, there was a tension between schools wanting to raise their standards and needing to admit students to pay the bills. This was especially hard in the South that had be devastated by the Civil War. Some robber barons from the north tried to step into the gap, notable Cornelius Vanderbilt and, later, Washington Duke. As part of this attempt to replicate the German model, universities worked together to establish uniform requirements for certification, beginning with the Association of American Universities in 1900
Another big change was the infusion of funds from the government to land-grant universities, although many states contributed as little as possible and a few spent the money on private universities. It opened higher education up to more people, although it still had relatively restricted access. It also offered a new focus of research into more practical fields of agriculture and engineering. A subsequent bill opened up land grants for African-Americans, leading to some of the best HBCUs.
The chapter on colleges becoming social phenomena was particularly interesting. Thelin looks at the advent of college sports as a big money maker both in terms of ticket sales and donations goes all the way back to the late 1800s, but really takes off in the 1920s. There was large scale corruption as well as institutions putting winning ahead of academics. This was put into film in the Marx Brothers' Horse Feathers, where Groucho was hired to save a college and mainly focused on the football team. The film was also indicative of college life making its way into popular culture in a broader sense.
I was surprised to see that colleges became more accessible in the 1920s, although it was still restricted by later standards. Women were often restricted to women's colleges and/or pushed into clerical work. African-Americans were generally restricted to a few colleges, some colleges in the north began to integrate. Colleges became more selective and paying for college was largely the students' problem. Colleges took a big hit during the Depression, except that a lot of them got government construction contracts meant to provide jobs, but actually helped out the colleges as well. They also survived the economic and cultural changes of World War II and came out the other side much stronger. This was at least partly because of the GI Bill, which was largely put into place to avoid another "Bonus Army", veterans of WWI that marched on Washington in 1932. It was an entitlement program with no limit on how many people could qualify for it. This cost the government a lot because veterans applied and were accepted in stunningly higher number than the architects envisioned.
In addition to the GI Bill that, states across the country began to see college as a gateway to a more educated and productive workforce. So states like California and New York invested hundreds of millions in expanded their state college systems and covered the tuitions of students. California also created a community college system that was funded off of local property tax, making them almost 13th and 14th grades that were extensions of local high schools. For some this was a gateway to universities, but for others it was a step to a vocational position. All of this added up to making college much more accessible to millions of Americans.
Also during WWII and immediately afterwards, the federal government started funding large amounts of research from university. Universities were very hesitant to take the money, fearing that it might impinge on academic freedom, but decided to take the money anyway because if they didn't, they would lost status as a research institution to universities that did take the money. There were a lot of strings attached from the government under the shadow of McCarthyism, leading to some academics being brought to testify before Congressional committees. But by the end of the 1950s there was an equilibrium between institutions of higher learning and the USG. Part of that was a sense of urgency brought about by the launch of Sputnik.
Government funding of universities changed in other ways, with it initially supporting tuition and then moving to supporting student loans. Loans were largely done by private entities but were guaranteed by the USG. Eventually the USG started giving Pell grants based on need. Government support not only opened up university to more people but also had the effect of colleges competing for students who would now pay with government money.
The 1970s were a tough year for colleges, like it was for most of the country, and brought the "Golden Age" of higher education to a close, although the reasons it was considered a golden age are a little obscure. The 1970s also saw the foundation of for-profit universities, especially the University of Phoenix, which used satellite campuses and distance learning to create factory learning.
The last few chapters bounce around a little, which isn't surprising since the original was published in 2004 followed by two updates in 2011 and 2019. But it started to explore some important questions. For instance, I was surprised by the assertion that big time sports are money losers for most colleges. I had always heard that the opposite was true, but I admit that I heard that from people trying to sell the idea of investing a university's money in sports. Thelin suggests that there are very few investments that a university could make or has made that have so overwhelmingly failed to deliver. I know that a lot of students want to go to a school for the sports atmosphere experience, but Thelin doesn't talk about its impact on admissions and I have no idea on the actual number of students for whom sports is a major factor in decision making.
