College and University Books

I've read "Getting What You Came For" and other highly recommended books out there about graduate school and academics, but this one is certainly the most up-to-date, detailed, and clearly focused on those who want a tenure-track job. Although this book is written for the humanities and I'm in a social science Ph.D. program I found it very helpful and it was easy to 'translate' to my field. If you know you want an academic career I highly recommend this engaging and well thought out book.

Finally! There's no better advice for graduate students in the humanities than what Prof. Colon Semenza offers in this incredibly detailed, thoroughly honest guide. I share other readers' regret that Graduate Study for the 21st Century wasn't available when I began graduate study in English. I've recommended this essential book to everyone I know in the humanities as well as the social sciences (where Colon Semenza's insights also apply in many respects).

It's about time this book was written. I wouldn't want to take a class with him, but his book is simply phenomenal.

This book was recommended to me by a well respected professor at my university. Because I am a fairly new graduate student who plans on getting a PhD in literature and teaching as a university professor, I figured it could only be helpful to give this book a serious perusal.
It is perhaps one of the smartest things I have done in informing myself about what lies ahead. There is a plethora of information offered to those who are automatically expected to know how to go about pursuing a tenure-track position in the humanities, but ultimately, do not.
This book covers everything from CVs to what, exactly, is expected from you in the way of teaching, research, and service. There is an extensive amount of material covering the importance of conferences etc. as well as a realistic lay out of what you can expect to be doing over the next decade of your life. The book can be intimidating, and downright scary, but serious scholars must understand that reality should always be preferable to a generous "sugar coating."
Perhaps what is most refreshing about this book is that it is laid out very simply...no bombastic and/or pedantic language! Nothing annoys me more than a scholar who tries to unload his entire lexicon in one page of information.
This book has proved to be invaluable to me and has given me a number of tools to help me further my career more quickly and efficiently.
Perhaps Semenza's best advice is this: "Do not pursue a PhD unless you are absolutely OBSESSED with your field"---with all that a person is expected to endure in his/her graduate program, this statement couldn't be more true.
So, if you have any questions concerning the proper path to take in beginning your career in academics/humanities, buy this book! It is worth every penny!

I am a tenured professor of English (coicidentally, my specialty is Semenza's -- early modern drama -- I should say, however, I don't know him). For several years now I have been running workshops on the job market, serving as my department's "placement director. This is easily the best book on the topic out there, an essential work for any graduate student in the humanities. When I read it I immediately disposed of stacks of photocopies (sample letters, etc.) and stopped preparing a rather lame powerpoint presentation. Now, I simply recommend (read:insist) students take a look at this book.

Clay di Palma has murder in mind,and he wants to murder Nick Fox,but Jessica has made a terrible mistake in meeting Clay Di Palma. she knows what Clay is capable of,and wants to keep Clay away from her boyfriend. Meanwhile,Tom has a terrible secret,and Elizabeth finds a box of condoms in Danny and Tom's room. She thinks it was Isabella and Danny,but when she asked,it wasn't Isabella and Danny. Tom and Dana had it,when they were already broken up. Isabella is in a coma,and her parents want to take her away from Danny as possible.Danny gets a pineapple pizza,to jog Isabella's memory,because Isabella has amnesia. She hates the look and smell of Pineapple pizza.

Nick and Jessica show their true colors in this book- and show how much they love each other. Nick is so sweet and romantic with Jess when they meet at a safe house. Be prepared for tears! This book and the next book 'Love Me Always' will make you totally feel for Jess. Elizabeth thinks Tom slept with Dana, which is obviously true, but personally it shouldn't matter that he did because if she slept with Todd, well, it's just not her business and 'sweet Lizzie' shouldn't be getting involved. Another couple, Danny and Isabella, are also going through a tough time. Poor Isabella and Danny. You know they love each other, so why the heck is the author already seperating them? Other then the Liz-Tom-Dana drama it should be full of laughs because Oakley Hall is being invaded by high school girls and they all seem to really like Winston- expecially Brenda and Denise starts to get a little jealous. This book is the best one of the whole SVU series! You won't be disappointed!

This book was soooo great! It was really emotional. Jessica Wakefield tells Nick Fox what she heard Clay Diplama say. So, Jess and Nick have an idea to testify to prove that Clay killed Steve Riveira. They have to pretend to be broken up for awhile, so Jess won't get hurt. More emotional things happen, and Nick tells Jessica that he's going to give her a bodyguard that will pose as her new boyfriend. Graham Stevens. Anyway, she's really sad, but then Graham arrages her and Nick to meet by his speacil house. So they reunite, and Nick and Jess get really intimate, it's so romantic. He preparesa hot tub, food, and everything. It's really, really sweet. They toast to their relationship lasting forever. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Wakefield is nervous abotu confronting her boyfriend, Tom Watts. After finding a condom package with seven missing, she ahs a feeling he used them on Dana. Meanwhile, Danny Wyatt feels bad abotu what he did to Isabella Ricci in her time of need, so he decides to visit her. Everett girls are in Oakley Hall, and there all after Winston Egbert. Denise Waters feels uncomfortable. Anyway, the parts with Nick and Jessica are really romantic, and sad. But the night they shared was so romantic and memorable. This book is great!

