College and University Books

This is a really good book if you want a deep look into Georgia Football history. Stegeman did his homework. I highly recommend this book and "A Tailgater's Guide To SEC Football" for any serious Georgia or SEC enthusiasts.

The 2004 college football season has come to an end with Pete Carroll's University of Southern California Trojans having completed the most perfect season in collegiate football history. There have been many "perfect" teams; that is, teams that went undefeated and untied en route to a consensus National Championship. USC itself has enjoyed their fair share of these kinds of wire-to-wire perfect seasons. But the stars have never been aligned for any team quite like the 2004 Trojans. First of all, they are the sixth team to be ranked number one in the nation from the pre-season polls through the bowl games. USC is the only team to do it twice. The 1972 Trojans, considered by many to be the greatest team of all time, accomplished the feat. But SC was also ranked number one from the end of the 2003 regular season through the bowls, and carried that right through 2004 without interruption.

The 2004 Trojans also boast the Heisman Trophy winner, two-time junior All-American quarterback Matt Leinart. His teammate, All-American sophomore running back Reggie Bush, was a New York finalist for the award. USC won a repeat National Championship, a feat rarely done. They are in the middle of a 22-game winning streak. They beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, a game that was previewed as the greatest game in college football history. The 1944-45 Army Cadets featured a similar winning streak and two Heisman winners, Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. There are other teams that compare, but nobody has done it quite the way Carroll's team is doing it.

A few came close. The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers featured an undefeated regular season that included winners of the Heisman and Outland Trophies. They lost to Miami in the Orange Bowl. The 2003 Oklahoma Sooners looked to be on a similar path, but their Heisman winner, Jason White, faltered in the Big 12 championship game as well as the Orange Bowl.

In light of USC's recent dominance, it is worth considering their place in history. Not just the current Trojans, but USC's football program going back to the beginning of the 20th Century. It is time to take the mantel of "greatest program in the history of college football" away from the struggling Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and lay it squarely with the deserving new champions from USC. Furthermore, USC continues to lay claim to the greatest historical athletic program in college history, as well.

The two-time defending National Champions are a dynasty. If Leinart returns for his senior year in 2005, they will be better than they were this season. Leinart will be a senior, the Heisman favorite (as he was all of this year), and a three-time All-American. He will walk away from his career with more honors than any player ever; three National Championships (?), two Heismans (?), the Johnny Unitas Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, et al. He will probably be the number one pick in the NFL draft.

The 2003-04 Trojans are very possibly the greatest two-year dynasty ever. If they win a third title in 2005, that will be a first. They lose a couple of linebackers, but aside from Leinart, Bush will be a junior, running backs LenDale White and Herschel Dennis return, the whole offensive line returns, the tight ends and receivers are back, and the defense will be, for the most part, experienced. The 2005 Trojans have the potential to be the greatest single-season team ever assembled, better even than the 1972 Trojans. Soph-to-be Jeff Byers was the nation's best lineman coming out of high school and could win the Outland Trophy before graduating. Soph-to-be linebacker Keith Rivers was the top prep at his position and may garner a Butkus trophy some day. If Leinart leaves for the NFL, USC will re-tool at quarterback with one of two blue chip recruits.

In 2005, John David Booty will be a red-shirt sophomore. He was the top prep quarterback in America at Louisiana's Evangel Christian High School. His competition? Mark Sanchez, the top prep quarterback in the U.S. at Mission Viejo High (the nation's number two team) in Orange County, California in 2004. USC has had the number one recruiting class in the country for three years in a row. Last year's was considered the greatest of all time. The 2005 class, which will be finalized in February, promises to be just as good. The pipeline is endless. In light of the fact that they will enter next season ranked number one, favored to win their third National Championship in a row, they are worthy of continued hype. Consider that if Troy runs the table in '05, their winning streak will probably be 35. With either Booty or Sanchez living up to the challenge, maybe with senior running back Bush winning the Heisman and starring with a cast headlined by juniors Rivers and Byers, the 2006 Trojans could challenge Oklahoma's 57-game winning streak of the 1950s. Now we are looking at four National Championships in a row, but wait, there is more. Booty could quarterback the team in 2006 and 2007. Sanchez would be a red-shirt junior and senior in 2008-09. Considering that the last two SC quarterbacks (Carson Palmer in 2002 and Leinart in '04) won the Heisman, USC could conceivably come away with four more of the trophies before the end of this decade. The scenario could be:

2005: Senior quarterback Matt Leinart, USC.
2006: Senior running back Reggie Bush, USC.
2007: Senior USC quarterback John David Booty, USC (Oklahoma running back Adrian Petersen will be a pro by then).
2009: Senior quarterback Mark Sanchez, USC.

Steven Travers is the author of the Best Selling "Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman". A graduate of the University of Southern California, he is currently working on a new book, "The Turning of the Tide", with former Trojan football stars Sam "Bam" Cunningham and John Papadakis. "The Turning of the Tide" documents how the 1970 USC-Alabama game ended segregation in the American South. In addition to the book, a film and documentary are in development. Steven can be reached at USCSTEVE1@aol.com.

