International Higher Education # 33: New Publications

Borgman, Christine L. From Gutenberg to the Global Information Infrastructure: Access to Information in the Networked World. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003. 324 pp $21.95 (pb) ISBN; 0-262-52345-0. Address: MIT Press, 5 Cambridge Center, Cambridge MA 02142, USA.

Winner of the American Society for Information Science award, this book provides a multifaceted analysis of aspects of the global information infrastructure. Among the topics discussed and the relationship of books and libraries to the new information infrastructures, aspects of access to information, the role of digital libraries, how local institutions can fit into the global structures, and others. This book offers an international perspective relevant to universities.

Cascione, Gregory L. Philanthropists in Higher Education: Institutional, Biographical, and Religious Motivations for Giving. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003. 165 pp. (hb). ISBN: 0-415-93361-7. Address; RoutledgeFalmer Publishers, 29 W. 35th St. New York, NY 10001, USA.

An analysis of philanthropic giving in American higher education, this study examines the motivations for giving, the kinds of people who make donations, the autobiographies of donors, and related factors. A special focus is on the religious motivations for giving to colleges and universities. This book will be relevant to understanding how people are motivated to donate to higher education.

Eckel, Peter D. and Adrienna Kezar. Taking the Reins: Institutional Transformation in Higher Education. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2003. 193 pp. (hb). ISBN: 1-57356-514-8. Address: Praeger Publishers, 88 Old Post Rd. West, Westport CT 06881, USA.

Based on a study of significant academic change at 23 American universities, this volume discusses the role of leadership in fostering change. The authors discuss what they see as key elements in the change process, including institutional cultures, the development of strategies for change, and others. Elements of the case studies are used to illustrate successful (and unsuccessful) change.

Fischer, Steven Roger. A History of Reading. London: Reaktion Books, 2003. 383 pp. £19.95. (hb). ISBN: 1-86189-160-1. Address: Reaktion Books, 79 Farringdon Rd., London EC1M 3JU, UK.

While not directly on the topic of higher education, this volume provides an analysis of the history of reading in many different cultures and periods, including a discussion of the role of publishing, the impact of reading on educational reform, libraries, and related issues. The contemporary period, with the expansion of reading on the Internet and new roles for technology, is also analyzed. This broad and critical analysis provides an excellent overview of an important topic.

Johnson, Valen E. Grade Inflation: A Crisis in College Education. New York: Springer Verlag, 2003. 261 pp $27.50 (hb). ISBN: 0-387-00125-5. Address: Springer Verlag, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010, USA.

This analysis, written by a statistician, argues that grade inflation (the practice of awarding artificially high grades to students at U.S. universities) is a problem and that it affects student choices of courses, student evaluation of professors, and other aspects of academic life. The book is based on careful statistical analysis at one U.S. university, and it is one of the most detailed studies of grading that has been undertaken. The author advocates reforms in grading policies and the evaluation systems for both students and faculty.

Kwiatkowski, Stefan and Jan Sadlak, eds., Knowledge Café for Intellectual Entrepreneurship through Higher Education. Warsaw, Poland: Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, 2003. 304 pp (pb). ISBN: 83-86846-95.X, Address: Academy of Entrepreneurship and Management, Jagiellonska St. 59, 00-987 Warsaw, Poland.

A wide-ranging discussion of topics relating to the role of entrepreneurship, leadership, and technology in a changing academic environment, this book focuses on several case studies in Central and Eastern Europe and on broad issues.

Levin, Richard C. The Work of the University. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003. 288 pp $24.95 (hb). ISBN: 0-300-10001-9. Address: Yale University Press, POB 209040, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.

A potpourri of speeches to a variety of audiences, this book consists of short essays on topics such as the role of liberal education, higher education and the economy, community service, and others. Because Levin is the president of Yale University, there are naturally a number of essays that focus on Yale.

Lewis, Darrell R. and James Hearn, eds. The Public Research University: Serving the Public Good in New Times. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2003. 260 pp. $40 (pb). ISBN: 0-7618-2517-7. Address: University Press of America, 4501 Forbes Blvd., Lanham, MD 20706, USA.