This book had to do with almost all of the couples odf SVU. I thought it was totally sad. THe jessica and Nick parts were just so emotional i love it. This is a great book to read :)

This book is very sad, full of emotions, from Tom and Liz, to Winston and Denise, to Jessica and Nick, and Isabella and Danny. This book makes you want to curl into bed and read all day long, so make sure you have a free day, because you won't want to put it down. This book is really good and heart touching! Be prepared for a few tears!

I could not put this book down. It is an engaging book. I read it for some background research on John Steinbeck and the Grapes of Wraths. If you have read Steinbeck's masterpiece you have to read Red Dirt. I think Roxanne's memoir completes the story of the Joads. The psyche of the "Okie" comes alive and the drive of Roxanne to break away and then come to terms with it is fascinating. I loved this book so much that I use it for the Ethnic studies classes that I teach. I believe that to understand different ethnic groups we all have to understand what makes White America tick. This book delivers a much-needed look at the class divide among white America and no matter how much the poor whites have been abused by their richer cousins they still stand by their side. Why? Because they are white. This was a great ride

if you like books about the old way of living,you will love this book. it brings back memories of my childhood...

...
The best of autobiographical works are those that convey, in the telling of one life story, larger truths than those we experience as individuals. To accomplish this feat with seeming effortlessness, as Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz has done with Red Dirt, is to create not only a valuable historical record, but a literary work that is a pleasure to read. Employing the finest storytelling skills, Dunbar-Ortiz lovingly recollects her youth in Oklahoma and the family dynamics she experienced "growing up Okie" during the mid-20th-century. In the process, she touches upon a host of social issues--among them racism, sexism, and economic disparity--that have plagued the U.S. since its earliest days. Perhaps most importantly, she offers one resounding voice from among a vast population--namely, the white underclass--that consistently has been underrepresented in historical texts, and misrepresented in popular culture. Exploding the notion of 'poor white trash,' Dunbar-Ortiz offers three-dimensional alternative as she reconstructs through her personal memoir the history and struggles of the frontier settler class and its descendants. As we move into the next century, Red Dirt is a text of vital significance to our collective humanity

I grew up in central Oklahoma and can identify with many of the themes Ms. Dunbar-Ortiz writes about in Red Dirt. I think anyone who is on a journey of self-discovery or is attempting to reconcile his or her past will enjoy this book as much as I did. I rarely read literature about Oklahoma that makes me proud to be an "Okie" - this book does just that.

This book was my introduction to Roxanne Dunbar Ortiz. I read it before I learned more about her and her career as an activist for the past 40 years. She reflects on her life from birth until her move to California. She grew up in rural Oklahoma during some of the worst years ever. These were the years that shaped her, the launching pad of her feminist, anti-family, pro-socialist, anti-war, ... efforts.

The reader can learn a good bit about the Socialist movement in Oklahoma in the early 1900's, the Green Corn Rebellion and the patriotic surge that accompanied World War I.

Roxanne's grandfather, one of the less 'disfunctional' family members was a Socialist and strongly pro-labor and imparted his views to her. She remembers him fondly. It appears that her abusive alcoholic mother influenced her ideas about the family and church. She had very little to say about her mother or father that is not negative. Considering these influences, the dire poverty of her early childhood, and her marriage 'up' the social ladder her views on things are not too surprising. Simple - yes, but undeniably true, at least in part. And that does not take away from her drive, talent and desire to make a positive change in the world.

You can learn more about Roxanne at her website, reddirt.com.

I think I will read Outlaw Woman, the next volume of her story.

Farrell & Morrow have created a rich, imaginary circus that puts all our preconceptions and interpretations of life (especially college) on stage. UPF turns many of the beliefs we live by mindlessly into elephant men, the fat lady, and half-cocked clarivoyant gypsies for us to ridicule and humiliate. Challenging topics as serious as racism, aneorexia, homosexuality or human disconnectedness is not easy but the book is brilliant in bringing them to the audience dressed in disguise, which makes us think differently about them.
My favorite aspect is the way they pull the blanket off of marketing schemes. Every transaction we make using the Dollar is riddled with business and capitalist strategies; paying tuition is no exception!

Farrell & Morrow have created a rich, imaginary circus that puts all our preconceptions and interpretations of life (especially college) on stage. UPF turns many of the beliefs we live by mindlessly into elephant men, the fat lady, and half-cocked clarivoyant gypsies for us to ridicule and humiliate. Challenging topics as serious as racism, aneorexia, homosexuality or human disconnectedness is not easy but the book is brilliant in bringing them to the audience dressed in disguise, which makes us think differently about them.
My favorite aspect is the way they pull the blanket off of marketing schemes. Every transaction we make using the Dollar is riddled with business and capitalist strategies; paying tuition is no exception!

