Crusing student debt, rapidly eroding state funding, faculty embroiled in speech controversies, a higher-education market disrupted by online competition--today's headlines suggest that universities' power to advance knowledge and shape American society is rapidly declining. But after a recent period that witnessed soaring student enrollement and ample research funding, author Steven Brint argues that universities are in a better position than ever before. Focusing on the years 1980-2015, Brint details the trajectory of American universities, which was influenced by evolving standards of disciplinary professionalism, market-driven partnerships, and the goal of social inclusion. Today, knowledge-driven industries generate almost half of U.S. GDP, but students flock increasingly to fields connected to power centers of American life and steer away from the liberal arts. And opportunities for economic mobility are expanding even as academic expectations decline. In describing how universities can meet such challenges head on, especially in improving classroom learning, Brint offers not only a clear-eyed perspective on the current state of American higher education but also a pragmatically optimistic vision for the future. -- From publisher's description.

At once a monumental achievement and testament to an extraordinary career, On Higher Education is an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and practitioners of higher education.

This revised edition offers college and university leaders an up-to-date analytical perspective for resolving basic academic issues. Brubacher reexamines, refines and extends earlier arguments and other key questions in response to significant new social, economic, legal and educational developments. He discusses the limits of autonomy, the exercise of academic freedom, the desirability of open admissions, prescribed curricula and collective bargaining. He also investigates such emerging new problems as accountability, corporate interests on campus, and the right to confidentiality; expands on ways to promote equal access and specialized education without undermining the criteria for admission.

In the winning tradition of the New York Timesbestselling Baseball Prospectus, the ultimate guide to college basketball. From the brand that brought sports fans the New York Timesbestselling Baseball Prospectuscomes an all-new, one-of-akind, authoritative guide to college basketball. Utilizing the same unique prediction model, College Basketball Prospectus 2008-2009applies objective knowledge, original hardhitting statistical analysis, and provocative writing to one of America’s most popular sports. Divided into three sections, the prospectus includes essays on various aspects of the college game and the past season, previews of all thirty-one Division-I conferences, and a statistical abstract with the same cutting-edge mathematical analysis that has yielded a winning record of accurate predictions for the Baseballand Pro Football Prospectusseries. For the 60 million Americans who are diehard college basketball fans, College Basketball Prospectus 2008-2009is a slam dunk.