Another issue he brings up is the spiraling of tuition costs that goes up a lot faster than overall inflation. He does mention that the CPI is not a good comparison because college is a long term and complicated investment and not something like the decision to buy eggs. But he also points out that administration has swelled in the last few decades with little improvement in quality of education. I might have liked him to spend more time really digging into this issue, but he had a lot of other ground to cover. He did discuss how universities are now competing for students in non-academic ways, including sports as mentioned above, but also including at non-academic amenities.
Thalin also talks about how universities are administered. US colleges were originally deliberately set up to be governed by a Board of Trustees rather than by the faculty, as was the case in Oxford and Cambridge. He looks at the powerful university president who is answerable to a board and can be sacked if he/she overseas a scandal, such as at Michigan State, Southern Cal or North Carolina.
One of the other questions he asks is what function does higher education play in modern society. It is an important question that gets rarely asked. This book was updated during Trumps first term, before he began his full assault on higher education. Answering that question has become very important in defending higher education, if it is indeed worthy of that defense.
July 1, 2022
The most boring history book I’ve read in a long time. (I generally like history.) It covered important information for my history of education course, but made sure to do so in the blandest way possible.
August 5, 2024
Required textbook for graduate school.
I’ll start by saying that history is NOT my favorite subject in school so I wasn’t super eager to read this book.
Surprisingly, I did find parts of the book to be interesting. The author provides a handful of fun facts pertaining to the history in higher education.
Unfortunately, overall, I struggled with this book. I felt like the information went over my head for a few reasons.
1). It wasn’t presented in chronological order which is essential for a history textbook.
2). The author rambled a lot. It seemed repetitive yet still confusing.
3). It was clear that the author chose specific topics to discuss based on preference rather than what would actually benefit the reader.
4). Going off of number 3, a lot of history seemed to be missing. It’s almost as if the author decided what was most interesting to themselves and really ran with it. I’m afraid I missed out on a lot of crucial information regarding higher education because of the author’s biases.
Again, likely wouldn’t choose to read a book on the history of higher education but if I had to, I’d rather read a book that demonstrates the whole picture instead of just a glimpse.
I’ll start by saying that history is NOT my favorite subject in school so I wasn’t super eager to read this book.
Surprisingly, I did find parts of the book to be interesting. The author provides a handful of fun facts pertaining to the history in higher education.
Unfortunately, overall, I struggled with this book. I felt like the information went over my head for a few reasons.
1). It wasn’t presented in chronological order which is essential for a history textbook.
2). The author rambled a lot. It seemed repetitive yet still confusing.
3). It was clear that the author chose specific topics to discuss based on preference rather than what would actually benefit the reader.
4). Going off of number 3, a lot of history seemed to be missing. It’s almost as if the author decided what was most interesting to themselves and really ran with it. I’m afraid I missed out on a lot of crucial information regarding higher education because of the author’s biases.
Again, likely wouldn’t choose to read a book on the history of higher education but if I had to, I’d rather read a book that demonstrates the whole picture instead of just a glimpse.
December 8, 2022
I read this book for a history of U.S. education course and found it highly informative. Like all history books, the authors face the challenge of what to focus on while deciding what to include and what to exclude. Of course, it's not perfect and many times flawed but I respect Thelin's attempt to provide a holistic view of higher education's history.
Below is a post I wrote for class addressing this assignment: "As you read the final chapter in Thelin (2019), consider the purpose(s) of higher education. According to Thelin, how has the purpose changed/stayed the same over time? Do you agree? Why and/or why not? That is, reflect on your 'take-away's' from reading Thelin this semester regarding the purpose(s) of higher education."
John Thelin reminds us at the beginning of his text A history of American higher education (2019) that the oldest corporation developed in America was "Harvard College, not a commercial business" (p. 1). And from that foundation, he guides the reader through what he terms an "organizational saga" where he provides formal and informal elements to his work (p. xxxii). At the beginning of this "saga" Thelin presents the purpose of higher education institutions was to develop white, male "clergy as public leaders" (p. 23). He clarifies by writing, "Clearly, the main purpose of the colleges was to identify and a ratify colonial elite" (p. 25).
