ON HIGHER EDUCATION: THE ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE IN AN ERA OF RISING STUDENT CONSUMERISM
BY DAVID RIESMAN TRANSACTION PUBLISHERS 1998 NEW BRUNSWICK, U.S.A 421 PAGES SOFT COVER
The topic of policy is comprehensive and complex. Policy in higher
education implies formality and consensus. In this, his third volume
for the Carnegie Council’s series of policy studies on higher
education, author David Riesman examines microcosms of, detail in
higher education policy, offering very specific examples, while weaving
in commentary about such broad topics as ethnic groups and social
forces.
On Higher Education does not leave the reader with a sense of
formality and consensus. While it is possible to make comparisons among
similar institutions using variables such as public/private, community/
“traditional,” and liberal/conservative, integrating this work is very
difficult. Nonetheless, the breadth of content is what makes this
volume worth reading.
The book covers about a twenty-year period from the sixties to the
eighties. Aside from the changing demographics of the student body and
the various responses from the higher education community, Riesman
looks at the evolution of student power and discusses the challenge of
sustaining group commitment to a revolution as opposed to acting in
one’s own self interests.
According to Riesman, students missed opportunities to wield power,
and institutions missed opportunities to enhance the quality of
education. The author surmises that in order to maintain the veneer of
liberalism and retain students of varied backgrounds, many institutions
lowered standards and inflated grades. However, efforts made to counter
these trends are not clearly documented.
Riesman seems to place little value on factors that contribute to a
person’s college choice. He also implies that college must be central
in the student’s life. However, we know that for some non-traditional
students, family and job responsibilities often dictate that choice.