An edited volume based on a case study of the University of Minnesota, one of the major public research universities in the United States, this volume features discussions of such topics as the public good and public research universities, nonmonetary rewards of undergraduate education, the role of libraries, technology transfer, the historical background of the University of Minnesota, and others.

Maiwork, Friedhelm and Bernd Wächter, eds. English-Language-Taught Degree Programmes in European Higher Education: Trends and Success Factors. Bonn, Germany: Lemmons Verlag, 2002. 136 pp (pb). ISBN: 3-932306-47-3. Address: Lemmens Verlag, Matthias-Grünewald-Str. 1-3, D-53175 Bonn, Germany.

A publication in the valuable series on international cooperation in education of the Academic Cooperation Association, this volume analyzes the growing number of programs taught in English in European universities. The authors see the proliferation of English-taught programs as part of the internationalization of higher education in Europe. A Europe-wide questionnaire plus case studies were used for this research--it was found that 30 percent of the responding universities had programs in English. Universities in Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands were studied. Curriculum, staffing, and other aspects of the organization of the programs were surveyed.

Marga, Andrei. University Reform Today. Cluj, Romania: Cluj University Press, 2003. 292 pp (pb). ISBN: 973-610-160-6. Address: Cluj University Press, 24 Gh. Bilacu St., 3400 Cluj, Romania.

Andrei Marga, a university rector and former minister of education of Romania, provides a broad perspective on issues relating to university reform in the Romanian context. Such issues as university autonomy, the brain drain, the cultural and economic aspects of change in higher education, and related topics are discussed. One of the few analyses of Romania, this book is also relevant to other "transitional" countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

Miroiu, Michaela. Guidelines for Promoting Gender Equity in Higher Education in Central and Eastern Europe. Bucharest, Romania: UNESCO-CEPES, 2003. 107 pp $15 (pb). ISBN: 92-9069-174-8. Address: CEPES, 39 Stirbei Voda St., RO-70732 Bucharest, Romania.

Perhaps the first study focusing on higher education and gender equity in Eastern Europe, this short book defines issues relating to gender equity and then discusses key topics in the Eastern European context. Among the subjects considered are the role of gender studies in universities, and the specific circumstances relating to gender relations in universities in postcommunist transitional economies.

Morley, Louise. Quality and Power in Higher Education. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press, 2003. 200 pp. £19.99 (pb). £60.00 (hb). ISBN: 0-335-21226-3. Address: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill House, Shroppenhangers Rd., Maidenhead S:6 2QL, UK.

This volume, published in the valuable series sponsored by the Society for Research into Higher Education in the United Kingdom, focuses on quality assessment (QA) in the U.K. context. Its goal is to understand the power relationships involved with quality evaluation and assurance. The volume deals with the QA movement in the United Kingdom in depth, including its historical development, the methods used in evaluation, the politics of QA, changing academic employment patterns, and the impact on QA, and other issues.

Robins, Kevin and Frank Webster, eds., The Virtual University? Knowledge, Markets, and Management. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. 332 pp (pb). ISBN; 0-19-925793-0. Address: Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon St., Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.

The focus of this book is on the expanding role of technology on higher education, but the framework is wider. Contributors look at the impact of globalization, pressures from the economy, mass higher education, managerialism in administration, and related broad factors in the context of the role of technology. The perspective is critical and most of the data come from the British experience.

Siegel, David J. The Call for Diversity: Pressure, Expectation, and Organizational Response in the Postsecondary Setting. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003. 230 pp (hb). ISBN; 0-415-94503-8. Address: RoutledgeFalmer Publishers, 29 W. 35th St., New York NY 10003, USA.

Diversity--ensuring a range of ethnic and racial variety among students and faculty--is a topic of considerable importance and controversy in American higher education. This book is a study of how diversity issues are handled at a major U.S. research university. The study looks at patterns of organizational response to diversity issues in several of the schools within the university.

Smart, John C., ed., Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, Vol. 17. Dordrecht, the Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002. 503 pp. (hb). ISBN; 0-87586-136-9. Address: Kluwer Academic Publishers, POB 17, 3300 AZ Dordrecht, the Netherlands.

