CTCH 621, Section 001 – Spring 2008 Syllabus
Higher Education in the United States
Monday 7:20 – 10:00 pm; 201 Research Hall
John S. O’Connor
George Mason University
joconnor@gmu.edu
412 Enterprise Hall
703-993-1455
Course Overview
What is the purpose of higher education? Why is it important to study the history of higher
education in America? Who goes to college and why do they go? Who are the higher education’s
main stakeholders? Who “runs” higher education institutions? What are the different types of higher
education institutions? What is studied at college? Who decides? What does it mean to be college
educated? How has being “college educated” changed over time? How is higher education an
important shaper of American society and culture? Is higher education a right or privilege?
These questions anchor this course’s purpose which is to (a) provide an in-depth overview of the
philosophic, political, social, and economic forces that have influenced higher education from the
colonial period to the present while simultaneously (b) exploring how these forces relate to issues
and challenges in contemporary higher education. As such, our readings, assignments, and
discussions will move among the past, present, and future as we interact regularly between the
macro – sweeping historical trends – and the micro, represented by key events that help to
illuminate and connect different eras. As the “Higher Education in the United States” is a vast topic
for one course, you will have ample opportunity to “dig deep” and investigate a topic of your own.
Learning Objectives
Students who successfully complete this course will:





Develop an understanding of the evolution and complexity of higher education in the
United States through the study of both historical and contemporary issues
Identify and become familiar with the interconnected nature of higher education’s various
missions and key stakeholders including but not limited to students, faculty, administrators,
the federal government, and governance bodies
Gain experience in peer teaching/learning and develop a background in critiquing the
ideas of others
Demonstrate graduate level communication skills especially writing, speaking, and
listening
Find and use appropriate resources – by consulting authorities, through the library, and via
the web – in order to learn more about a particular higher education issue
1
Required Readings



Thelin, J.R. (2004). A History of American Higher Education. Johns Hopkins University
Press.
Altbach, P.G., R.O Berdahl, and P.J. Gumport. (2005). American Higher Education in the
Twenty-First Century, 2nd ed. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Keep abreast of contemporary higher education issues through the Chronicle of Higher
Education. Other publications include: Community College Times, Change, About
Campus.
Articles, Reports, Chapters

Altbach, P. G. (2005). Harsh realities: The professoriate faces a new century. In P. G. Altbach,
R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first century:
Social, political, and economic challenges (pp. 287-314). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins
University Press.

Aronowitz, S. (2000). Who gets in, who's left out of colleges and universities? In The
knowledge factory: Dismantling the corporate university and creating true higher learning (pp.
102-124). Boston: Beacon Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Bastedo, M.N. (2005) Curriculum in higher education: the historical roots of contemporary
issues. In P. G. Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in
the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges (pp. 462-485). Baltimore,
MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Becher, T. (1987). The disciplinary shaping of the profession. In B. Clark (Ed.), The academic
profession: National, disciplinary, and institutional settings (pp. 271-303). Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Bok, D. (2003). The roots of commercialization. In Universities in the marketplace: The
commercialization of higher education (pp. 1-17). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Borden, V. (2004) Accommodating student swirl: when traditional students are no longer the
tradition Change, 36(2), 10-18. Available: InfoTrac Onefile

Bowen, W.G. (2005). Race in American Higher Education. In Equity and Excellence in
American Higher Education (pp 13-38).Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. On
reserve.

Bowen, W.G. (2005) An Equity and Excellence Time Line. . In Equity and Excellence in
American Higher Education (pp 139-160).Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. On
reserve.
2

Chamberlain, M. K. (1988). Historical background and overview. In Women in academe:
Progress and prospects (pp. 3-12). New York: Russell Sage Foundation. Available on EReserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Chang, M.J., P.G. Altbach, and K Lomotey. (2005) Race in higher education: making meaning
of an elusive moving target. In P. G. Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American
higher education in the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges (pp.
517-536). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Church, R. L., & Sedlak, M. W. (1976). The antebellum college and academy. In Education in
the United States: An interpretive history (pp. 131-148). New York: Free Press. Available on
E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Clark, D. A. (1998). "The two Joes meet. Joe College, Joe Veteran": The G.I. bill, college
education, and postwar American culture. History of Education Quarterly, 38(2), 165-189.
Available: JSTOR

Coleman, S. R. (2001). Dangerous outposts: Progressive experiments in higher education in
the 1920s and 1930s. In B. L. Smith & McCann (Eds.), Reinventing ourselves: Interdisciplinary
education, collaborative learning, and experimentation in higher education (pp. 6-18). Bolton,
MA: Anker. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Dey, E. and S. Hurtado. (2005). College students in changing contexts. In P. G. Altbach, R. O.
Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first century: Social,
political, and economic challenges (pp. 315-339). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University
Press.

