Almost every day American higher education is making news with a
list of problems that includes the incoherent nature of the
curriculum, the resistance of the faculty to change, and the
influential role of the federal government both through major
investments in student aid and intrusive policies. "Checklist for
Change" not only diagnoses these problems, but also provides
constructive recommendations for practical change.
Robert Zemsky details the complications that have impeded every
credible reform intended to change American higher education. He
demythologizes such initiatives as the Morrill Act, the GI Bill,
and the Higher Education Act of 1972, shedding new light on their
origins and the ways they have shaped higher education in
unanticipated and not commonly understood ways. Next, he addresses
overly simplistic arguments about the causes of the problems we
face and builds a convincing argument that well-intentioned actions
have combined to create the current mess for which everyone is to
blame.
Using provocative case studies, Zemsky describes the reforms being
implemented at a few institutions with the hope that these might
serve as harbingers of the kinds of change needed: the University
of Minnesota at Rochester's compact curriculum in the health
sciences only, Whittier College's emphasis on learning outcomes,
and the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh's coherent overall
curriculum.
In conclusion, Zemsky describes the principal changes that must
occur not singly but in combination. These include a fundamental
recasting of federal financial aid; new mechanisms for better
channeling the competition among colleges and universities;
recasting the undergraduate curriculum; and a stronger, more
collective faculty voice in governance that defines not why, but
how the enterprise must change.
General
Imprint: |
Rutgers University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
August 2013 |
First published: |
August 2013 |
Authors: |
Robert Zemsky
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Paper over boards / With dust jacket
|
Pages: |
240 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8135-6134-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Politics & government >
Public administration
|
LSN: |
0-8135-6134-5 |
Barcode: |
9780813561349 |
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