Fast forward to chapter ten, "Prominence and problems: American higher education since 2010," Thelin uses an owner's manual metaphor to express how "the parts and purposes" of colleges and universities have broken down (p. 399). This breakdown, from what I observed from his work, comes from external pressures as to what a college or university should be. One specific pressure came from the government where [g]overnors sometimes complained that the state's colleges and universities evidently were not "producing" graduates who were "workforce ready" (p. 424). This reflects the idea that these institution's primary purpose is to directly contribute to the economic needs of the state where "[u]niversity presidents all too often adopted--and internalized--slogans that depicted the university as an "economic engine" or a knowledge factory" (p. 391). From a marketing standpoint, Thelin writes that colleges and universities leveraged this claim by "connecting education to jobs... [impacting] the growth of enrollments and degrees in business" (p. 424).
Although economics have forced the behavior and focus of higher education institutions to an "economic engine", I appreciate how Thelin emphasizes a significant, systemic change regarding access from a limited "elite to a mass to even a universal opportunity" to education (p. 439). I know we don't have a perfect system as we witness the recent shenanigans testing affirmative action in this country. I agree with Stanford professor David Labaree's assessment of American higher education - that it is "a perfect mess" (p. 435). This assessment reflects the frequent and ever-morphing continuing saga of the shifting purposes of higher education.
Below is a post I wrote for class addressing this assignment: "As you read the final chapter in Thelin (2019), consider the purpose(s) of higher education. According to Thelin, how has the purpose changed/stayed the same over time? Do you agree? Why and/or why not? That is, reflect on your 'take-away's' from reading Thelin this semester regarding the purpose(s) of higher education."
John Thelin reminds us at the beginning of his text A history of American higher education (2019) that the oldest corporation developed in America was "Harvard College, not a commercial business" (p. 1). And from that foundation, he guides the reader through what he terms an "organizational saga" where he provides formal and informal elements to his work (p. xxxii). At the beginning of this "saga" Thelin presents the purpose of higher education institutions was to develop white, male "clergy as public leaders" (p. 23). He clarifies by writing, "Clearly, the main purpose of the colleges was to identify and a ratify colonial elite" (p. 25).
Fast forward to chapter ten, "Prominence and problems: American higher education since 2010," Thelin uses an owner's manual metaphor to express how "the parts and purposes" of colleges and universities have broken down (p. 399). This breakdown, from what I observed from his work, comes from external pressures as to what a college or university should be. One specific pressure came from the government where [g]overnors sometimes complained that the state's colleges and universities evidently were not "producing" graduates who were "workforce ready" (p. 424). This reflects the idea that these institution's primary purpose is to directly contribute to the economic needs of the state where "[u]niversity presidents all too often adopted--and internalized--slogans that depicted the university as an "economic engine" or a knowledge factory" (p. 391). From a marketing standpoint, Thelin writes that colleges and universities leveraged this claim by "connecting education to jobs... [impacting] the growth of enrollments and degrees in business" (p. 424).
Although economics have forced the behavior and focus of higher education institutions to an "economic engine", I appreciate how Thelin emphasizes a significant, systemic change regarding access from a limited "elite to a mass to even a universal opportunity" to education (p. 439). I know we don't have a perfect system as we witness the recent shenanigans testing affirmative action in this country. I agree with Stanford professor David Labaree's assessment of American higher education - that it is "a perfect mess" (p. 435). This assessment reflects the frequent and ever-morphing continuing saga of the shifting purposes of higher education.
January 3, 2020
I read this book for my HIED 800: History of American Higher Education course. It was an enjoyable read that was easy to understand and not densely written. I have two primary criticisms: First, I wanted a timeline of key events. I found myself flipping back to understand relationships between different important events, and it would have been simpler with a timeline. Second, as with most history books, it needed more diverse voices. My professor did a great job of supplementing our readings with voices of people of color, but I think the textbook could have done more. All in all, it was a great overview of the topic and I enjoyed reading it.
July 14, 2024
A topical history of American education which, based on the reviews has changed drastically with each edition. I read the 3rd edition and it resolves the issues of the second but is still missing a discussion of religious institutions in later years. However, for a detailed and applicable history, I don't know a better since the topical approach allows for the reader to apply what is needed from each institution to where they are located. Albeit, with the exception of many religious institutions.