Farrell & Morrow have created a rich, imaginary circus that puts all our preconceptions and interpretations of life (especially college) on stage. UPF turns many of the beliefs we live by mindlessly into elephant men, the fat lady, and half-cocked clarivoyant gypsies for us to ridicule and humiliate. Challenging topics as serious as racism, aneorexia, homosexuality or human disconnectedness is not easy but the book is brilliant in bringing them to the audience dressed in disguise, which makes us think differently about them.
My favorite aspect is the way they pull the blanket off of marketing schemes. Every transaction we make using the Dollar is riddled with business and capitalist strategies; paying tuition is no exception!

I heard about UPF from a friend's recommendation, and have to say this book is hilarious! It's sharp, biting, dark, and laugh-out-loud funny. My friends and I read sections out loud to one another and it is such a great time. The authors manage to lampoon so many aspects of college life and American culture and they are SO right on about their observations. It's easy to read and can be read in any order since it's all written in short sections; the scholarships and clubs are my favorite and there are 100s of them. Really, I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. Very unique new idea.

Anyone who has attended college or looked at a college catalog will laugh out loud as they browse through the course catalog for the "University of Psychogenic Fugue". A totally fictitious university the satirical catalog includes a history of the college, course listings and descriptions, clubs, awards, crime statistics, admissions information and everything else that you would expect in a real college catalog.

A good example of the strength of the satirical style would be the Hysterical Blindness Award. A student scholarship, it is awarded to two students who "simply convince themselves that the world doesn't have any problems. Award is very similar to how the United States of America refuses to officially recognize the nuclear capabilities of countries it doesn't like." Or perhaps a little information on one of the clubs would be a better illustration. How about the Future Corporate Raiders of America? They "conduct hostile take-overs of other campus groups, fire all the old members and sell their club equipment back to the University. Predatory instinct and lack of humanity required."

A thoroughly enjoyable read it is highly recommended for those that enjoy satire and parody. Pick up a copy today and have a good laugh at a course catalog for real life.

It has been said there are three approaches to dealing with mistakes: Dumb people make mistakes and do not learn from their mistakes; smart people learn from their mistakes, and really smart people learn from the mistakes of others.

Dr. Deryl Leaming provides that third approach in a way. This is not to say he made mistakes in his many years as a college administrator, but his excellent book does provide the reader the opportunity to learn from his significant experience.

He has been there, done that, so to speak, when it comes to leadership in heading a program.

His latest work deals with all the key aspects of being a university department chairperson -- legal issues, faculty matters from hiring effective faculty to dealing with faculty problems, and student matters.

Through the tips in his book he provides experience-based advice that can be of significant benefit to the new or even veteran department head.
He has been a university professor, department chairperson, director of a school of journalism and dean of liberal arts. The reader of this second edition of his academic leadership book can learn from his experience to avoid mistakes in leading a department.

He covers a great deal of advice on procedures, including a number of forms that will be useful.

This second edition is a good read and provides practical advice, particularly for the new department chairperson.

REVIEWER: Ralph J. Turner, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Marshall University
lph J. Turner, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Marshall University

This second edition of Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department is an extraordinarily comprehensive treatment of ways to address the variety of challenges facing department chairpersons in institutions from all types and sectors of higher education. The author, Deryl Leaming, provides an inviting and accessible style of writing that joins abundant references from relevant authorities with occasional episodes from his personal experience of several decades as chair and dean at some four different institutions. The result is a preeminently practical primer that will give new department chairs a valuable roadmap to success in a notoriously difficult position. It is excellent reading for those contemplating serving as a department chairperson or other academic leader. The volume is so comprehensive that even experienced chairpersons will find the book to provide a helpful review of ways to meet their responsibilities and challenges.

This new volume is almost twice as long as its predecessor, offering an expanded treatment of issues raised in the first edition and reflecting more emphasis upon the complexities of today's financial realities. Major sections deal with common concerns about leadership, handling matters of department vision and management, addressing legal issues, contending with a large variety of faculty and student matters, as well as attending to one's own career. The 30 chapters are compact and quite accessible. All are useful and contain lists of web and print resources. I particularly appreciated the units on sexual harassment and the implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the one on dealing with chronic low achievers. Some 17 appendices provide helpful examples of different policy guidelines and methods of communication.

Anker Publishing has a large variety of often-expensive volumes for academic leaders. Some overlap and others lack originality or comprehensiveness. By contrast, this is a stand-out value that will set a standard for some time to come.

