International Higher Education, August 1996

New Publications

This column is intended to keep our readers aware of current publications in the field of higher education. We provide a brief description of the listing and indicate the address of the publisher or distributor so that items may be easily obtained. While the preponderance of material listed here is published in the United States or other industrialized nations, we will try to list books published in other parts of the world as well.

Buying the Best: Cost Escalation in Elite Higher Education, by Charles T. Clotfelter. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. 302 pages. $29.95 hardback. ISBN 0-691-02642-4. Address: Princeton University Press, 41 William St., Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.

This U.S.-based study argues that the ambitions of America's most prestigious colleges and universities to be even better and more famous led to a continuing upward spiral of costs to improve libraries, lure prestigious faculty members, and provide scholarship aid to top students. These constant increases were made possible, argues the author, by the high demand for places at these institutions. While this study is based on a small sample of top American universities, it has relevance for the entire academic system in the United States and abroad. (PGA)

Higher Education in an International Perspective: Critical Issues, edited by Zaghloul Morsy and Philip G. Altbach. New York: Garland Publishing, 1996. 212 pages. ISBN 0-8153-2336-0. Address 1000A Sherman Ave., Hamden CT 06514 USA.

Cosponsored with UNESCO, this volume features articles that originally appeared in Prospects, UNESCO's quarterly journal on education. This volume is truly international in scope, with chapters focusing on key comparative issues such as the privatization of higher education, universities and national development, financing of higher education and others. In addition, there are chapters dealing with such countries and regions as Southeast Asia, Russia, Eastern Europe, the Arab states, and the European Community. Authors come from all continents, further strengthening the international focus of the book. (PGA)

The Politics of Collegiality: Retrenchment Strategies in Canadian Universities, by Cynthia Hardy. Montreal, Canada: Mc-Gill-Queens University Press, 1996. 232 pages. CAN$42.95 hardback. ISBN 0-7735-1362-0. Address: McGill-Queens University Press, 3430 McTavish St. Montreal, H3A 1X9, Canada.

Canada's universities have been facing difficult times, although the situation varies by province since higher education is largely a responsibility of the provinces. This volume provides a careful discussion of six universities in different parts of the country in terms of how they have dealt with cutbacks and other fiscal problems. The author is especially interested in how power and faculty interact with institutions in periods of stress. This volume will be of wide interest since academic institutions face similar difficulties worldwide. (PGA)

Current Journals
History of Higher Education Annual, now in its 13th year of publication, is concerned with the historical aspects of higher education. While most of the material in the journal deals with the United States, it has an international dimension as well. Some of the best historical scholarship appears in this journal. Further information can be obtained from Dr. Roger Geiger, Editor, History of Higher Education Annual, 405 S. Allen St., Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16801. Individual subscriptions are $12 in North America and $17 in the rest of the world. Institutional rates are $15 and $17, respectively.

Higher Education Policy, the quarterly publication of the International Association of Universities, has changed its format and its publisher. The journal is now published by Pergamon Press. Higher Education Policy and is in its ninth year of publication. It features many theme-based issues, and has a special interest in the policy-related topic. For example, the first issue under the new publication arrangement (March 1966) focuses on trends in Latin American higher education. The authors include distinguished Latin American researchers and academic leaders. The journal is edited by Guy Neave, research directof of the International Associaton of Universities, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris, France. Institutional subscription rates are $156 for the Western Hemisphere, and £98 for the rest of the world. Subscription information can be obtained from Pergamon Publisehrs, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5, 1GB, England.