The Great American University : Its Rise to Preeminence and Threatened Future
Jonathan R. Cole is widely known throughout the United States for his fourteen years (1989-2003) as Columbia's provost and dean of faculties, holding the position as the university's chief academic officer for the second-longest tenure in its 254-year history. He is currently the John Mitchell Mason Professor at Columbia University.
Kirkus, STARRED review
"An elegant, comprehensive examination of how American universities
became the best in the world, and why research matters....A sound,
enthusiastic look at the crucial vitality of the American
university system."
William G. Bowen, President Emeritus, The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation
"Jonathan Cole has given us a stimulating and provocative account
of how the American research university came to be, the ideas it
has contributed, and the challenges it faces. Not everyone will
agree with all of the argument, but everyone can learn from
it."
New York Times Book Review
"As provost of Columbia University for 14 years and a professor of
sociology and dean of faculties before that, Jonathan R. Cole is an
excellent position to write about the rise of the American research
university and its special contribution to American life. In "The
Great American University," he makes a case for the extraordinary
role such institutions play in improving our daily lives. He also
argues that these 'jewels in our nation's crown face a host of
serious threats.'"
Dallas Morning News
"This is a work that should be read and studied by college
faculties, administrators, regents and trustees, legislators and
particularly large monetary donors to today's colleges and
universities...The Great American University is one of the most
important books on higher education to be written in the past
several decades."
Denver Post"Our high schools may be hurting, but the best U.S.
universities -- the Ivies, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, the select
state universities -- are the envy of the world. In his new book,
Jonathan R. Cole, a former provost and dean of faculties at
Columbia, shows how our research universities in particular came to
be what they are."
Boston Globe
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., professor, Harvard University
"I can think of no one better than Jonathan Cole to lead the
crucial discussion on the role of the American university as the
preeminent seat of intellectual and technological innovation. In
the face of alarming trends in legislation and government
intervention, he offers a precise and extremely well written
prescription for how the American university can once again
prevail."
Cori Bargmann, professor, the Rockefeller University; member of the
National Academy of Science
"A passionate and intelligent defense of the university's role in
creating knowledge, not just disseminating it. Every university has
its own story; this book steps back to tell the history of American
universities as a whole. Cole describes the logic, people, and
context that drove the universities to pair teaching with research
and discovery. He provides an irresistible tour of advances in
science and culture that grew in the universities, from artificial
hips to Google to eyewitness unreliability, and a clear-eyed view
of their failings, from red scares to groupthink. Cole is a
compelling advocate, and his book is a resource for academics,
students, and all friends of the university."
Vartan Gregorian, president, Carnegie Corporation of New York;
former president, Brown University
"The story of American universities has been one of great success.
Now, at a time when American higher education in general--and
American public higher education in particular--is in crisis,
Jonathan Cole's The Great American University is a timely analysis
of higher education's current problems and prospects. I hope that
policymakers will heed the author's cogent arguments about the
centrality of American universities in the panoply of our national
life, as well as their vital contribution to the economic,
political, and social advancement of the United States."
Library Journal
"Cole has amassed extensive information to make a convincing case.
Highly recommended, particularly for those interested in American
history, social institutions, and public policy, as well as those
working in higher education."
In his capacious, candid, and compelling new book, "The Great
American University, '' Cole explains the emergence of the research
university; provides an eye-popping account of the discoveries made
by professors in the last half century; and assesses the threats
that place higher education in the United States "at risk of losing
its dominant status.''
Prism Magazine"[Cole's] argument is a persuasive one, and he
presents his material clearly and incisively, keeping readers
engaged throughout these 600-plus pages. Even those within the
system will find new and thought-provoking material on the
university's importance to economic, social, and national
advancement."
Prism Magazine, April 2010
"[Cole's] argument is a persuasive one, and he presents his
material clearly and incisively, keeping readers engaged throughout
these 600-plus pages. Even those within the system will find new
and thought-provoking material on the university's importance to
economic, social, and national advancement." CHOICE, June 2010
"Kirkus, "STARRED review
"An elegant, comprehensive examination of how American universities
became the best in the world, and why research matters....A sound,
enthusiastic look at the crucial vitality of the American
university system."
William G. Bowen, President Emeritus, The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation
"Jonathan Cole has given us a stimulating and provocative account
of how the American research university came to be, the ideas it
has contributed, and the challenges it faces. Not everyone will
agree with all of the argument, but everyone can learn from
it."