Dr. Leaming is truely a gifted writer and instructor. He has given more to his students than some are capable of comprehending. The books he has written and his experiences throughout his life make him a special gift to all who read his work or get to know him. He is an extremely precious gift to his students. He goes out of his way to encourage and teach his students. He makes sure his students are preparing for life within their current level,but more importantly,for their future endeavors. A gifted person who only wants to share what he knows in the hopes of helping others.

I wish the dean had given me this book a year ago. It would have made my life much easier. The book is easy to read and has solid ideas on how to be a more effective chairperson.

If only I could get some of the administrators of my university to read the book!

I am not only new to academic leadership, but I am new to this country. Deryl Leaming's book has served as an enlightening guide for me, and has helped me earn the assistance and respect of my faculty. This book is among the best investments I have made in my academic career. Thank you.

This is a book that pinpoints specific issues in Higher Education and how to handle them properly as an administrator.

Each chapter of this book discusses a particular difficult issue in higher education administration. Examples include specific "hot-shot" faculty asking for unfair favors, the handling of controversial issues between faculty members and students, negotiation for shared resources across departments, and handling adult bullies, etc. Each chapter begins with a mini-case to illustrate the difficult problem involved. Then it discusses the related issues and how to handle every detail. At the end of each chapter, it presents the solution for the mini-case.

Reading this book enhanced my understanding of academic issues from an administrator's point of view. I had always thought that managing a higher education institution was less challenging than managing a Fortune-500 company. On the surface, it seemed that everything would just go by the book. Now I know that, it is far more complex than going by the book, though knowing "the book" is crucial. Being a college administrator has its own set of challenges: managing faculty members who do not want to be managed. Due to the employment structure (with tenured faculty, faculty who can bring in a vast amount of resources: publication and research grants, etc.), it is not entirely a direct command-and-control situation. In addition, since a university environment is quite decentralized, there are a lot of complicated interpersonal power issues among faculty, graduate assistants, and students. According to the author, one leverage administrators should use is the established mission and goals of the university. If someone's behavior or performance is against these established statements, this would be a valid means for handling the issues properly.

I think that, explicitly communicating the mission, goals, policies, and expected proper professional behavior to all new employees and new students in detail and in writing ahead of time is equally important. This way, at least every party would have the proper information before problems happen. In addition, this book also implicitly tells job seekers what to look for when applying for an administrative position in Higher Education. To me, it is well-articulated mission and goals, as well as well-established policies that are fair to all parties.

Overall, this book shows that the author is knowledgeable and familiar with the subject matter. It should be very helpful to higher education administrators or administrators-to-be.

Gunsalus' work is a realistic and credible portrayal of office politics in higher education. Written primarily for the new administrator who comes out of the ranks of the faculty at a university, the guiding principles are useful for anyone in a higher education mangement role. Gunsalus focuses on topics related to interpersonal relationships, legal issues, academic freedom, and related challenges in the academic workplace. This is a useful, relevant resource for the newcomer to college and university administration.

I've attended a number of chair and dean conferences and read the literature, but this is tops for practical and political advice. It has relevant case studies (a la Harvard Business Review) that are derived from real time war stories.

If you're in a difficult situation or need an outside perspective, this book will help you sort it out, and keep you entertained as well.
For more on my work; see,
New Playwriting Strategies: A Language-Based Approach to Playwriting (A Theatre Arts Book)

Just bought several copies to distribute to my former Ph.D. students, now professor themselves, and my current grad students. Experienced administrators will ask "where was this book x years ago?" and everyone else will benefit now and in the future.

Survival Guide deals with the human relations complexities administrators like deans and department heads face in higher education, especially in big public universities like the author's own University of Illinois. Much of its advice can be summed up in (a) be aware that administration is a *role* (actually, a number of them) that must be *played* in an appropriate way, (b) when problems of certain sticky kinds come up, consult with the people at your institution who are paid specifically to worry about those kinds of problems, (c) know and observe the rules governing what you do and be careful to document your actions accordingly - "Process is your friend".

But this dry précis sells the book way short. Its notable strengths include:
* A rich lode of cases taken from the author's own experience and gleanings from years of consulting on other campuses. Anyone who has ever spent time as faculty or staff at a university will find much to interest them here.
* An analysis of the various kinds of problems likely to come up, together with clear guidelines for dealing with them, distilled from her deep experience and reflection.
* A natural and easy delivery that makes the book engaging and easy to read, and a consistently-maintained clarity that makes it easy to understand. I worry just a bit that some academic readers will conclude that any book so easy to understand must not be saying much. (Wrong!)
* A shining authenticity that has to appeal to every person of good will. The book is a potent manual of practical idealism dedicated to "leav[ing] the institution better than you found it".

Here are some extracts from the Introduction:

"One of the most puzzling aspects of higher education is that its front-line leaders are almost always selected for qualities other than an ability to run complex organizations. ...yet...universities are among the most complicated organizations around... For most academics, the people problems are the most difficult aspect of serving in an administrative position... There are conceptual tools and practical skills that can help academic administrators successfully handle personnel problems, and these skills can be both taught and learned... Most serious problems can be prevented, and should be... As teachers and parents know, helping people grow and develop new skills can be among life's most rewarding activities..." (p1-9)

I cannot imagine a better laying out of the ground.