Dilley, P (2002). 20th Century postsecondary practices and policies to control gay students,
The Review of Higher Education, 25 (4) pp409-31. On reserve.

Duderstadt, J. J. (2000). Evolution or Revolution. In A university for the 21st century (pp. 318335). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press. Available on E-Reserve
http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Geiger, R. L. (1995). The era of multipurpose colleges in American higher education. History of
Higher Education Annual, 15, 127-152. Available on E-Reserve
http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Geiger, R. L. (1997). Research, graduate education, and the ecology of American universities:
An interpretive history. In S. Rothblatt & B. Wittrock (Eds.), The European and American
university since 1800: Historical and sociological essays (pp. 273-289). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Geiger, R. L., & Bubolz, J. A. (2000). College as it was in the mid-nineteenth century. In R. L.
Geiger (Ed.), The American college in the nineteenth century (pp. 80-90). Nashville, TN:
Vanderbilt University Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/
3

Geiger, R. L. (2005). The ten generations of American higher education. In P. G. Altbach, R. O.
Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first century: Social,
political, and economic challenges (pp. 38-70). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University
Press.

Gladieux, L. E., & King, J. E. (2005). The Federal Government and higher education. In P. G.
Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first
century: Social, political, and economic challenges (pp. 163-197). Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press.

Gregorian, V. (2005). Six Challenges to the American University, in R. Hersh and J. Merrow
(eds), Declining by Degrees (pp77-96). NY: Palgrave Macmillan. On Reserve

Gumport, P J. (2005) Graduate education and research: Interdependence and strain. In P. G.
Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first
century: Social, political, and economic challenges (pp. 393-424). Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press.

Gumport, P J. (2005) Technology and higher education: opportunities and challenges for the
new era. In P. G. Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in
the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges (pp. 369-392). Baltimore,
MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Herbold, H. (1994-1995). Never a level playing field: Blacks and the GI bill. Journal of Blacks in
Higher Education, 6, 104-108. Available: JSTOR

Horowitz, H. L. (1987). College men: The war between students and faculty. In Campus life:
Undergraduate cultures from the end of the eighteenth century to the present (pp. 23-55). New
York: Knopf. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Johnson, E. L. (1981). Misconceptions about the early land-grant colleges. Journal of Higher
Education, 52(4), 222-233. Available: JSTOR

Keller, G. (2001). Governance: The remarkable ambiguity. In P. G. Altbach, P. J. Gumport & D.
B. Johnstone (Eds.), In defense of American higher education (pp. 304-322). Baltimore, MD:
Johns Hopkins University Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Kennedy, D. (1997). To change. In Academic duty (pp. 265-288). Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Kerr, C. (2001). The idea of the multiversity. In The uses of the university (pp. 1-33).
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Available on E-Reserve
http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/
4

Kerr, C. (2002). Shock wave II: An introduction to the twenty-first century. In S. Brint (Ed.), The
future of the city of intellect: The changing American university (pp. 1-19). Stanford, CA:
Stanford University Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Kliewer, J. (2001) “Innovative Colleges and Universities of the 1960s and 1970; lessons from
six alternative institutions,” Reinventing Ourselves, Bolton, Ma: Anker Pub. Co. Available on
E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Lane, J. C. (1987). The Yale report of 1828 and liberal education: A neorepublican manifesto.
History of Education Quarterly, 27(3), 325-338. Available: JSTOR

LaPidus, J. B. (2001). Graduate education and research. In P. G. Altbach, P. J. Gumport & D.
B. Johnstone (Eds.), In defense of American higher education (pp. 249-276). Baltimore, MD:
Johns Hopkins University Press. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Lazerson, M., Wagener, U., & Shumanis, N. (2000). What makes a revolution? Teaching and
learning in higher education, 1980-2000. Change, 32(3), 12-19. Available: InfoTrac Onefile

Levine, A. (2005) “Worlds Apart: Disconnects Between students and Their Colleges,” in R.
Hersh and J. Merrow (eds), Declining by Degrees (pp155-68). NY: Palgrave Macmillan. On
Reserve

