College and University Books

I have been very lucky to get this book right from the author. I have been an ardent reader of Dr. Birnbaum's books. But this one turned out to be somnething that every person, - more or less related to higher education and its fields, must have longed and waited. You may find all the quotations from the beginning of the US Higher Education history to the present date. You will find here the quotes from the distinguished presidents of the most prominent universities and their views, perceptions and thoughts. The book is fabulously organized and covers all the fields of the higher education. It is a must-have-book for everyone - even for the present, incumbent presidents and deans and for those who think they may find themselves in that position, or someone who is interested in the system of the field. One will be amused by some humorous quotes and you will stay up till late night before you decide it is time to close the book. You will come to the last page and then go back to the front page and start anew. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is rather a compendium, encyclopaedia and great reference that has been missing from our shelves. Thanks to the author for his efforts.

Reading Robert Birnbaum's Speaking of Higher Education: The Academic's Book of Quotations, reminded me of my visit to the writers' museum in Dublin. Passing each object in the exhibit case such as a typewriter or journal activated an audio clip with the voice of the writer giving a reading from a work or poem. What Birnbaum does in this compilation is invoke the voices of university fathers and presidents, statesmen, professors and authors on the higher learning. How fortunate for us that Birnbaum has done all the reading and provided the Cliff notes from legendary giants such as Woodrow Wilson and Robert Maynard Hutchins along with authors Oscar Wilde, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Booker T. Washington and suffragist Susan B. Anthony to contemporary luminaries Clark Kerr and P. F. Kluge and Derek Bok. For the first pass, it is a read cover to cover-I found it impossible to put down. This is a treasure trove of wisdom from some of the most eloquent voices in the English language-some you will ponder thoughtfully, others will make you laugh out loud. Birnbaum has written extensively on higher education and has grouped the quotations thoughtfully and expertly into Four Sections: Higher Education and Society related to purpose and social issues. Section Two on Academic Affairs including policy, learning, research, scholarship and teaching. Section Three consists of Institutions and Processes-the campus, institutions, governance and administration and management. The final section covers the educational roles of the faculty, the students, and the President. The book can be read again following the author index as well as the subject index. For example, in the entries on "corporalization," the words of the sociologist Thorstein Veblen spoken in 1918 reverberate today. Almost a century ago he cautioned about erosion of the ends for which the university is maintained through imposing "standards and tests, in the place of personal conference, guidance and association between teachers and students." Or imagine finding in one collection some of the pith of the likes of Friederich W. Nietzscke, William James, Anton Chekhov, T. S. Eliot, William Butler Yeats and Alfred North Whitehead. To me, it is only fitting to end with a quotation from Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "The real University is a state of mind. It is that great heritage of rational thought that has been brought down to us through the centuries and which does not exist at any specific location." Robert Birnbaum's Speaking of Higher Education provides the road signs.

This is a great book about a great coach. Recommend!

Spike Dykes is a West Texas legend. While attending Texas Tech from 1988-1990, one of life's simpler pleasures was watching Spike coach his group of less than famous football fanatics. The book presents few surprises but does offer telling insights into coaching strategy and human relations. West Texas is a very unique place and Spike had to use every ounce of guile, energy, wit, and wisdom, in dealing with the principles. I'm not speaking of the team, but the fans. Any coach who can survive 13 years as a head coach in football crazy West Texas ("Friday Night Lights" takes place only 90 miles south of there in Midland, TX), deserves praise immeasurable and this book is his monument.

The book itself is amazing. It shows the true power of physics. It is a must for the true physicist to have in his book collection. And you can't beat the price!

I had physics in my first year of engineering studies and this was the recommended textbook. Even then, the explanations and examples in the book were often more illustrative and simple than our professor's version, and up to now I have always taken this book with me just in case a physical problem rears its nasty head somewhere. The examples, exercises and annexes replete with data help with comprehension and serve as a reference aid; the quotes introducing each chapter are priceless. All in all a very useful book for students.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Dr.Marilyn J. Ross. She explained the reasons why African-American males tend to have a better chance at success in historically black colleges, and personally I believe that they do. They have a better chance of receiving academic help, encouragement, and assistance. Not only that there are more opportunities for learned networking through fraternal organizations, church organizations, and special interest groups.

