International Higher Education, Winter 1999

New Publications

This influential volume focuses on how universities in Europe are creating an environment of entrepreneurialism to meet the changing circumstances of European higher education. Sociologist Burton Clark considers five case studies in his analysis--the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, the University of Twente in the Netherlands, Strathclyde University in Scotland, and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, and Joensuu University in Finland. Although these universities are hardly "typical" universities, they show an entrepreneurial spirit that Clark identifies as a key to academic change. (PGA)

The New Academic Generation: A Profession in Transformation, by Martin J. Finkelstein, Robert K. Seal, and Jack H. Schuster. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. 236 pp. (cloth) $32.50. ISBN 0-8018-5886-0. Address: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

Based on a 1993 survey of postsecondary faculty in the United States, this book argues that the American academic profession is undergoing a major transformation--in its demographic, gender, and ethnic profile. The book discusses future trends for the academic profession, and focuses on strategies for improving and strengthening the faculty in a time of significant change in American higher education. (PGA)

American Academic Culture in Transformation: Fifty Years, Four Disciplines, edited by Thomas Bender and Carl E. Schorske. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1998. 371 pp. (paper). ISBN 0-691-05824-5. Address: Princeton University Press, 41 William St., Princeton NJ 08540, USA.

This innovative volume looks at four academic disciplines as they have developed in the United States since World War II. Economics, philosophy, English, and political science are each examined by several thoughtful experts. Several cross-disciplinary chapters conclude the book, and a historical overview of the American university between 1945 and 1995 provides an introductory perspective. (PGA)

Condemning Students to Debt: College Loans and Public Policy, edited by Richard Fossey and Mark Bateman. New York: Teachers College Press, 1998. 200 pp. (cloth). ISBN 0-8077-3743-7. Address: Teachers College Press, 1234 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027, USA.

Financing higher education through student borrowing is a worldwide trend. In the United States, student loans, often guaranteed by the federal government, have been a key part of higher education finance for several decades. This volume looks at the current and future prospects for student loans. Among the topics considered are federal student aid regulations, how loans affect the educational choices of students, public policy and loan programs, defaults on loans, and other topics. (PGA)

State Funding of Higher Education, edited by K. B. Powar. New Delhi: Association of Indian Universities, 1998. 86 pp. (paper). ISBN 81-7520-029-4. Address: Association of Indian Universities, 16 Kotla Marg, New Delhi 110002, India.

This volume consists of two detailed papers focusing on government funding patterns for higher education in India. These studies, while focused on India, will be of broader relevance--since the issue of state funding for higher education is a topic of importance in many places. (PGA)

Society, Education, and Development. New Delhi: Association of Indian Universities, 1998. 176 pp. (paper). Rs. 250. ISBN 81-7520-027-8. Address: Association of Indian Universities, 16 Kotla Marg, New Delhi 110002, India.

This is the first in a series of collections of essays from University News, the weekly publication of the Association of Indian Universities. This volume deals with broad issues of higher education in an Indian context. Among the topics included are women and higher education, the role of universities in literacy campaigns, rural development and higher education, and universities and social transformation. (PGA)

Universities and Globalization: Critical Perspectives, edited by Jan Currie and Janice Newson. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1998. 277 pp. $61.50 (cloth), $28.50 (paper). ISBN 0-7619-1066-2. Address: Sage Publishers, 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.

The focus of this volume is on how the global economy is shaping universities worldwide. The perspective taken by the authors is critical and multidisciplinary. The book includes several case studies on how global influences have affected universities in Australia, the United States, France, and Norway. Theme-based chapters look at distance education, the impact of NAFTA on Latin American universities, university accountability and autonomy in a globalized world, and other issues. (PGA)

American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century, edited by Philip G. Altbach, Robert O. Berdahl, and Patricia J. Gumport. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. 480 pp. (paper), $24.95. ISBN 0-8018-5889-5. Address: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2715 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

A full-scale analysis of contemporary American higher education, this volume deals with such topics as the history of the American university, academic freedom, autonomy and accountability, legal issues, the role of the federal and state governments, students, faculty, and presidential leadership. (PGA)

Educational Research and Higher Education Reform in Eastern and Central Europe, edited by Eric Leitner. Frankfurt/M: Peter Lang, 1998. 231 pp. DM 69 (paperback). ISBN 3-631-33751-5. Address: Peter Lang Publishers, Eschborner Landstr. 42-50, D 60489 Frankfurt/M, Germany.

The focus of this volume is on how educational research acts as an impetus for higher education reform in Central and Eastern Europe. The countries discussed include the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, the Ukraine, and Russia. (PGA)

The Pleasures of Academe: A Celebration and Defense of Higher Education, by James Axtell. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1998. 293 pp. ISBN 0-8032-1049-3. Address: University of Nebraska, 312 N. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.

In this original discussion of contemporary American higher education, humanities professor Axtell discusses what is positive about the university. He looks at publishing, academic life, quality in higher education, disciplines, and related topics. He writes from his own experience and from his observation of higher education, as well as on the basis of current statistics and research. He finds much to admire in higher education, and argues that the critics of contemporary higher education are for the most part wrong. (PGA)

What’s College For? The Struggle to Define American Higher Education, by Zachary Karabell. New York: Basic Books, 1998. 288 pp. $24 (cloth). ISBN 0-465-08770-1. Address: Basic Books, 10 E.53rd St., New York NY 10022, USA.

