It would be nice to conclude that, despite these anxieties, and given the somewhat contradictory goals that have been set for it, the American higher-education system is doing what Americans want it to do.
The history of American higher education demonstrates that the quality of teaching and research is greatest when faculty are secure in their freedom to inquire, speak, teach and publish.
One such volume is The Shaping of American Higher Education (2010) by Arthur Cohen and Carrie Kisker.
To be clear, I believe that one of the strengths of American higher education is its multiplicity of programs and providers.
If there is a decline in motivation, it may mean that an exceptional phase in the history of American higher education is coming to an end.
People need to wake up and begin to demand fiscal accountability from institutions of higher learning so that future generations have the ability to access higher education and therefore the American Dream.
While the book has provided some useful insight into the early developments of American higher education, I was taken aback when I came across a passage discussing the meager pay of college faculty during the 1790-1869 period and decided that some simple economic lessons are in order for our historians.
But it is now tangibly affecting the large public institutions that do much of the heavy lifting of American higher education.
The Louisville native first attracted public attention in 1908 for his book The American College, which condemned higher education for its reliance on lectures versus small classes and hands-on teaching.
Like much of American higher education, the University of Michigan has aggressively employed affirmative action to boost enrollment of minority students who otherwise might not qualify for admission.
Bloom ended up at the University of Chicago and in 1987 published "The Closing of the American Mind, " his best-selling attack on the shortcomings of higher education.
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Making college a prerequisite for professional school was possibly the most important reform ever made in American higher education.
The American government has an unusual model of financing higher education, in which it lends to students who decide at which educational institution they spend the money.
In the end, American-style levels of participation in higher education will require American-style flexibility, with more part-time degrees and greater use of credits, and a greater financial contribution from the student.
Higher education is a critical part of the American Dream, as all of you know.
For example, consider a tax credit for higher education costs, such as the existing American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC).
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And this is what people in other parts of the world mean when they say they want American-style higher education.
If you had to pinpoint the single most important factor to decision-makers in American higher education, it would not be truth, it would not be justice, and it certainly would not be effective teaching and learning.
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To ensure that higher education is within the reach of every American, we extended -- we put an end to unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that used to go to banks, and we put the savings towards making college more affordable for millions of students.
To compete, higher education must be within the reach of every American.
When Barack Obama and Arne Duncan talk about how higher education is the key to the future of the American economy, this is the sector they have in mind.
The school's ideological pillars would likely be familiar to anyone who has paid attention to American higher education lately.
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Under my plan you'll also be able to use the savings in your American retirement account to make major life investments, like buying a home or paying for higher education.
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