Globalization's Muse: Universities and Higher Education Systems in a Changing World

By C. Judson King, Irwin Feller, John Aubrey Douglass

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0877724326
• ISBN13: 9780877724322
• Release Date: October 2009
• Publisher: Institute of Governmental Studies Press
• Length: 407 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

A much-needed perspective

Rarely do higher education insiders acknowledge the validity of some of the criticism targeted at American universities, so the candor with which Messrs. Douglas, King and Feller selected and edited the various chapters of this good work is most refreshing. But their purpose goes well beyond mea culpas - indeed, they offer reasons as to why the once-vaunted US system of pubic higher education has slipped relative to much of the rest of the world whose leaders have, again as the editors and authors note, accepted as gospel the premise that strong research universities are central to the development of individuals, communities and societies. Moreover, the editors and some of the authors point out that comparison with the efforts of other nations and regions to advance higher education ought to serve to do more than raise alarm for Harvard's or Stanford's or any other American universities standing vis-a-vis other institutions: America's decline ought to serve to reframe a broader public debate about how the US can and should invest resources if the standard of living is to improve (something that has not happened of late). And their call is not for unconditional spending on colleges and universities. If higher education is to have a public purpose other than and beyond increasing the earnings of graduates and presumably therefore the wealth of a society, presidents and governing boards have to be much more accountable for how they choose to use resources, regardless of rankings. The comparisons made by the various chapter authors of American and other national and regional higher education systems are also illuminating. The practice and policy of long-standing that has national ministries seeking to direct universities, especially regarding accountability, are of limited relevance in a system (which most of the authors and editors espouse) that needs more autonomy, greater mission differentiation, and more entrepreneurism. Indeed, such measures can squash flexibility and distinction. The "lay" reader may have to struggle a bit with terminology and "shades of grey" throughout GLOBALIZATION'S MUSE,, but it will be worth the effort. One hopes that among such readers are policymakers open to seeing the world as it is, not as we once knew it. Were that hope realized, the MUSE will have contributed greatly.