A special strength of the book is its use of the "war story" cases. Each chapter is anchored to a realistic situational problem, and Chapter 6 in particular provides numerous experience-derived illustrations.

The author's hand on the elephant is that of an attorney, and that fact shows up in the frequent references to lawsuits and litigation. This feels oppressive, but since a lawsuit can be as bad as a fire, it is no doubt justified. The problem is not with the book but with our situation in society, and the informed cautions the book provides may be among its more valuable contributions.

In the Bullies chapter {as elsewhere) the author displays gentle persistence in bucking up the reader's resolution in the face of the challenging problems she presents. It is so tempting to "pass by on the other side" so long as one can get away with it! "If not you, who?" says it just right, reassuring the reader that administrator effectiveness is both possible and indispensable. The author's lays out in a natural but compelling way the destructive longterm effects of inaction.

A basic thing I treasure about this book is the thoroughgoing way it does NOT imply a title like, Administration - Your Gateway to Prestige and Power. Instead, it shows how there is satisfaction to be found in enabling the higher education organism to function in a healthy way, that the role is worthy of a reader's dedication to it, and that chances are s/he will be able to rise to the occasion. The view is sometimes heard in academia that administration is intrinsically despicable or at best a distraction from more important things. One of the reasons I think it would be good if this book were read by everybody in higher education is that it provides a powerful corrective to that corrosive prejudice.

Does the book have defects? Sure. I disagreed in a couple cases with the author's suggested resolution of illustrative problems situations. There is one(!) short passage that I found clumsy and obscure, one where a problem situation seemed improbable, one where I understood her advice but could not see how it would be executed. But these are all tiny warts, not consequential enough to discuss further.

A possible deficiency is the lack of examination of the question of a candidate's talent for administrative work. (The text proper begins (p11), "When you take on an administrative role...") It would be helpful if, say, an appendix could discuss the traits and predispositions that augur well or badly for a prospective administrator. This could help both selection committee and candidate, but especially a candidate. "Am I equipped to ride this horse? Do I want to?"

Facts are facts, and the author everywhere states them, whatever they are, in an almost startlingly unaffected way. "Wise as serpents, innocent as doves" is a phrase that comes to mind. She frequently references her guidelines back to the common wisdom lore of our culture. This is not the way academics, always striving to establish originality, usually behave. Her own contribution is the outstanding conception, organization, and presentation of the material. The delivery is so clear and natural that it would be easy for a reader to take much of the message for granted.

Chapter 8 is a wonderful close to a wonderful book. The discussion of the need to display a range of different personas, often to the same people over fairly short spans of time, I found especially strong and useful. These are things that a few gifted people might "know" by instinct, but that more ordinary persons might go through a whole career without entirely figuring out.

Finally, I love the concluding paragraph. It epitomizes the attitude of unaffected practical idealism that is so evident throughout the book, ending, "...step back every now and then to relish the excitement and the small victories."

Surely every newbie administrator should have this book. My own view is that it should be read by every academic, administrator or not. All would profit by an understanding of the crucial role of administration, its demands, and its rewards. If everyone involved understood how administration really *should* be done, maybe it would get done that way more than it currently does.

I hate the term `Packaging Yourself' that is on the cover, but besides that I think this is a well written and important book. We are all different; how we discover what makes us unique and how we express that to a college is an important part of the application process.

The 2004 movie Spanglish, starring Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Cloris Leachman and Paz Vega, starts with a scene in a college admissions office. Admissions officers sit around a table going through applications. Uninspired to continue reading after looking at a sentence or two, one officer puts down the essay in her hands and moves to the next one. She does this a couple of times till she reaches an essay with a unique beginning. The applicant writes about the most influential person in her life -- her mother, a Mexican immigrant who works as a housekeeper. The officer is enticed enough to continue reading. She's hooked.

THE COLLEGE HOOK is a book I wish I had available to me when I prepared for college admissions in my high school days. It's definitely a valuable guide for those applying to college.

In order to increase your chances of admission to the college of your choice, college consultant Pam Proctor designed the book to help you learn how to define your special achievements - your hook - (even if you think you don't have any). After that, she teaches you how to package that information (your college application) and sell yourself (your interview) during the college application process.

Pam Proctor provides all types of tips to help the college applicant - inspiring anecdotes of students' experiences, clear sample essays, letters and selected references and more. THE COLLEGE HOOK is worth its price to learn how to stand out as a college applicant.

Fafa Demasio

Gaining admittance into the college of your choice is no easy task. With THE COLLEGE HOOK, written by Pam Proctor, the president of College Application Consultants, Inc., I have to say that your odds are greatly improved!

