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Cover image of The Future of the Public University in America
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The Future of the Public University in America

Beyond the Crossroads

James J. Duderstadt and Farris W. Womack

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In the United States, public colleges and universities educate more than 80 percent of the nation's 11 million college students. Public universities conduct the majority of the country's campus-based research and produce most of the nation's doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and other professionals and public leaders. They provide critical services such as agricultural and industrial technology, health care, and economic development, and they help students of all ages develop more rewarding careers and more meaningful lives.

Written for everyone who is interested in and concerned about the...

In the United States, public colleges and universities educate more than 80 percent of the nation's 11 million college students. Public universities conduct the majority of the country's campus-based research and produce most of the nation's doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, and other professionals and public leaders. They provide critical services such as agricultural and industrial technology, health care, and economic development, and they help students of all ages develop more rewarding careers and more meaningful lives.

Written for everyone who is interested in and concerned about the nation's public universities, The Future of the Public University in America offers a view from the perspective of two experienced professionals. James J. Duderstadt, former president of the University of Michigan, and Farris W. Womack, former executive vice president and chief financial officer of the University of Michigan, explore the unique challenges facing public higher education today. They look at the forces driving change—economic imperatives, technology, and market forces—as well as the characteristics of the public university that make change difficult: the nature of its various campus communities, its governance system, its management and decision-making processes, and its leadership. The authors conclude by suggesting strategies at the state and federal level to preserve and strengthen public higher education as a resource for future generations.

Reviews

Reviews

Duderstadt and Womack paint a picture of the present and allow us to glimpse, along with them, a future, seen through the proverbial glass, darkly.

The university is about ideas—incubating a few self-reflective new ones about its own role and function has to be helpful.

They have certainly done the public university, and not only in the USA, a considerable service by mapping out the problem with such clarity and authority.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
256
ISBN
9780801880629
Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. A New Century
2. The Public University
3. Responding to the Changing Needs of Society
4. Technology
5. Market Forces
6. Financing the Public University
7. University Leadership
8

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. A New Century
2. The Public University
3. Responding to the Changing Needs of Society
4. Technology
5. Market Forces
6. Financing the Public University
7. University Leadership
8. Governance
9. University Transformation
10. The Future
Notes
Index

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

James J. Duderstadt

James J. Duderstadt is president emeritus and university professor of science and engineering at the University of Michigan.
Featured Contributor

Farris W. Womack

Farris W. Womack served as the chief financial officer at the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina. He also served as the chief financial officer of the State of Arkansas and the State of North Carolina.