Massey, W. (2004). Collegium economicum: why institutions do what they do. Change, 36(4),
26-36. Available: InfoTrac Onefile

Lorenzo, A.L. (1994). The mission and functions of the community college: An overview. In
G.A. Baker (Ed.), A handbook on the community college in America: Its history, mission, and
management (pp. 111-122). Wesport, CT: Greenwood Press. Available on E-Reserve
http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Ratcliff, J.L. (1994). Seven streams in the historical development of the modern American
community college. In G.A. Baker (Ed.), A handbook on the community college in America: Its
history, mission, management (pp. 111-122). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Available on
E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Rice, R.E. (2004). The future of the American Faculty: an interview with Martin J. Finkelstein
and Jack H. Schuster. Change, 36(2), 26-36. Available: InfoTrac Onefile

Robson, D. W. (1983). College founding in the new republic, 1776-1800. History of Education
Quarterly, 23(3), 323-341. Available: JSTOR

Rudolph, F. (1962). The colonial college. In The American college and university: A history (pp.
3-22). New York: Vintage Books. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Rudolph, F. (1962). The rise of football. In The American college and university: A history (pp.
373-393). Boston: Vintage Books. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/
5

Rudolph, F. (1962). The education of women. In The American college and university: A
history (pp. 307-328). Athens, GA University of Georgia Press. Available on E-Reserve
http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Scott, J.C. (1999). The chautauqua movement: revolution in popular education. Journal of
Higher Education, 70(4), 389-412. Available: JSTOR

Sebrechts, J. (1999). The women’s college difference. In S.N. Davis, M. Crawford, & J.
Sebrechts (Eds.), Coming into her own: Educational success in girls and women (pp. 37-52).
San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Shireman, R, (2003). 10 Questions College Officials Should Ask About Diversity. Chronicle of
Higher Education, 49(49), B10. Available: Proquest Research Library

Smith, P. (2004) Curricular Transformation. Change, 36(1), 28-36. Available: InfoTrac
Onefile

Sperber, M. (2004). College sports, inc.: How big-time athletic departments run interference for
college, inc. In D. G. Stein (Ed.), Buying in or selling out? The commercialization of the
American research university (pp. 17-31). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Springer, A. (2004). Update on affirmative action in higher education: A current legal overview.
Washington, DC: American Association of University Professors. Available:
http://www.aaup.org/Issues/AffirmativeAction/aalegal.htm

Symonds, W.C. (2003). Colleges in Crisis: as costs spin out of control, funding is in retreat.
Bottom line: Some fundamental changes lie ahead. Business Week, April 28, 2003 (pp72-78).
Available: Proquest Research Library

Synnott, M. G. (1979). The admission and assimilation of minority students at Harvard, Yale,
and Princeton, 1900-1970. History of Education Quarterly, 19(3), 285-304. Available: JSTOR

Tomlinson-Keasey, C. (2002). Becoming digital: The challenge of weaving technology
throughout higher education. In S. Brint (Ed.), The future of the city of intellect: The changing
American university (pp. 133-158). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Available on EReserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Turner, J., & Bernard, P. (1993). The German model and the graduate school: The University
of Michigan and the origin myth of the American university. History of Higher Education
Annual, 13, 221-241. Available on E-Reserve http://furbo.gmu.edu/OSCRweb/

Vine, P. (1976). The social function of eighteenth-century higher education. History of
Education Quarterly, 16(4), 409-424. Available: JSTOR
6

Whitehead, J. S., & Herbst, J. (1986). How to think about the Dartmouth College case. History
of Education Quarterly, 26(3), 333-349. Available: JSTOR