The book is broken down into four main parts: Discovering Your Hook, The Top Ten College Hooks, Packaging Your Hook, and Selling Your Hook. Each main category is then broken down into smaller, more-manageable sections, such as Hooks That Worked, The Resume Power Play, and Acing the Interview.

I know you're asking yourself: "What in the world, exactly, is the college hook?" According to Ms. Proctor, it's pretty simple: it's "that one special interest that will cause admissions officials to salivate over an application and significantly increase the odds of getting into a favorite college."

Basically, colleges are looking for that unique "something" that makes you you - that "something" that will make their college a better college, and will make them sorry if they don't accept you! But to find your hook, you have to find the strengths and weaknesses in yourself, and that's not always an easy task. But THE COLLEGE HOOK stresses the importance of doing just that, and The Top Ten College Hooks (including Athletic, International, Music, Political, Technology, Humanitarian, Science, Writing, Drama, and Multicultural) go a long way in helping you figure out your personal hook before you begin the college admissions process.

This is a must-read for teens getting ready to begin sending out those college applications. From writing an interesting, professional resume to acing your admissions interview, everything about the application process is covered.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Finally a college admission aid that succinctly defines it! Easy to use,well organized,and timely. As a father having faced college admission with three kids and facing it with a fourth the information is a god-send.The format and style will even encourage your kid's participation. Jim . Georgia.

This is, without a doubt, a well-crafted book, well-organized, well-written, full of lots of practical and useful tips. There's a couple of aspects of it, however, that detract considerably from its usefulness in my situation.

The first one is major: the anecdotes she relates, which are meant to be inspiring, are in my view actually discouraging to the teens who might read this book. Example? The girl who just couldn't figure out her "hook", then thought back, and it suddenly struck her, oh YEAH, that's right, I was a Broadway star in 9th grade, praised in reviews in the New York Times, featured on the cast album in two solos, etc. I mean, come on. My daughter, who is a top student with great test scores and great extracurriculars, is freaking out that she might not get into Yale because "everyone who gets in is a published novelist or something." The examples in this book perpetuate that myth, and make it seem like only those sorts of people will stand a chance. I bought this book for her, but luckily read it first, and now I'm not going to give it to her to read, because it will just exacerbate her concerns.

Secondly, I'd assumed that the book was focused on the college application process, which it sort of is, but much of the germane advice (good tips all) pertains to the student's whole high school career, and what they can do to position themselves. This is a book for parents of such kids, who can help encourage and enable activities and events that will help once the senior year application process begins.

This well-written book has added facts to my fears about the impact of an exaggerated emphasis on football. At some institutions it has had a negative impact on education of college students. It is definitely worth reading if you are afraid it could be happening at your alma mater.

Dowling, a Rutgers English professor, argues that commercialized division 1a athletics negatively effect the intellectual rigor and atmosphere of the colleges and universities that are involved in them.

In the book, Dowling states that he has witnessed the following in his 20+ years at Rutgers:
1) much larger classes
2) an explosion in the cost of tuition
3) classrooms in an ever-increasing state of disrepair
4) decreasing morale among the faculty
5) the elimination of a number of non-revenue sports, including men's swimming and the crew teams
6) at least 100 million dollars spent on the football and basketball teams (scholarships, coaches, perks, facilities, etc...)

Dowling inspired a number of undergraduate students to create Rutgers1000 in the early 1990's. The goal of Rutgers1000 was to remove Rutgers from division 1a sports and to make Rutgers a non-athletic scholarship university. While the students, faculty and alumni all had branches of Rutgers1000, Dowling focuses on the student and alumni groups in his book.

Dowling details some of Rutgers1000's explanations that are listed on their website in his chapter "Warriors on the Web":
1)most Div 1a football teams lose money - the few programs that make money put the money right back into the football program
2)there is a big difference between exposure (Miami, Nebraska) and reputation (Berkeley, Harvard) - big-time athletics result in exposure, not reputation
3)if Freshmen go to a school because of a final four or bowl game appearance, these are not the kind of students that a college or university wants
4)Michigan is one of the few examples of a good academic school that also has a good Div 1a sports program - supporters of big time athletics often cite Michigan; this is false logic, as Michigan is an exception rather than the norm

Dowling details a number of scandals that have rocked colleges and universities over the last 30 years. He explains that there is a common pattern in the way they are usually handled:
1)college officials express shock
2)an investigative committee is established
3)there is a protest that the scandal does not truly represent the university
4)there is an announcement that "nothing like this will ever happen again"

This timely and riveting book beautifully describes what happens when big-time college sports, in this case football, take precedent over the quality of education at an Eastern university (Rutgers). The author, a professor of English at Rutgers, describes the valiant student-led effort to return college sports at Rutgers to the era when football players were indeed student athletes (emphasis on student) and the opponents were Princeton, and the rest of the Ivy League, Bucknell, Colgate and other private eastern schools with colonial roots. He describes how funds are stripped from non-revenue sports (crew, fencing) to build "professional" sports facilities for the football team at the expense of resources for the non-athetlic student body. The role of the New Jersey legislature, the Rutgers Admmissions office and the Rutger's Board in enabling the diminution of the intellectual quality of a great university for a few apearances on ESPN is especially sad

To put my cards on the table at the first opportunity: I have recently retired from Rutgers, New Brunswick after 37 years on the Math faculty. For several years, I worked with Bill Dowling and the Rutgers 1000 to try to find a way of diverting the university from the cesspool that is big-time Div 1-A football. I am mentioned in the book in one or two places.

