Research and teaching constitute the core purposes of America's research universities. The intellectual integrity of students' and scholars' work rests upon an ethical foundation, requiring a dedication to reasoned and civil dialogue, open minds, and reliance on evidence as the basis for conclusions. America's Research Universities discusses pressures and enticements that can undermine and weaken the intellectual integrity and the health of the universities themselves. Significant challenges include effective institutional governance in a context of diffuse power centers; financial solvency; security; housing; risk management; and outsourcing other support and serviced functions. This book is intended to increase understanding while helping our treasured universities surmount the challenges ahead.

Based on the authors' experiences in academe over seventy-five years, The Higher Education Scene in America: Some Observations discusses a number of issues that confront America's higher education scene today. Those issue embrace such problems as: (1) the missions(s) of our colleges and universities and the development of critical thinking and/or employability; (2) the role of for-profit academic institutions; (3) the impact of online technology; (4) diffusion of power and achievement of consensus between administrators and faculty; (5) the importance of financial matters, embracing budgets, fundraising, and endowments; (6) the insidious problem of conflicts of interest; (7) the scandalous impact of big-time, big-money Division 1 sports on academe; (8) the growth of non-academic functions; and (9) the importance of leadership in consensual institutions and how leaders are chosen.