Zussman, A. (2005). Challenges Facing Higher Education in the Twenty-First century. In P. G.
Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.), American higher education in the twenty-first
century: Social, political, and economic challenges (pp. 115-160). Baltimore, MD: Johns
Hopkins University Press.
Course Guidelines and Culture
Class sessions are facilitative and intended to provide the opportunity to discuss ideas, readings,
and assignments. I expect you to complete work on time and be ready to discuss the topic of the
day and/or readings that support that topic. Perhaps the most important part of the course is
this continual process of forging connections among ideas and making these ideas public.
Therefore, attendance and active participation are essential for success in this course. While
contributing to class discussions is central to participation, your grade will also hinge on other
important factors especially how you participate in class. This includes your ability to facilitate
class discussions, involvement in peer response and feedback, and regular contributions to online
discussions. Amount of participation is less important than reasoned, ethical, responsible,
and quality participation. Absences or tardiness will affect your progress and may interrupt the
learning of your classmates. Please let me know beforehand if you must miss a class. If you do,
you are responsible for the content delivered or handouts distributed. Please consult a classmate
for any work you may have missed.
Assignments are due in class on the dates provided on the course schedule. Assignments overdue
by more than one week will not be accepted unless you provide official documentation of
extenuating circumstances. The Higher Education program asks that students submit assignments
on paper. Given unusual circumstances, assignments may be submitted via email.
As a faculty member in New Century College (NCC), I am committed to collaboration, reflective
practice, and integrative learning, student self assessment, and inclusive diversity. I believe we
should create an intentionally inclusive community that celebrates diversity and strives to have
faculty, staff and students who reflect the diversity of our plural society.
Academic Honesty
GMU has an Honor Code with clear guidelines regarding academic integrity. Three fundamental
principles to follow at all times: 1) all work submitted should be your own; 2) when using the work
or ideas of others, including fellow students, give full credit through accurate citations; and 3) if you
are uncertain about what is appropriate for a particular assignment, ask for clarification. No grade
is important enough to justify academic misconduct. Plagiarism means using someone else’s
words, opinions, or factual information without given the person credit, a very serious
offense. It is very important to understand how to prevent committing plagiarism when using
7
material from a source. If you wish to quote verbatim, you must use the exact words (including
punctuation) just as it appears in the original and you must use quotation marks and page
number(s) in your citation. If you want to paraphrase ideas from a source, that is, convey the
author’s ideas in your own words—you must still cite the source, using MLA or APA format.
Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting.
University Resources and Assistance

GMU Higher Education Program (http://www.highered.gmu.edu) Beginning Fall 2004, the
Community College Program’s name was changed to the Higher Education Program. This
change reflects the addition of new curricula that include two Higher Education Concentrations
in Administration and Student Services. This web site offers information and resources about
the programs.

GMU Libraries. (http://library.gmu.edu) The GMU Libraries employ Librarians who can help
you find information to support your project. Each Librarian is a subject specialist and can help
with research topics of any area or discipline. The Library’s web site provides electronic
access to journal databases and many other resources.

Writing Center. (703-993-1200; Robinson A 116) Provides, at no charge, tutors who can help
you develop ideas and revise papers. The Writing Center can sometimes accommodate walkins, but generally it is best to call for an appointment. The services of the Writing Center are
also available online. For more information, e-mail wcenter@gmu.edu.

Disability Resource Center. (703-993-2472; SUB I, Room 234) Assists students with learning
or physical conditions affecting learning. If you have a disability documented by the Disability
Resource Center that requires special conditions for exams or other writing assignments,
please see me the first week of classes.
Course Schedule
8
January 28th
Class #1
Introductions and Course Overview