I can honestly state that some of my strongest relationships and bonds where created while attending a historically black college. There I learned how to work hard, and become more aware as to what matters most . . . A sound faith, strong ties with my family, intense study, and community endeavors that support cultural awareness as a whole.

I read this book by Dr. Ross and she has explained why and how some African-American males succeed at historically black colleges. Dr. Ross researched the area of family and the importance of having a strong family base along with religon were highly significant to the findings of her study of why black males succeeded. Also Dr. Ross was able to perform a qualitative and quantitive analysis study to measure the results of her research to support her theory. I found this particular research interesting, because also these black males that were selected for the study were also mentored by a faculty member, administrative or staff member of the university. I would recommend this particular research to anyone who is looking to send their son or daughter to a historically black college or university. So often we debate in the African-American community should we or shouldn't we send our children to HBCUs or non-HBCUs and this particular book will be able good tool to help us make a researched base descision.

I am interested in performing the research that Dr. Ross has currently performed and hopefully one day I will get that opportunity.

What a relief that a book for first year law students (and others studying law as a component of their degrees) finally address ALL of the issues that we face. This book is fantastic. Great style, easy to read, totally authoritative. No first-year (and beyond) should be without it. It's perfectly laid out so that you can go to any part of it at any time for information and comments on a particular issue, rather than having to read the whole thing from the beginning.

The title says it all! The book is set out in a comprehensive and orderly manner and addresses all the 'where'; 'how'; 'when'; and 'why' in an endeavour to make the journey of achieving a law degree an enjoyable and certainly, a less stressful one.
This is an excellant reference book for law students, in particular first year law students.

I found the book to be interesting and valuable - an authentic account of the authors attempts to deal constructively with how race and racism affect teaching and learning. It is valuable for educators to read personal accounts of this nature. The reality of how racism affects educators (of color and whites) is often obscured in academic books and articles by intellectual analyses by neglecting the fact that people's emotions, beliefs, and attitudes deeply affect what goes on in classrooms and schools.

Taking it Personally represents an excellent contribution to readings and scholarship in the area of ethnic studies, education, and multiculturalism. The narrative style of the book makes it accessible and enjoyable reading. There is dramatic tension as the teachers juxtapose their experiences of teaching about racism in a university classroom, and discuss the heated emotions that arise for students in response to the course.

This book would make an excellent core text for courses in educational foundations or ethnic studies. It is very appropriate for use in teacher education programs.

Further, it is well-written and engaging for others interested more generally in education, racism, and social justice.

I have read this fine book and highly recommend it to ALL college students. Whether or not you know why you are there it can answer your questions about a year off and offer insight on how productive and riching a year can be. I'm contemplating my own year off and this book will be my bible in doing so. It offers a wide variety of activities one can do and has excellent references for those who would like to take time off. I recommend that you read this book and get a glimpse of how to live life.

Hall and Lieberhave successfully entered unchartered territory with their New York Times bestseller. While parents may scoff at the notion of their kids taking time off either before or during college, the experiences of students that Hall and Lieber chronicle suggest that valuable experience and new insight can be gained from a student sabbatical.

Hall and Lieber emphasize that students must have a mapped out plan about what they want to do and what they want to gain from their experience. Taking time off is not about bumming around. There is a intellectual component to this endeavor that parents may tend to dismiss. They shouldn't.

Finally, a book that challenges the idea that all people between the ages of 18-22 should go to immediately to college without entertaining the possibility of alternative experiences that would serve them better, at least temporariliy. There is no doubt that young men and women should obtain their college degrees, according to Hall and Lieber... the question simply is when.

KUDOS!!

If you just want to sit down and enjoy an easy, fun book to read, get this book. You can sit down at one reading and finish it, or pick it up and put it down a number of times and enjoy it.

