The American University: National Treasure or Endangered Species?

OVER THE PAST DECADE, America’s research universities have been accused, with increasing frequency and passion, of a wide variety of sins. Universities do not devote enough attention to undergraduate education, the charge goes, or they pursue unnecessary research, or they award doctoral degrees that focus too narrowly and take too long to complete. What have these institutions done to provoke such criticism and why has financial support from both public and private sectors eroded? In The American University, a volume published in honor of Frank H. T. Rhodes, President Emeritus of Cornell University, distinguished scholars and administrators address these issues and suggest ways in which research universities can respond to current and future challenges