Perfect Mess
The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education
Read the news about America's colleges and universities – rising student debt, affirmative action debates, and conflicts between faculty and administrators – and it's clear that higher education in this country is a total mess. But as David F. Labaree reminds us in this book, it's always been that way. And that's exactly why it has become the most successful and sought-after source of learning in the world. Detailing American higher education's unusual struggle for survival in a free market that never guaranteed its place in society – a fact that seemed to doom it in its early days in the nineteenth century – he tells a lively story of the entrepreneurial spirit that drove American higher education to become the best. And the best it is: today America's universities and colleges produce the most scholarship, earn the most Nobel prizes, hold the largest endowments, and attract the most esteemed students and scholars from around the world. But this was not an inevitability. Weakly funded by the state, American schools in their early years had to rely on student tuition and alumni donations in order to survive. This gave them tremendous autonomy to seek out sources of financial support and pursue unconventional opportunities to ensure their success. As Labaree shows, by striving as much as possible to meet social needs and fulfill individual ambitions, they developed a broad base of political and financial support that, grounded by large undergraduate programs, allowed for the most cutting-edge research and advanced graduate study ever conducted. As a result, American higher education eventually managed to combine a unique mix of the populist, the practical, and the elite in a single complex system. The answers to today's problems in higher education are not easy, but as this book shows, they shouldn't be: no single person or institution can determine higher education's future. It is something that faculty, administrators, and students – adapting to society's needs – will determine together, just as they have always done.
About the Author
David F. Labaree is professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. He is the author of many books, including, most recently, "The Trouble with Ed Schools" and "Someone Has to Fail".
Reviews
"'A Perfect Mess' is a concise history that has a point. Labaree argues there is method to America's higher education madness, and we are well advised to stay the course, however madcap that course can be. Well written, erudite, thoughtful, and engaging" – William Tierney, past president for the American Educational Research Association and Association for the Study of Higher Education
"Nearly five million international students attend US universities, more than in any other country, yet Labaree's book on the history of American higher education is called 'A Perfect Mess'. This contradiction is one of many paradoxes that Labaree takes up in clear, crisp language. US universities are populist yet elitist, extend opportunity yet protect privilege, and are a public good yet also a private one offered to American young adults. Labaree's parsing of these historical paradoxes becomes a yellow flashing light to anyone with plans to transform US universities. Understanding how American universities, the envy of the world, became 'A Perfect Mess' should give pause to those reform-minded policymakers and politicians who, uninformed by the past, want to alter the landscape and mechanics of American higher education" – Larry Cuban, author of "Teaching History Then and Now"
"This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the state of higher education in the United States – especially to those who are open to seeing the usual opinions strongly challenged. In fluid prose Labaree presents new and compelling insights into the dynamics behind the success of the American system – or non-system – of higher education, several of which will be sure to raise eyebrows and prompt debate" – Paul Reitter, co-editor of "The Rise of the Research University"
"American higher education evolved under pressures (and opportunities) from multiple sources, not under a single authority. Labaree provides a fine review of this history, showing how it generated a great and expansive dynamism. Applying this perspective to the present situation, he shows how the apparent disorder of current higher education can be seen as enabling continuing adaptation rather than breakdown. His ideas will be of great interest to all those concerned with the evolution of higher education in this country" – John W. Meyer, Stanford University