Now in its 17th year of publication, this valuable series provides detailed research-based essays on aspects of higher education in an effort to provide readers with a "state of the art" on the topic. In this volume, the subjects considered include student motivation and self-regulated learning, student degree aspirations for Latino and African-American students, state financial aid programs, the changing role of the community college, doctoral student socialization, and several others. While the essays focus mainly on the United States and cite mainly U.S. data, most of the topics have international relevance.

Taha-Thomure, Hanada. Academic Freedom in Arab Universities: Understanding, Practices and Discrepancies. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2003. 144 pp $27 (pb). ISBN: 0-7618-2498-7. Address: University Press of America, 4501 Forbes Blvd., Lanham, MD 20706, USA.

This books provides a general discussion of the concept of academic freedom in the West and in the Arab world and a case study of the views of a small group of Arab professors on this topic. The book is marred by many editing and other errors.

Teferra, Damtew. Scientific Communication in African Universities: External Assistance and National Needs. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2003. 170 pp. (hb). ISBN: 0-415-94530-5. Address: RoutledgeFalmer Publishers, 29 W. 35th St., New York, NY 10001, USA.

Focusing on two related topics in the context of African universities, this volume analyzes the role of scientific communication and especially how information technology has affected communications, and the related issue of how external assistance has played a role in the communications revolution in Africa. The author discusses how African scholars and scientists work and the role of scientific communications in their research.

Tiron, Stefan, Coordinator. Higher Education in the Republic of Moldova. Bucharest, Romania: CEPES-Unesco, 2003. 113 pp. $20, £22 (pb). ISBN: 92-9069-175-6. Address: CEPES, Stirbei Voda 39, RO-70732 Bucharest, Romania.

An overview and analysis of higher education in Moldova, this book may be the only detailed information available in English on the subject. Among the topics considered are the historical development and structure of the higher education system, governance patterns at both the governmental and institutional levels, faculty structure and academic work, students and graduates, and related subjects.

Ward, Kelly. Faculty Service Roles and the Scholarship of Engagement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003. 171 pp. $24 (pb). ISSN: 0884-0040. Address Jossey Bass Publishers, 989 Market St., San Francisco CA 94103, USA.

One of the ASHE-ERIC series on higher education, this volume focuses on the role of service as part of the responsibility of faculty members in the U.S. context. Basing the discussion on Boyer's idea of the scholarship of service and engagement, the author argues that faculty roles and the evaluation of faculty should focus more on the service element.

Williams, Gareth, ed., The Enterprising University: Reform, Excellence and Equity. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press, 2003. 193 pp (hb). $102. ISBN: 033521072-4. Address: Open University Press, 22 Ballmoor, Burkingham MK18 1XW, UK.

The overall focus of this edited volume is on the permutations of the "enterprise university"--the impact of markets and marked-oriented thinking on higher education. Chapters explore the impact of this concept on academic institutions, the professoriate, the relationship between the university and the workplace, approaches to the generation of income. While most of the chapters focus on the United Kingdom, there are considerations of American, South African, and Commonwealth experiences.

Williamson, Joy Ann, Black Power on Campus: The University of Illinois, 1965–1975. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2003. 192 pp. $34.95 (hb). ISBN: 0-252-02829-5. Address: University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA.

A case study of the development of a black student movement at one major U.S. university in the 1960s, this book provides an analysis of the origins of the black student movement, race relations on campus, the problems faced by African-American students on a large public university campus, and related issues,

The World Bank, Lifelong Learning in the Global Knowledge Economy. Washington, DC: The World Bank, 2003. 141 pp. $25 (pb). ISBN: 0-8213-5475-2. Address: The World Bank, 11818 H St. NW, Washington DC. 20433, USA.

While not necessarily postsecondary education, lifelong learning is very much part of the broader education agenda of most societies. This World Bank report discusses the role of lifelong learning in the knowledge economy. An increasingly complex labor market and demands on the workforce makes lifelong learning a growing emphasis. The report discusses financing lifelong learning as well as the development of systems to ensure that lifelong learning is appropriately governed.