American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges

Rating:
Summary: Useful topics in Adult Education in easy format
Review: The book essentially covers similar topics that were covered in my adult education issues class such as: academic freedom; issues facing higher education in the twenty-first century; the states and federal government and higher education; external factors and their impact; students, colleges and society's interconnectivity; financing higher education; technology and higher education; graduate education and research; and multiculturalism.
The chapter entitled, "Technology and Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges for the New Era," (P. J. Gumport & M. Chun, 1999), offered a cautious, uncertain view of the future of technology in higher education. Certainly, technology has had an impact already in higher education as a "tool" or delivery mechanism. The social organization and nature of teaching and learning as a profession had certainly been affected by changes in technology. One of the most visible changes has been witnessed in virtual higher education. No longer is distance a hindrance in obtaining a college degree.
The authors' stress that the only prediction that can be confidently made about technology is that is will have an impact on higher education and it will be far-reaching. No single answer is available as many uncontrollable external factors such as societal forces will affect the technological futuristic outcome.
The basic structure of the book was in four parts: "the setting" which covered the dimensions of change in higher education; "external forces" which shape and control higher educational institutions; "the academic community" discusses the profession's changes and stresses; and "central issues for the twenty-first century." Each of the four sections of the book contains several chapters which discusses each general topic with different flavors of expertise.
I believe the editors were successful in their attempt to organize the information and chapters in such a way as to delineate key issues affecting American higher education in the twenty-first century. Each chapter provided a clear and concise representation of the topics listed.
This book was an easy read for students who wish to find out more about particular topics without reading a whole book on each individual subject. The editors selected pertinent topics to higher education that could be read quickly to grasp the general concepts. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on technology and the potential implications for education. I've already witnessed significant change in this area as what was business education, i.e., typing and shorthand has already evolved into the computer applications area. It will be fascinating to see what's ahead on the horizon.



Rating:
Summary: Review Used for UW Issues in Higher Ed Class
Review: Book Review
With the huge technological and societal changes that higher education face today, it seemed a natural choice to review American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century: Social, Political and Economic Challenges. This book was edited by Philip G. Altbach, Robert O. Berdahl, and Patricia J. Gumport. It was copyrighted in 1999 by The Johns Hopkins University Press from Baltimore, MD. Each chapter is authored by a subject matter expert such as Roger Geiger, TR Mc Connell and Ami Zusman to name a few.
Summary of Contents
American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. Social, Political and Economic Challenges addresses key issues facing and testing higher education institutions now and in the future. It explores the impact society has on technology which causes a domino effect touching on political and educational challenges. These challenges promise to be stronger than any issues faced in the history of education. This includes many contributors to the educational process including the new breed of student.
"The student role within American higher education and society is a complex and requires a new epistemology, or way of thinking about that role, which enhances our understanding" (Altbach, Berdahl, and Gumport, 1999). The book goes on to note the importance of understanding the roles and relationship between students, educational institutions, and today's society. Naturally, this ultimately drives the direction and future goals of higher education.
Other entities such as the federal and state governments and business partners will also play a role in determining needs that will drive the direction higher education will take in the future.
These issues, along with a myriad of other areas, promise higher education an interesting and rather demanding and rigorous future.
Organizational Structure
This book was very well organized which supported easy understanding and a solid learning experience. It was broken into four parts, which included:
· Part 1, The Setting: This section discussed background and support information for higher education including a look at the structure, history and key issues facing higher education today.
· Part 2, External Forces: Support partners in higher education are examined in this section. These partners include entities such as the federal government, individual states, legal forces and external business partners.
· Part 3, The Academic Community: Controversial and timely issues are discussed in this section including the challenge of colleges building connects within the communities they support.
· Part 4, Central Issues for the Twenty-first Century: This section discussed some of the hottest topics faced by colleges today including funding, technology, and diversity.
The breakout of these sections clearly helped the reader easily realize some of the most important areas that we need to focus on being associated with higher education now and how society and technology takes us into the future. This is especially important since today's educational setting challenging the traditional settings and looking to enrich and enhance them. In addition, these sections help us to understand the importance of extending the boundaries of teaching (i.e. from the traditional classroom to new technology settings.)
Personal Reaction and Evaluation
"If a college or university is effectively to define its goals and select or invent the means of attaining them, it must have a high degree of substantive autonomy" (Altbach, Berdahl, and Gumport, 1999). This book raised a number of very important viewpoints and issues that higher education face in the future. In order to successfully meet the needs of society, I believe one of the most important points that the book makes is the vital importance of universities maintaining autonomy. Higher education needs to be able to move forward in offering programs that meet the knowledge gaps and educational demands that a rapidly changing technological society promises to offer in the future. Higher education must be able to turn on a dime in order to support this challenge. In this, as well as other avenues, this book was able to bring across, in my opinion, the "must-dos" for higher education in the future. The authors identify "change" as the most complex "must-do." However, it is also the most challenging and, according to the authors dependent on society and technology advances.
Conclusion
In summary, American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. Social, Political and Economical Challenges is an excellent source for educators in determining the direction to set in the future. It helped me to identify goals that must be achieved and areas that must be recognized as challenges face us now and for coming generations of students.

References
Altbach, Philip G., Berdahl, Robert O., and Gumport, (1999). American Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century. Social, Political, and Economic Challenges. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.


Rating:
Summary: Good Textbook
Review: I had to read this for a class, and as text books go, this is a good one. Covered all the major topics involved in higher ed. Easy to read.