Geoffrey R. Stone, Former Provost of the University of Chicago and
author of "Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime"
"Jonathan Cole has written the definitive work on the American
research university. A monumental achievement, "The Great American
University" explores the complex historical and cultural reasons
for the international preeminence of American higher education,
documents the profound contributions American research universities
have made, and continue to make, to our nation and to the world,
and identifies and analyzes the dangers that now threaten to
undermine one of the strongest pillars of American excellence."
Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor, Columbia University; director, the
Earth Institute
"Jonathan Cole has produced a masterpiece, a modern classic. This
is at once a scintillating biography of the great American
university, a powerful diagnosis of its major challenges today, and
an invaluable guide for a robust future of this unique,
world-changing institution. This is sociological inquiry,
technological history, and social philosophy at its most powerful,
a penetrating study of how America's research universities have
been shaped by and have shaped American society. Cole's study will
be avidly read in all parts of the world, as societies attempt to
emulate and adapt the strengths of America's research universities
to the challenges of building knowledge-based economies and
democratic societies of the twenty-first century."
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., professor, Harvard University
"I can think of no one better than Jonathan Cole to lead the
crucial discussion on the role of the American university as the
preeminent seat of intellectual and technological innovation. In
the face of alarming trends in legislation and government
intervention, he offers a precise and extremely well written
prescription for how the American university can once again
prevail."
Cori Bargmann, professor, the Rockefeller University; member of the
National Academy of Science
"A passionate and intelligent defense of the university's role in
creating knowledge, not just disseminating it. Every university has
its own story; this book steps back to tell the history of American
universities as a whole. Cole describes the logic, people, and
context that drove the universities to pair teaching with research
and discovery. He provides an irresistible tour of advances in
science and culture that grew in the universities, from artificial
hips to Google to eyewitness unreliability, and a clear-eyed view
of their failings, from red scares to groupthink. Cole is a
compelling advocate, and his book is a resource for academics,
students, and all friends of the university."
Vartan Gregorian, president, Carnegie Corporation of New York;
former president, Brown University
"The story of American universities has been one of great success.
Now, at a time when American higher education in general--and
American public higher education in particular--is in crisis,
Jonathan Cole's "The Great American University" is a timely
analysis of higher education's current problems and prospects. I
hope that policymakers will heed the author's cogent arguments
about the centrality of American universities in the panoply of our
national life, as well as their vital contribution to the economic,
political, and social advancement of the United States."
"Library Journal"
"Cole has amassed extensive information to make a convincing case.
Highly recommended, particularly for those interested in American
history, social institutions, and public policy, as well as those
working in higher education."
"New York Times Book Review"
"As provost of Columbia University for 14 years and a professor of
sociology and dean of faculties before that, Jonathan R. Cole is an
excellent position to write about the rise of the American research
university and its special contribution to American life. In ""The
Great American University,"" he makes a case for the extraordinary
role such institutions play in improving our daily lives. He also
argues that these 'jewels in our nation's crown face a host of
serious threats.'"
"Dallas Morning News"
"This is a work that should be read and studied by college
faculties, administrators, regents and trustees, legislators and
particularly large monetary donors to today's colleges and
universities..."The Great American University" is one of the most
important books on higher education to be written in the past
several decades."
"Denver Post""Our high schools may be hurting, but the best U.S.
universities -- the Ivies, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, the select
state universities -- are the envy of the world. In his new book,
Jonathan R. Cole, a former provost and dean of faculties at
Columbia, shows how our research universities in particular came to
be what they are."
"Boston Globe"In his capacious, candid, and compelling new book,
""The Great American University," '' Cole explains the emergence of
the research university; provides an eye-popping account of the
discoveries made by professors in the last half century; and
assesses the threats that place higher education in the United
States "at risk of losing its dominant status.''
"Prism Magazine""[Cole's] argument is a persuasive one, and he
presents his material clearly and incisively, keeping readers
engaged throughout these 600-plus pages. Even those within the
system will find new and thought-provoking material on the
university's importance to economic, social, and national
advancement."
"Prism Magazine," April 2010
"[Cole's] argument is a persuasive one, and he presents his
material clearly and incisively, keeping readers engaged throughout
these 600-plus pages. Even those within the system will find new
and thought-provoking material on the university's importance to
economic, social, and national advancement." "CHOICE," June
2010"This will be an instant classic. Deploying vast knowledge and
lengthy experience as professor of sociology and provost at
Columbia University, Cole blends sociological and historical
insights to explain the rise and importance of, and threats now
facing, top-tier universities in the US." "American Scientist,"
August 2010"[Cole] combines scholarly expertise on the inner
workings of science with abundant real-world experience running an
enormous, eminent research university. Clearly he knows of what he
speaks."
Ask a Question About this Product More... |