American Higher Education : A History

Rating:
Summary: Very Readable
Review: I used this book as one of the required textbooks in a graduate course on the history of higher education. The book does a good job of providing background beginning with the earliest recorded evidence of higher education through the late 20th century. As a class text, I found the book to be very useful for the generation of discussion.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great, history of American colleges
Review: Lucas provides a brief overview of highlights in American college history but he fails to go into enough depth on most topics. There are a number of minor irritations as well, such as the inaccurate index. Three excellent texts to consider instead are: "The American College and University, A History" by Frederick Rudolph; "Higher Education in Transition, A History of American Colleges and Universities" by Brubacher and Rudy; and the two volume collection "American Higher Education, A Documentary History" edited by Hofstadter and Smith.