The individuals who tell the stories are people who have lived Michigan football.

While the real Wolverine fan will love it, all college football fans will enjoy it.

These are the stories that were never in the newspaper..some things players or coaches didn't even know! The reader feels like he/she is sitting around with 50 Michigan football players and coaches listening to one story after another.. with the next story funnier or more "secret" than the last. The reader feels like they're reading the secret diaries or journals of people in Michigan football they've only seen on the field or on TV, or read about. Now each one is telling me something that no one else knew.

Thorough collection of detailed stories of the Gamecocks - not to be missed for any 'Cocks fan!
Makes us remember all the hot, steamy nights watching those Gamecocks play football...

This book is a must for Gamecock fans! Tom Price has used his years of experience as South Carolina's Sports Information Director to put together a collection of stories about the athletes, coaches, teams, and traditions that make a Gamecock proud. Everything from debunking the myth of the 'chicken curse' to how the Gamecock was chosen as the mascot.

The authors interviewed hundreds of college students whose high-school SAT math scores were at least 650 and who started their college careers in natural science, mathematics or engineering.

The interviewees were selected randomly for the authors by the participating colleges and universities, from a much larger pool of students whose academic profiles matched the authors' research design.

In accordance with this research design, approximately half of those interviewed had switched majors out of science-math-engineering (SME) programs by their senior years. The other half of those interviewed were still SME majors as seniors, and planned to graduate with a degree in natural science, mathematics or engineering.

Both groups of students voiced serious criticism of the deliberately competitive, grade on a curve, "overwhelm them and weed them out" approach that is widely used in teaching freshman and sophomore courses in SME-track curricula, particularly calculus, physics and organic chemistry.

The authors found it very difficult to predict which students had switched out of SME-track majors and which had stayed using any of the stay-vs-switch criteria commonly cited by SME faculty members, which include native ability, willingness to work hard, college grades, gender, ethnic background, and high-school preparation for college-level work in the sciences.

Rather, they found that the chief distinguishing characteristic of those who did not switch was the individuals' willingness to put up with the mental and emotional abuse heaped upon them by this "drinking from a fire hose" approach to instruction in their freshman and sophomore years.

These conclusions fit well with my own experiences at a major West Coast research university, as a white male undergraduate with a 750+ SAT verbal score and a 700+ SAT math score (without any special "prepare for the SAT" courses of any kind) who had graduated in the top 5% of my West Coast suburban high school class. I switched out of the SME track at the end of my sophomore year for several of the reasons cited in this book, and graduated two years later with a liberal arts degree in a field that had taught me to think critically, not memorize by blind repetition. Then I returned to the SME track later as a graduate student (no easy feat!) after I had had time to revisit the concepts thrown at me willy nilly in those first two years and see what they were good for. Today, I'm a registered professional engineer with an engineering master's degree, doing quite well in my field.

Based on this book's carefully assembled results and my own experience, I have avoided sending any of my children to my alma mater as freshmen or sophomores.

Instead, I have recommended that they do as my younger brother did. He did his freshman and sophomore work at a good community college, then transferred to a small state college with a very limited graduate program for his upper-division courses. Next he earned his master's degree at my alma mater, then went on to another nationally-ranked graduate program for his PhD. At each institution, he found himself in the group of students that enjoyed the focused attention of the faculty, and his SME learning experience was far, far superior to mine.

Read this book. Think about it carefully. Then plan your educational strategy to avoid being "weeded out" by SME faculty who don't want to admit that you exist until you have put up with two solid years of cheerful neglect and brutal abuse.

This book documents the tragic exit of great talents from the natural sciences that results when overdriven undergraduates lose sight of the fun and sense of wonder that are at the heart of the most successful scientific careers.

Making "Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun" (David and Judith Goodstein, 1996) and "Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar" part of the required reading list for all entering freshmen--and giving them the chance to discuss these books with lively professors who have managed to retain their own Feynmanesque senses of fun and wonder--would be a helpful antidote for this.