Full Description
Providing a comprehensive review of pressing issues roiling American college campuses today, this book is a valuable resource for students and scholars alike.
People often refer to America's colleges and universities as "Ivory Towers," a term that implies that campuses are innocent places of study largely insulated from wider societal concerns. In actuality, our nation's universities are hotbeds of controversy. Some of these sources of heated debate relate directly to access to the college experience, such as the rising cost of tuition and admission policies related to student diversity. Others reflect wider societal schisms, such as divisions over sexual assault (both causes and responses) and "political correctness."
Controversies on Campus: Debating the Issues Confronting American Universities in the 21st Century examines the myriad controversies regarding today's college campuses and student bodies, such as tuition costs, campus rape, academic freedom/free speech, gun policies, binge drinking, "hook-up" culture, corporatization of academic research, poverty-level wages of adjunct faculty, and student-athletes in the era of big-money amateur sports.
The book objectively examines these issues and others, taking care to not only present up-to-date quantifiable data to help readers understand the controversy but also to provide a fair and impartial summary of perspectives on the issue in question. It is a one-stop resource for learning about a wide range of issues and controversies confronting American colleges and universities and the people—students, professors, and administrators—who comprise those communities.
Contents
Foreword by Scott L. Thomas
Part One Contemporary Opportunities and Challenges around Diversifying American Universities
Chapter 1 Understanding the Controversy around Race-Based Affirmative Action in American Higher Education
Dwayne Kwaysee Wright and Liliana M. Garces
Chapter 2 Access Granted? Challenges, Controversies, and Opportunities around College Access in American Higher Education
Ashley B. Clayton and Darris R. Means
Chapter 3 Challenges in Retention and Access
Charlie Andrews and Rebekah Schulze
Chapter 4 Undocumented Students: Welcome or Not?
Glenda Droogsma Musoba
Chapter 5 Diversity on Campus and the Chief Diversity Officer: Purpose and Preparation
Roland W. Mitchell, Chaunda A. Mitchell, Jerry W. Whitmore Jr., and Kenneth Fasching Varner
Part Two Contemporary Issues Surrounding the College Curriculum and Instructional Delivery
Chapter 6 Prestige, Rankings, and Competition for Status
Jeongeun Kim
Chapter 7 Accreditation in the United States
Ryan Thomas Landry
Chapter 8 Curriculum Reform: The Aims and Purposes of Higher Education
David W. Robinson-Morris
Chapter 9 Under Siege: The Future of the Liberal Arts at State U.
B. Noble Jones and James C. Hearn
Chapter 10 Competency-Based Education: A Disruptive Innovation Requiring Demonstrated Performance
Jeffrey C. Sun
Chapter 11 Tracing a Troubled Sector: For-Profit Higher Education's Institutional Identity
Constance Iloh
Part Three Issues Facing American College Students in the 21st Century
Chapter 12 Social Media: Dialogues on Learning, Engagement, Activism, and Identity
Paul William Eaton
Chapter 13 The Struggle for Equity in Intercollegiate Athletics
Joy Blanchard
Chapter 14 Unfinished Business for Student Veterans: Gaps in Policy and Practice
David DiRamio
Chapter 15 Guns on Campus: Are They Helping or Hurting?
Mercy Roberg
Part Four Legal and Regulatory Issues Facing the 21st-Century American University and Students
Chapter 16 Sexual Violence on College Campuses
Joy Blanchard
Chapter 17 "Open" Campus Areas and Students' First Amendment Speech Rights
Neal H. Hutchens and Kerry Brian Melear
Chapter 18 Substance Abuse Policies on College Campuses: Is Practice in Line with the Law?
Joy Blanchard and Frank A. Rojas
Part Five The Impact of the Economy and Financial Policy on Contemporary Universities
Chapter 19 Current Trends and Issues in College and University Endowments
Kenneth E. Redd, Lindsay K. Wayt, and Lesley McBain
Chapter 20 Incorporating Innovation and Entrepreneurship in STEM Programs: The Challenges of Universities as Engines of Economic Growth
Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech
Chapter 21 Who Benefits? A Critical Analysis of State Merit Aid Programs and the Impact on Public Higher Education Institutions
Kerii Landry-Thomas
Chapter 22 Performance-Based Funding: The New Normal for State Accountability Policies
Paul G. Rubin and Lori Prince Hagood
Chapter 23 The Future of Public Higher Education Funding: A Federal-State Partnership
F. King Alexander and Ashley Arceneaux
About the Editor and Contributors
Index