Address course’s “big” questions
Identify different types (sectors) of colleges and universities
Revise and agree upon syllabus
Thelin, J. R. Introduction, from A history of American higher education
(pp xiii-xxii).
Geiger, R. L. (2005). The ten generations of American higher
education, in P. G. Altbach, R. O. Berdahl & P. J. Gumport (Eds.),
American higher education in the twenty-first century (pp. 38-70).
Declining by Degrees (film in class)
Febuary 4th
Class #2
The Colonial and Revolutionary Periods, 1636-1785
Characteristics of Early Schools, Tensions between Religion and the State
Last day to add
Or drop
without penalty
is Feb 5th
Readings:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Colleges in the colonial era from A history of American
higher education (pp 1-40).
(2) Vine, P. The Social Function of Eighteenth Century Higher Education
(3) Robson, D.W. College Founding in the New Republic, 1776-1800.
Assignment Due:
(1) Find and compare university or college’s mission statements from two
different sectors of higher education (e.g. public community college and private
liberal arts). Print and bring to class
(2) Response Paper on Vine or Robson
February 11th
Class #3
College-Building Boom, 1785-1860
The English Model, Student Life and Rebellion
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Creating the American way from the A history of American
higher education (pp 41-73).
(2) Horowitz, H.L. College Men: The War Between Students and Faculty.
(3) Lane, J.C. The Yale Report of 1828 and Liberal Education: A
Neorepublican Manifesto.
(4) Whitehead, J.S. & Herbst, J. How to Think About the Dartmouth College
Case.
Assignment Due: Group A on line questions and responses
9
February 18th
Class #4
Last day to drop
is Feb 22nd
Diverse needs and Solutions, 1861-1890
The German Model, State Universities and Land Grand Colleges, Morrill Act,
The Democratization of Higher Education
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Diversity and adversity from A history of American higher
education (pp 74-109).
(2) Johnson, E.L. Misconceptions about the Early Land Grant Colleges.
(3) Scott, J.C. The Chautauqua movement: revolution in popular
education.
(4) Geiger, R.L. The Era of Multipurpose Colleges in American Higher
Education, 1850-1890
Assignment Due: Group B on line questions and responses
February 25th
Class #5
The Emergence of the University
Community Colleges
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J.R. Captains of Industry and Erudition from A history of
American higher education (pp. 110-154)
(2) Turner, J. & Bernard, P. The German Model and the Graduate School:
The University of Michigan and the Origin Myth of the American
University.
(3) Ratcliff, J.L. Seven Streams in the Historical Development of the
Modern Community College.
(4) Leadership Reconsidered
http://www.wkkf.org/pubs/CCT/Leadership/Pub3368.pdf
Assignment Due: Initial Ideas Paper on Past / Present / Future Issue
March 3rd
Class #6
Early Twentieth Century: 1890-1920
Access Issues; Student Life
Next week is
spring break
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J.R. Alma mater from A history of American higher education (pp.
155-204)
(2)Synnott, M.G. The Admission and Assimilation of Minority Students at
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, 1900-1970
(3) Rudolph, F. The Rise of Football
(4) Bowen, W.G. An Equity and Excellence Time Line
Assignment Due: Response paper on Synott, Rudolph, or Bowen
10
March 17th
Class #7
Expansion and Reform, 1920-1945
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Success and excess from A history of American higher
education (pp205-259).
(2) Coleman, S.R. Dangerous Outposts: Progressive Experiments in
Higher Education in the 1920s and 1930s.
(3) Sebrechts, J. The women’s college difference.
(4) hooks. b. to be decided
Assignment Due: Group C on line questions and responses
March 24th
Class #8
Post War Higher Education, 1945-70
G.I. Bill of Rights and the Continued Democratization of Higher Education, The
Rise of the Multiversity
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Gilt by association from A history of American higher
education (pp. 260-316).
(2) Clark, D.A. “The Two Joes Meet. Joe College, Joe Veteran”: The GI
Bill, College Education, and Postwar American Culture
(3) Herbold, H. Never a Level Playing Field: Blacks and the GI Bill
(4) Kerr, C. The Idea of A Multiversity.
Guest:
Assignment Due: Response Paper on Clark, Herbold, or Kerr
March 31st
Class #9
Contemporary University, 1970-2000
Curricular/cultural wars; research and the federal government
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Coming of Age in America (pp. 306-326) from A history of
American higher education.
(2) Gumport, P J. Graduate education and research: Interdependence and
strain in American higher education in the twenty-first century.
(3) Bastedo, M.N. Curriculum in higher education: the historical roots of
contemporary issues in American higher education in the twenty-first century
(4) Borden, Accomodating Student Swirl
(5) Kliewer, Innovative Colleges and Universities of the 1960s and 1970
Assignments Due: (1) email a question and a quote from 3 of the readings
(2) Revised Initial Idea Paper and Extensive Outline.
11
April 7th
Class #10
Demographics and Diversity
GIs, Blacks, Women, Immigrants, Who’s Next? Religion on Campus
Readings:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Coming of Age in America (pp. 326-31, 344-50) from A
history of American higher education.
2)Bowen, W.G., Race in American Higher Education
(3) Hebel, S. No Room in the Class.
(4) Chang, M.J., P.G. Altbach, and K Lomotey. Race in higher education:
making meaning of an elusive moving target American higher education in
the twenty-first century.
(5) Dey, E. and S. Hurtado. College students in changing contexts in
American higher education in the twenty-first century.
(6) Dilley, P 20th Century postsecondary practices and policies to control
gay students
Guest:
Assignment Due:.Group D on line questions and responses
April 14th
Class #11
How Universities are Organized
Disciplines, Departments, Faculty Culture, Specialization and Fragmentation,
Community
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Coming of Age in America (pp. 331-335) from A history of
American higher education.
(2) Becher, T. The Disciplinary Shaping of the Profession.
(3) Keller, G. Governance: The Remarkable Ambiguity.
(4) Levine, A. Worlds Apart
(5) Gladieux, L.E. & King, J.E. The Federal Government and Higher
Education in American higher education in the twenty-first century.
Assignment Due: Response paper on Becher, Keller, or Gladieux
12
April 21st
Class #12
The Commercialization of Higher Education
Public Institutions in the Marketplace; For-Profit Education; Outreach and
Advancement (Development, Fundraising, Foundation, Alumni)
Reading:
(1) Thelin, J. R. Coming of Age in America (pp. 350-62) from A history of
American higher education.
(2) Massey, Collegium Economicum
(3) Bok, D. The Roots of Commercialization from Universities.
(4) Sperber, M. College Sports, Inc.: How Big-Time Athletic Departments
Run Interference for College, Inc.
Guest:
Assignment Due: Group E on line questions and responses
April 28th
Class #13
The Future of Higher Education in America: Change and Innovation
Information Technology, Teaching and Learning
Course Review; Revisit Big Questions from First Day of Course.
Reading:
(1) Kerr, C. Shock Wave II: An Introduction to the 21st Century
(2) Gumport, P J. Technology and higher education: opportunities and
challenges for the new era in American higher education in the twenty-first
century
(3) Duderstadt, J. Evolution or Revolution
(4) Zussman, A. Challenges Facing Higher Education in the Twenty-First
century in American higher education in the twenty-first century
May 5th
Class #14
Public Presentation of Paper
Assignment Due: Final Version of Past / Present / Future paper
May 12th
Class #15
Public Presentation of Paper –continued, if needed
Assignment Due: Course Evaluation and Lessons Learned
13
How You Will Be Evaluated
1) Contributions to In-Class and Out-Of-Class Discussions
30%
a) Class Conversations and Dialogue
b) On-line small group conversation
i) Course “big questions”
ii) Course readings
iii) Other topics
c) Peer feedback: response to colleagues’ work, ideas, etc.
2) Response Papers
30%
a) Response papers are 3-4 page written assignments in which you take a close look at
some aspect of the course, particularly how a specific reading relates (or does not relate)
to your own academic development. In terms of style and formality these papers fall
somewhere between the formal essay and the informal journal log. While they do not
necessarily need a formal thesis statement, these papers should not simply be a list of
answered questions. As these response papers are meant to help you analyze our class
readings and link them to personal experiences in meaningful ways, they are also meant to
function as a way of stimulating class discussion.
b) Course Self-Evaluation. This brief assignment is a course self-evaluation. Review this
syllabus and discuss the following: what you learned in this course, the progress you feel
you’ve made with your past/present/future paper, the effort you’ve put into the course and
assignments, the areas that need further work, and the grade you feel you have earned
based on the course learning objectives.
c) Lessons Learned. Your final response paper will be several concisely stated "Lessons
Learned" from the work you have completed throughout this course. What was the most
important thing you’ve learned about Higher Education in the United States? What pitfalls
would you advise others to watch out for? What is the most useful tip for other students?
3) Past / Present / Future Paper
30%
a) Initial Ideas Paper: This is where you’ll present 2-3 initial ideas of what area of higher
education you’d like to address in more depth.
b) Revised Initial Ideas Paper with Extensive Outline and Annotated Bibliography (10
potential sources)
c) Final Paper: Specifics requirements will be addressed in class
d) Bibliography: Roughly 15-20 sources
4) Presentation
10%
a) This presentation will be based on your Past / Present / Future paper
14
Relevant Organizations and Useful Web Sites

AACU Association of American Colleges and Universities

AAUP - American Association of University Professors

ACT, Inc

AERA -J Web Site (American Educational Research Association-Div. J)

AERA - J Higher Education Syllabi Project

Association of Governing Boards

AIR - The Association for Institutional Research

CCRC - Community College Resource Center

CHEPA - Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis

CSHE - Center for the Study of Higher Education>

CSCC - Council for the Study of Community Colleges

CHEPS - Center for Higher Education Policy Studies

The Chronicle of Higher Education

ERIC - The Educational Resources Information Center

Higher Education Program Directory

Higher Education Abstracts

HERI Higher Education Research Institute

Higher Education Resource Hub

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

The Review of Higher Education

Society or Research into Higher Education

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education links page
15