That said, I have to say that I don't miss teaching very much and that the atmosphere created by the dominant jockocracy, especially now that the "program" is a "winner", is an important factor in my indifference. Div 1A football is pure poison when one longs for an atmosphere where serious students predominate and their genuine intllectual curiosity flourishes. I have had such students, of course, and met quite a few of them in the defunct Honors Program, which Dowling accurately describes. These days, they seem like remnants of a doomed race.

Note that it's not jocks, as such, who now flourish in New Brunswick? The best and brightest of them--those who participate in the "non-revenue" sports as free individuals motivated only by their enthusiasm--have, in most cases, been victims of a wholesale purge (unreported in Dowling's book, alas, though it is the saddest and most ironic aspect of the moral rot that concerns him). Fencing, Crew, and Men's Tennis and Swimming have vanished without a trace, despite intense lobbying from outraged parents and alumni and universal bewilderment among undergrads. Why? The pretext is that they are "too expensive". But this happens as more and more cash is poured into a bloated and self-indulgent football program, in the form of luxury accommodations to entice recruits and astronomical pay-scales for coaches and administrators. If you need further reasons, such wholesale aboliton of varsity teams is a cheap and cynical way of "satisfying" Title IX requirements, so that there is no legal obstacle to providing the football team with all the cannon fodder it claims to need.

Likewise, the roster of listed courses continues to decline across the board, especially the small specialized courses that give undergrads access to serious scholarship and research as opposed to once-over-lightly survey courses. The physical plant is ill-maintained. Even the newest buildings, poorly designed to begin with, are allowed to decay in short order. The Banks of the Old Raritan are now tilted so that all the loose cash flows directly into the football program's coffers, with a bit diverted to basketball. The univeristy boasts of the academic success rates of its "student athletes"; funnny thing, though: I've never seen one in any of my classes and I strongly suspect that that if transcripts were on the public record, there would be little sign of anything that deserves to be called higher education.

Alas, the same is true of all too many ordinary students. The student culture has simply plunged into "party school" mode, which is why, as a previous evaluator notes, its a pretty rag-tag bunch, academically, despite the continued presence of a first class faculty. [By the way, to address another point brought up in the previous post, the reason Rutgers outranks such schools as Nebraska is purely a matter of faculty quality; there are still departments at the school that outshine anything in the Ivies. My own department has been consistently listed among the top 15 or so for decades (from a research point of view, of course).] But even the most loyal faculty get pretty disgusted at seeing some lunkhead of a football coach who is making ten times what they are (salary alone, excluding all the little side-deals that fill a coach's pockets when his minions do what they're supposed to and knock their brains out to get a bowl invitation without ever seeing serious money themselves). I know of a few cases where top scholars have gone on to other venues after long Rutgers careers, and I don't think the jockocracy can be let off the hook.

I think Dowling leaves some other factors in the decline of Rutgers (and universities in general) unvisited, since his focus is exclusively on the depradations of the Div 1A program. The snottiness, cynicism, and off-the-shelf nihilism of what may be called the postmodern turn in the humanities convinced many students that their teachers were self-indulgent and out of touch, blind to their own gullibility. So, too, the heavy emphasis on "identity politics" and all the machinery of mandatory righteousness (usually called "political correctness") that came with the package. Academic quirkiness of this kind drove off far more students than it recruited, so far as the life of the mind is concerned.

Equal blame goes to the ethos of pure utilitarianism that colonized much of the academic world utterly indifferent to the vapors of postmodernism. Too many programs and departments, along with their students, came to view their function as credentializing bureaucrats, technocrats, and corporate functionaries, without any concern for deeper cultural values unconcerned with the generation of high incomes and vocational perks.

But, still, there is something about the omniverous football culture that dwarfs everything else in determining the ethics and values that are commonly understood to characterize a campus. If you have a big-time program, you know damned well that sooner or later some high-ranking administrator is going to be caught cheating and lying on a grand scale, and that it will be the chief goal of the top dogs to paper the whole busines over and get back to business as usual. Meanwhile, the program will pass tons of meat on the hoof through the system every year, chewing most of it up past the point of usefulness, and sending the poor kids who signed up for football glory out into the world with no real education and a host of joint problems that will grow worse over the years.

