Failing Universities - by Howard Karger & David Stoesz (Hardcover)

About the Book

Examines American higher education and proposes a forward-looking agenda for structural reform that is less expensive and more educationally sound than the current marketized model.

Book Synopsis

Higher education in the US is increasingly being based on a corporate model. This book examines the corporatized industry of American higher education, providing a comprehensive critique of the problems the sector faces.It explores alternative policy solutions and examples of systems of higher education that are both effective and cost-effective. The authors propose a forward-looking agenda for structural reform that is less expensive and more educationally sound than the current model. They explore key topics including affordability, access, waste, hierarchal administrative structures, faculty governance, status and social mobility based on institutional prestige and the overall commodification of higher education in the US. They provide an alternative solution for the US which emphasizes social cohesion, sustainability, a respect for diversity and an understanding of democracy and democratic principles.

Review Quotes

"This is a must-read for those troubled by the current state of higher education in the United States. Following their detailed and penetrating analysis of the processes of commodification and corporatization impacting upon American universities and colleges, the authors present an inspiring blueprint for educational reform and revitalization." --Michael Seltzer, Professor Emeritus, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway

"As this eye-opening book clearly demonstrates, in a country where GDP is the measure of national success, and maximum income the measure of personal success, our universities are unsurprisingly abandoning the humanities and critical thinking for the values of Midas. Santayana warned that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. May this well-researched volume help us turn the Titanic of higher education around." --John De Graaf, Co-Author of "What's The Economy For, Anyway?" (Bloomsbury, 2011)

"Failing Universities is a timely, important, and controversial work that is broad, scholarly, and databased. Written by experts, it reveals how universities have changed in their administration, funding, operations, and expenses and, significantly, suggests useful ways of getting them back on track to their original educational mission." --Steven Rose, Professor Emeritus, George Mason University, USA

About the Author

David Stoesz is retired Professor and Program Director at Kean University, USA, and Professor and Program Chair at University of Illinois-Springfield, USA. He is the Founder and CEO of Up$tart: https: //www.upstartbenefits.com.

Howard Karger is retired Professor and Director in the School of Social Work at Hawai'i Pacific University, USA.