May 8, 2018
I am using this book as the main text in an MA level History of Higher Education course. It covers the basic narrative really well. In terms of over view, I don't think you could do much better. Folks interested in specific niches within higher ed might be frustrated that there's not more on this or that, but it works for its purpose. It does a nice job of keeping a neutral stance without leaning too heavily toward any political or ideological stance.
November 25, 2023
Going somewhere in the mid-to-high threes on this one. This might be one of the first textbooks I've read in its entirety so that's a new experience. Overall, though, I liked Thelin's writing. It was clear and informative, without being annoyingly "academic," and there was a nice mix of broad level history with smaller interesting fun facts thrown in every now and then. Organized, easy to read, and informative.
May 18, 2024
If it weren’t for such a timid conclusion and ending, I’d have given it 5 stars. This book uncovers and traces the history of higher education, as its title suggests, and it does so marvelously. I enjoyed the depth to which the author did this, and the through thread of the place of women’s colleges, HBCUs, and other experimental forms of higher ed in each chapter, as opposed to being cordoned off or outright ignored.
January 1, 2018
This was actually a pretty good read. It was written in a way that was easy to read and not too scholarly to understand. I learned a lot from this text. It was required for one of my MA courses and I chose to finish reading it all the way through after the class was over because it was pretty good.
March 19, 2019
Well-written, well-researched history of the U.S. higher education system. Coverage of HBCUs (and other MSIs), women's colleges, and the relationship between slavery and the development of higher education neglected, however, while the author shows a fondness for early 20th century white male fads on traditional university campuses. Soon to be updated with a third edition in April 2019.
July 9, 2022
While a sweeping compilation of many years of the history of higher education in the US, there's much left out of this history. Good as a starting place, perhaps, but needs desperately to be supplemented with histories that examine higher education for minoritized groups which are largely left out from this text.
December 15, 2022
I had to read this book for a graduate-level course. It was insightful, wasn’t too boring, and had a lot of information I otherwise wouldn’t have known. However, you can definitely see that the history in this book is missing many perspectives, especially BIPOC history. We read some other readings to supplement this textbook, to get different perspectives.
September 8, 2025
Like most textbooks, I had a slog through a decent majority of this, but when I was able to focus in there were quite a few super interesting origin points of Higher Educational traditions, functions, and standards. I shouldn’t have been as surprised at what a large role athletics played in the formation of colleges and universities as I was!
November 17, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ Read for my Higher Education Administration graduate degree program. Pretty niche interest, not something I’d recommend to all my friends or shout it from the rooftops how great it is, but extremely informative about higher ed’s history and well formatted. If you’re down to read 400+ pages about a very narrow historical focus, go right ahead lol
April 15, 2022
Honestly, for a course required text this wasn't half bad. A through look at higher Ed from the 1700s to today. Make sure to cross reference and expand with some additional viewpoints though. Especially the early days .... Higher Ed wasn't always the beautiful picture we paint it as.
March 27, 2023
Interesting historical overview. Note this predates Covid, widespread test-optional policies, (temporary) student loan forgiveness, and the pending Supreme Court case on affirmative action in college admissions.
June 26, 2025
Christianity really founded education within America. Then, patronage of the rich made it fly. Now, the "traditional" four-year bachelor's degree is a social norm and perhaps inflated beyond necessity.
November 29, 2017
I read this for a class and really got a lot out of it ... well-written history, fascinating topic...
August 29, 2018
All about chapter 3
December 20, 2019
2.5 stars. Textbook for class.
June 14, 2020
I thought this was absolutely fascinating.
September 23, 2020
Read the full book
Read the full book and the rest of the theme of the most popular connection for the first time since I was in the process of getting to the next page
Read the full book and the rest of the theme of the most popular connection for the first time since I was in the process of getting to the next page
December 4, 2021
4
So much covered in a pretty effective way. Really good information and great to be able to contextualize how things are and why. Buuut....also glad to be done with it.
So much covered in a pretty effective way. Really good information and great to be able to contextualize how things are and why. Buuut....also glad to be done with it.
December 31, 2022
Great text to accompany course at UNLV.
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