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Thomas Ehrlich, Ed.
American Council on Education and Oryx Press, Series on Higher Education, 2000 (hardcover)
Reviewed by Raechele L. Pope and Radhika Suresh,
University at Buffalo, State University of New York
For the majority of us who work in colleges and universities and do not, on a daily basis, question the mission, purpose, and future of higher education, Civic Responsibility and Higher Education should be required reading. This powerful book calls for a drastic change in higher education's role in society. Drawing heavily on John Dewey's philosophy about the important role played by education in a democracy, the authors call on education institutions to rethink their work in the context of society's needs. While it offers strong criticism of higher education, the book also provides a viable, alternative vision for institutions and offers examples of successful efforts undertaken by several colleges to make themselves more relevant to their communities. There is a quiet revolution under way by many students, faculty, and administrators in higher education who genuinely believe that colleges and universities can make a difference in the overwhelming problems faced by the surrounding communities and the greater society. The book is a result of a project implemented by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The book is classified into five sections, with each section made up of several chapters and addressing a specific theme. Skillfully edited by Thomas Ehrlich, the book draws upon the work of 29 well-regarded contributors, who together provide a community-sensitive vision for higher education.
At the core of the book is a vision for what higher education ought to be. There have been increased concerns expressed in the literature about the status of higher education. Many critics of higher education claim that institutions should be less concerned about enrollment, research grants, and competing for inclusion in top-50 lists of colleges and universities, and more committed to solving real-life problems, encouraging the development of responsive and responsible student-citizens, and contributing to civic life and democracy in these United States.
Civic Responsibility and Higher Education aims to address these issues and provide solutions. Overall, there are three major aspects to the ideas conveyed by the book. First, it calls for a complete change in the ways in which higher...