American higher education is increasingly mass higher education, with most students coming from working class families, argues Zachary Karabell. He discusses the impact of the new reality on students and professors, the relationship between higher education and society, and related issues. (PGA)

National Policies for the Internationalization of Higher Education in Europe. Stockholm: National Agency for Higher Education, 1997. 270 pp. (paper). ISSN 1400-9498. Address: National Agency for Higher Education, Box 7851, SE 10399 Stockholm, Sweden.

Case studies of eight Western European nations and a regional discussion of Russia and Eastern Europe are at the heart of this book. The focus is on understanding national policies in Europe concerning the internationalization of higher education. All of the chapters deal with common themes, such as a description of national policies, the context for internationalization, the impact of these policies, and a brief analysis. A concluding chapter discusses the broader implications of the country-based chapters. (PGA)

University in Transition: Research Mission, Interdisciplinarity, Governance, edited by Detlef Müller-Böling, Evelies Mayer, Anne J. MacLachlan, and Jutta Fedrowitz. Gütersloh, Germany: Bertelsmann Foundation, 1998. 309 pp. (paper) ISBN 3-89204-366-3.

The focus of this volume is on the future of research universities, and the chapters stem from a U.S.-German conference held at the University of California-Berkeley in 1997. The main themes of the book are access and opportunity in the research university, the relationship of the research mission with the broader educational mission of the university, interdisciplinary research and teaching, and governance. Essays dealing with American and German higher education are included. (PGA)

"Higher Education for the 21st Century" (special issue of Prospects, Vol. 28, No. 3 September 1998), pp. 367-468. Address: International Bureau of Education, POB 199, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.

Prospects, the educational quarterly journal published by UNESCO and edited at the International Bureau of Education, has published a special theme issue on higher education. Among the topics considered are the management and financing of higher education, university access, evaluation, academic freedom, and autonomy. (PGA)

Steering and Effectiveness in a Developing Knowledge Society, edited by Arie Rip. Utrecht, Netherlands: Uitgeverij Lemma, 1998. 137 pp. (paper). ISBN 90-5189-631-X. Address: Uitgeverij Lemma, POB 3320, 3502 GH Utrecht, The Netherlands.

The focus of this book is on government policy and its impact on higher education in Europe. The issue of "steering," or how government policy is made and implemented, and the interactions between government agencies and the universities, are of central importance in Europe at the present time. This volume discusses the implications of steering on higher education and science, on innovation, on quality assurance, and on self-management in universities. (PGA)

Governmental Steering and Curriculum Innovations: A Comparative Study of the Relations Between Governmental Steering Instruments and Innovations in Higher Education Curricula, by Ineke Jenniskens. Maarssen, Netherlands: Elsevier/De Tijdstroom, 1997, 493 pp. ISBN 90-352-1936-8. Address: Elsevier/De Tijstroom, POB 1110, 3600 BC Maarssen, The Netherlands.

This comparative study looks at how curriculuar innovation is affected by government coordinating and governing bodies. Four countries are examined--England, France, the Netherlands, and the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Specific curricular innovations are chosen for study. (PGA)

Comparative Education, edited by Ken Kempner, Marcela Mollis, and William G. Tierney. Needham Heights, Mass.: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 1998. 531 pp. (paperback). ISBN 0-536-01215-6. Address: Simon & Schuster Custom Publishing, 160 Gould St., Needham Heights, MA 02194, USA.

A collection of articles and chapters on higher education in a comparative perspective, this volume will be useful as a basic reference source in the field of comparative higher education. The editors have organized the chapters around the themes of faculty work and knowlege production, the organizational context of higher education, the role of the state, and the social context of higher education. All of the chapters have been previously published, and many are classics in the field. This book is part of the very valuable series of readers on various aspects of higher education published by the Association for the Study of Higher Education. (PGA)

Uneasy Chairs: Life as a Professor, edited by Jeffrey Richards. Lancaster, U.K.: Unit for Innovation in Higher Education, 1998. 82 pp. £7.95 (paper). ISBN 1-86220-042-4. Address: Unit for Innovation in Higher Eduation, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4UN, UK.

A series of firsthand accounts of working in higher education, this slim volume is unique in that it focuses on individual experiences. Professors, heads of department, new lecturers, and others are included in this collection. All of the authors work in British universities. (PGA)

The Best of Planning for Higher Education, edited by George Keller. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Society for College and University Planning, 1997. 324 pp. (paper) $39.95. ISBN 0-9601-608-6-8. Address: SCUP, 4251 Plymouth Dr., Suite D, Ann Arbor, MI48105, USA.

A collection of articles from Planning for Higher Education, the quarterly journal of the Society for College and University Planning, this volume features articles on a wide variety of topics focusing on all aspects of American higher education. Broad themes include coming changes in academe, facilities for tomorrow, finances, and leadership and administration. (PGA)