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"It has become fashionable to critique higher education. Politicians, journalists, and others are quick to proclaim all that is wrong, typically uninformed by either data or experience. Into this fray step two wise and experienced hands. Bowen and McPherson offer a thoughtful and informed insiders' critique of the academy. Drawing on both data and years of experience as successful college presidents, they shed light on access, costs, completion, time to degree, and the need for strong leadership. This little book should be required reading for all who care about the future of our nation's colleges and universities."
--Lawrence S. Bacow, president emeritus of Tufts University"This accessibly written book provides a concise discussion and analysis of many of the key topics in today's debates about higher education. I don't know of any other book that offers a comprehensive review of these issues in a condensed and readable format."
--Rebecca M. Blank, chancellor of University of Wisconsin-Madison"This short book is big in design, research, and smarts. After winnowing the key issues in American higher education from the noisy multitude, Bowen and McPherson apply the latest data to clarify each before offering a series of astute suggestions for solving them. Their lesson plan should be required reading for every academic administrator and trustee in the country."
--James Axtell, College of William and Mary"One of the central purposes of
Lesson Plan is to undermine, through the careful use of data and other forms of evidence, much of the nonsense that passes for analyses of higher education in the popular press, the political sphere, and even the ostensibly scholarly world. The book provides a healthy, provocative, and much-needed dose of careful reasoning and sometimes daring advocacy for change. And its discussion of the financing of higher education is the best I have ever read."
--Brian C. Rosenberg, president of Macalester College"This small book punches way above its weight. The authors don't just identify major issues confronting American higher education. They use their considerable skill and wisdom to debunk common misperceptions and they chart a path guiding colleges and universities to safer harbors from the roiling waters they inhabit today. All who care about higher education and its indispensable role in advancing society should not just read this book; they should study it carefully."
--William Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland"Bowen and McPherson hit it just right with
Lesson Plan. The messages on issues ranging from student debt to pointless PhD programs are perfectly clear and impeccably argued. The powers that be will find this book impossible to ignore."
--Robert M. Solow, Nobel Laureate in Economics
A propos de l'auteur
William G. Bowen & Michael S. McPherson
Résumé
American higher education faces some serious problems--but they are not the ones most people think. In this brief and accessible book, two leading experts show that many so-called crises--from the idea that typical students are drowning in debt to the belief that tuition increases are being driven by administrative bloat--are exaggerated or simply
Texte suppl.
"A short and clearly written book about the problems facing higher education in the United States. It offers the reader a great deal of data and support for its claims, and it is comprehensive in its approach as its programme for change presents multiple proposals requiring action by federal and state governments as well as institutions."---Chris Mayer, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
