American Higher Education: A History

With economy and clarity, Lucas, professor of education at the University of Arkansas, limns the antecedents of the American college and university system. Proceeding from an examination of the Western cultural heritage to today's higher educational establishments, which he characterizes as unchecked sprawl, overlapping missions and amorphous identities, Lucas avoids contrasting the ``untidy'' present with a purportedly idyllic past. Instead, he shows that contemporary academic issues often have ancient lineage: town-and-gown antagonism, secret societies, grade inflation. Written for the general reader, this study illuminates current issues of higher education. (Jan.)