---
product_id: 14077918
title: "Higher Education in America: Revised Edition (The William G. Bowen Series)"
brand: "derek bok"
price: "€ 44.42"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/14077918-higher-education-in-america-revised-edition-the-william-g-bowen
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# Higher Education in America: Revised Edition (The William G. Bowen Series)

**Brand:** derek bok
**Price:** € 44.42
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Higher Education in America: Revised Edition (The William G. Bowen Series) by derek bok
- **How much does it cost?** € 44.42 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nl](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/14077918-higher-education-in-america-revised-edition-the-william-g-bowen)

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## Description

Higher Education in America: Revised Edition (The William G. Bowen Series)

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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Required Reading for University Faculty
  

*by S***E on Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2013*

Derek Bok is a positivist writing to the postmodern world of higher education.  He firmly believes that there is an objective truth about colleges and universities, and he is determined to martial every ounce of empirical evidence to prove this. His scientific beliefs are in a higher education that he imagines as beautiful and deserving of love. And his affections are not blind. He details every disfigurement.The book's strengths are in the sections on undergraduate education and professional education.  The center of the story is the tension that is mounting around the need to improve the quality of undergraduate instruction.  His evaluation of professional schools and how they balance the demands of the academy with the demands of the profession is masterful. (Plot spoiler alert.)  Medical schools are given high marks and business schools are found lacking.The weakness of the book is the Steinbergian view West.  His core audience is the Northeast, but yet when he speaks of the needs to improve quality (learning and instruction) and quantity (enrollment and graduation) in higher education, he gives the elite selective schools the principal's hall pass.  His view seems to be that the real job of educating America will fall to comprehensive colleges that are in a distant land beyond the Charles.  Other than a fanciful idea about "admissions lotteries" for selective schools, he makes no real attempt to call for collective action by the Eastern elites.  This is unfortunate, because he might be one of the few voices that has the strength to do just that.  (His best opportunity in the text is missed in his chapter on "Graduate Education.")At times, Bok sounds like he has entered the muddy trenches of Midwestern administration when he rails against NCAA athletics and unhelpful competition created by magazine college rankings. But his chief credential is that he was President of Harvard.  Were these ever his daily concern? What seems clear is that he has attempted to expand his audience, while still writing for the Crimson Choir.The language at the end of the book is wistful and yearning.  He counsels future academic administrators "to do what they can with carrots and sticks" (p.405). His real audience that he attempts to reach is the collegium of faculty across America.  This is where he seems to have placed his faith and hope for the future of higher education.  And this is probably as it should be...trying to reach the people that love education, and not just care about it.

### ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Some Substance, Some Speculation
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2017*

The first few chapters give a very informative overview of the major segments of higher education:  community colleges, comprehensive universities, and research universities.  However, after that, things get less concrete.  I felt that the sections on graduate education mainly dealt with issues and not a good overview of the institutions, and I felt his statements weren't grounded in fact--it was a lot of "it could" and "maybes".  I also had issues with some of his characterizations, like the only use for a PhD is to teach, or that "pure research" means writing articles with lots of citations.  Also, he doesn't tie everything together until the afterword, which, in my opinion, doesn't allow thorough treatment of the issues he brought up, and doesn't occur until I've waded through 20 chapters.In short, I find the section on undergraduate education well worth reading, but I think it loses value after that.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Comprehensive and Thought Provoking
  

*by M***C on Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2014*

Derek Bok has NAILED it with his comprehensive look at ALL aspects of higher education.  This book is a "must read" for anyone who has an interest in higher education.  It is insightful, thought-provoking, and thorough...presenting ALL sides of each area within higher ed.  I wish every president and board member of higher ed institutions would read this book.  I also wish federal agencies who dole out student loans would read the book.  The reader can open the book to any page and will not be able to put it down.  Well done, Derek Bok, and THANK YOU for taking the time to write this book!

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*Product available on Desertcart Netherlands*
*Store origin: NL*
*Last updated: 2026-01-24*