This title gives informative survay and forcast on the university toward the future.
Global and virtual are the keywords of the university.
By reviewing current universities in the world,this book forcasts that everybody,young and old,men and women, can join any class and take any professor's class through the communication networks as their avatars as if they were gathered at the same place.
The authors predicate that the class in the future will be constructed based on HyperReality.HyperReality is a very attractive and strong concept which will provide the communication means between the real peopla and the virtual people.
The virtual people means avatars and/or computer agents.the avatar is a one to one corespondence to its real people.
The avatar's motion is controlled by its real human motion.
Then in HyperReality,people,real and virtual, interact together.
Through Hyperreality,people who are at different locations are brought together through the communication networks and hold a class as if they were gathered at the same place.
It is very attractive and informative.
I recommend everybody who is interested in the university in the future to read this title strongly.

Moran has done a wonderful job capturing this magical run to the Final Four. Anyone who was there will relive their moments, and those that weren't will feel like they were. This is a must read for all followers of Marquette Basketball.

Parents, potential students, and admission officers should read this authoritive book on how to apply to college. Hannan pulls no punches in this one.

All sorts of college high-jinx are revealed in detail. Where else can one find an in-depth investigation of the latest little known craze on today's campuses -- the Cake Party.

A Must Read!

I am looking forward the much anticipated release of Hannan's next book, _The Water Heater_.

"Pure Gold" is a collection of experiences with Bobby Bowden shared by former players, associates, 3 of his sons, and rivals.

Charlie Ward's Introduction gave insights into both a great coach and a man of integrity.

I was struck by some of the names of former assistants on Bill Peterson's FSU staff. Not only Bobby Bowden but future successful coaches in the NFL and Super bowl champions.

A recurring theme throughout the book is Coach Bowden's work ethic and character that he instilled in his players and the assistant coaches that worked for him.

The turnaround that he was able to instigate with a dying football program is monumental. From a one-win season to an undefeated season four years later!

A lot of the contributors praised the coach for teaching goal setting and for his skill as a motivator.

Any Seminole fan will remember some of the legendary trick plays or unexpected plays that are discussed in the book by some of the players that participated. Bobby Bowden had a knack for play-calling and he's been an innovator with his offense over the years.

His concept of player discipline has been criticized in the past. It was interesting to read what the guys on his staff and Tom Osborne have said in his defense. That gives another perspective on why Bobby Bowden punishes the individual player and not the entire team.

"Pure Gold" is an entertaining read for any Bowden/Seminole fan.

If you wish to be inspired to learn, read Dean Richard Brodhead's book. With a wry wit and enviable eloquence, Yale College's longtime dean trumpets the importance of liberal arts education and motivates the stoutest of hearts to break-free from staid camps of mutual agreement and explore unknown worlds of intellectual, social, and cultural variation. In short, Brodhead inspires his readers (and listeners, to those who were fortunate enough to hear him speak) to seek education. His life's work are the thousands of college students he has shepherded through Yale (and soon Duke), but his lessons apply well to everyone.

If you are a student or a parent of student about to head off to college, I highly suggest reading this book. Brodhead gives college life high meaning and grand purpose far beyond the parochial concerns of careerism. And for those over-achievers, he serves a special warning, enunciated most clearly in his speech, "The Hazards of Success," given to the Yale College Class of 2003. He warns that an addiction to academic achievement can lead to a larger failure. A student too used to the top spot will be unwilling to venture out of well-tread paths of triumph; fear of imperfection will lead to educational limitation, and the unknown will remain as such because the student refrains from actually having to learn something, least they not excel at it immediately.

There are many other nuggets of wisdom in these pages, so I'll just commend the rest of the book. As a reader can quickly tell, Brodhead is one of the greatest spokesmen for university education of his time. I would not be surprised if he publishes a second volume in a few years' time.

I had to buy this book for a class, but I think it is a really great read for new student affairs professionals. The principles are all very easy to relate to and serve as a great structure for a practicum experience.

I bought this book for my daughter. She is in the college application process, and the student essay was really stressing her out. (There is so much hype and conflicting information from school, guidance, and the other kids!) The information in this book was perfect -- it's not essays to copy, but a true "how-to" on writing winning essays, step-by-step. The examples are clear and totally geared to the student-reader. The advice is practical and easy to follow -- right down to the steps for submitting the application online. A real bargain!!

Now in a fully updated and expanded second edition, Graduate School: The Best Resources To Help You Choose, Get In, & Pay is designed specifically for those seeking a competitive edge when pursuing an advanced degree in the academic field of their choice. Graduate School explains the importance of the GPA, GRE, and other tests in the admissions process, as well as letters of recommendation, the personal statement, writing samples, and portfolios. Graduate School covers all aspects of choosing, applying to, and excelling Business, Law, or Medical School. It surveys financing a graduate or professional degree, including federal and state financial aid programs, the application process, the average loan burden, financial aid paperwork, and much more. Graduate School also provides identifying resources to aid in scholarship searches and is an invaluable, essential resource.