As Dowling points out, the people responsible for this meltdown at Rutgers were for the most part local businessmen and politicians for whom access to a skybox at the stadium of a ranked team is the summum bonum of existence. President Bloustein, who might have known better, wasn't able to hold them off (I think Dowling treats Bloustein too generously, by the way). Presidents Lawrence and McCormick were in their pocket from the getgo. How a decent academic, like McCormick, decays into that forlorn state, I do not know. It's the American version of "Die Blaue Engel", I suppose.

In any case, Dowling has said what needed to be said. The jock-sniffers will howl, either because they are emotional cripples, or because they are cynical parasites who thrive on the crumbs that are dropped from the table of big-time NCAA sports. To hell with them.

Ever since it joined the Big East football conference under former president Francis Lawrence, Rutgers' rankings and admission standards have moved downwards. William Dowling here describes the battles of the Rutgers 1000 group (to which he belonged) against the corruption and cynicism of 'big time' athletics at Rutgers, and details the harm done by 'booster culture' to the intellectual and academic tradititons of America's 8th-oldest university.

For those who believe that universities exist primarily for the transmission of knowledge and free intellectual enquiry, this is not a pretty story. It details how, under a weak president chosen by a board of govenors concerned foremost with 'making it big' in sports, Rutgers withdrew from over a century of competition with schools like Princeton and Cornell and modelled its sports program on institutions like Virginia Tech and Miami. The consequences - including the flight of many of the brightest students, and a run down, crowded, shabby campus offset against the first-class athletic facilities provided for 'student athletes' are well documented in the book.

As a Rutgers student, it angers me that my university has thrown away at least $150 million over the past 15 years on football alone - money that could otherwise have gone into scholarships, new buildings, and facilities for ALL students. In these days of hype and hooplah over a 'winning' football program at Rutgers, it is worth remembering the price Rutgers has paid and continues to pay for such 'success'. I salute Professor Dowling for detailing the numerous reasons why many of us at Rutgers view div 1A football as an expensive sham that does far more harm than good to this great university.

Much fun to be found in this book, along with fascinating pictures and captions. Great work, men!

What a wonderful pictorial history of Georgetown University. As part of The College History Series, "Georgetown University" chronicles the school's evolution into one of the most prestigious universities in the US. The authors provide pictures and documents dating back to the founding days of the "Academy at George Town." As a former resident of the DC area, I never appreciated the colorful history, nor the importance of the institution until this book. I think it would be a treasured gift for any student of Georgetown University -- past, present or future!

This book truly captures the essence of what makes Georgetown such a special place. The images offer a fascinating glimpse of a school that grew with our nation, and the captions are succinct and insightful. Certainly an interesting read for any history buff, but a must-have for anyone with ties to the university.

I gave this book to a friend who graduated from Georgetown and she absolutely loved it! Before wrapping the book, as a Hoya myself, I couldn't help but read it from cover to cover. (If the author reads this, don't worry, I went out and bought my own copy!) The authors have done a thorough job of researching the history of Georgetown and have included amazing/intersting pictures & facts about the university. Any incoming student, alumni, Washingtonian, or person generally interested in college history, will appreciate this book for years to come.

What a wonderful pictorial history of Georgetown University. As part of The College History Series, "Georgetown University" chronicle's the evolution of one of the most prestigious universities in the US. The authors have provided readers with pictures and documents dating back to the founding days of the "Academy at George Town." As a former resident of the DC area, I never fully appreciated the colorful history, nor the significance of this distinguished institution before this book. I think this would be a treasured gift for any Georgetown University student -- past, present, or future!

jessica thinks her new guy is perfect. he says he loves he's grgeous and popular but he may want more than jessica is willing to give, when jessica is in trouble with will Elizabeth save her.

The main reason why I enjoy the University series so much, is because it seems to allow the development of serious issues such as racism, date rape, sex, and so on. This particular book explores the notion of date rape and is developed particularly well with Jessica falling for handsome and athletic James Montegomery, a guy who seems too good to be true. Unfortunately, it seems that James is a guy with a few skeletons in his closet and it's up to Elizabeth to reveal the truth to Jessica before it's too late.

It was great but it was a little to nerve racking. I couldn't put it down I even got in trouble for reading it to much in class.

It is a really good book and deals with some really importantissues, such as date rape, and the right to say no. I think that it'sbetter for older readers, 15-18 or less, depending on how mature you are. I can't really put what I want to say in words, but it is really important to me besides a good read. It helps remind me about my right to say "no" to sex.

Jessica[freshly divorced] from Mike,meets James Montgomery,a football star,He's sweet,smart and best of all,he adores her,but looks can be decieving. One night at The Valley Inn,he drinks too many brandies,Jessica said she didn't want one,when James offered her one. He almost rapes her on a date. Lila Fowler and Bruce Patman are still stranded in the woods after a plane crash,and they learn to cope with each other.