Read the news about America's colleges and universities--rising student debt, affirmative action debates, and conflicts between faculty and administrators--and it's clear that higher education in this country is a total mess. But as David F. Labaree reminds us in this book, it's always been that way. And that's exactly why it has become the most…

This paper outlines the field of higher education research in China from its historical roots through to its current development. It is a case study of how the field of higher education research emerged and was co-constructed by the state and the academic community of higher education researchers to become an established and recognised discipline…

This paper examines the foundation and development of universities in Australia and New Zealand and demonstrates how these universities were established on a secular basis. Educators from other continents with a mainly Christian history are often surprised that there is so little evidence of Christian input into the university sector in…

Revisions in the current thinking on the history of the nineteenth century American college are suggested by recent studies and by this overview of the field. Several proposals for future study of this period are suggested. (JMF)

The continuity of tradition and purpose between the early institutions of the middle ages and the universities of the twentieth century is cited in this review of the concept of a university. Theories of noted educators are examined. (LBH)

The complaint that memoirs of college and university life are impressionistic and biased and thus poorly suited for a research project is refuted. Memoirs can shape and supplement research questions and can remind and commit academe to the idea of the beloved campus. (MLW)

Citations are provided of major books, articles, and dissertations relating to the history of specific institutions of higher education in the United States. The book is intended to help persons learn about the history of institutions, and by its subject index, to give a subject guide to historical writing about higher education. All entries are…

Three articles on the history of higher education are presented: (1) "Teaching the History of Universities," by Jurgen Herbst, concerns the need for teaching the history of higher education and suggests the broadening of efforts to introduce the history of higher education to different populations. (2) "On Writing 'To Advance Knowledge'," by Roger…

University government in Great Britain, as in so much else in British society, is the complex product of an extended process of historical development. The British university ideal and the structures of academic government owe much to the venerable tradition of Oxford and Cambridge, sometimes reinforced by the heritage associated with the five…

The Japanese university system has been evolving gradually from more traditional patterns to more modern ones in terms of increased efficiency and participation, as well as from an elite to a mass enrollment system. However, the basic patterns of control and decisionmaking have changed little. The universities have been able to resist intrusions…

In an informal address, this David Jacks Professor of Higher Education offers a historical review of decision-making in American higher education. This discussion centers around these milestones: the founding of Harvard in 1636; the first alumni gift in 1648; faculty organization in 1725; annual subventions for state universities in 1805; the…

The history of universities in their social context is not a merely antiquarian study; it is the soundest basis for consideration of the contemporary university and its problems. The most frequent debate, that of the ivory tower, is really a question of the form and efficiency of the university's articulation with society at large. The…

A study of Dutch universities from 1974-93 examined factors in the emergence of new academic programs and specializations, particularly the effects of government funding mechanisms (external factor) and level of paradigmatic development (internal factor), drawing on social exchange and resource dependency theory. Results indicate these two factors…

This paper on Canadian universities and colleges presents information on the historical background, financing of higher education, provincial developments since 1969, national and international aspects, the control and government of institutions, teaching staffs, types of institutions, admission requirements, and student costs. Two systems of…

The traditional European university is now extinct. The conditions in higher education that have succeeded it are highly unstable and therefore transitory, and its eventual replacement is now dimly perceptible on the horizon. The European university is of course an abstraction, meant to approximate the attributes of higher education in Germany,…