The Great American University

The Great American University: Its Rise to Prominence, Its Indispensable National Role, Why It Must Be Protected by Jonathan R. Cole (PublicAffairs, 2009). Hardback with dust jacket in Very Good condition. _______________________________________________________________ Although America’s universities have become the envy of the world for their creative energy and their production of transformative knowledge, few understand how and why they have become preeminent. This groundbreaking book traces the origins and the evolution of our great universities. It shows how they grew out of sleepy colleges at the turn of the twentieth century into powerful institutions that continue to generate new industries and advance our standard of living. Far from inevitable, this transformation was enabled by a highly competitive system that invested public tax dollars in university research and students while granting universities substantial autonomy. Today, America’s universities face considerable thre