College and University Books

Great guide. Now they need to inform the reader that the best kept secret in American colleges is West Point. Did you know that, even though West Point is all FULL scholarships and even though it ranks with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton in all-time Rhodes Scholarships, everyone who really wants to get in has a good chance of it? Here's some free advice. Before you do anything else, find out what West Point is all about. Get a hold of the book "West Point: Character Leadership Education" by Norman Thomas Remick.

This book has it all.From freshman to senior year of high school,it shows you how to prepare your strenghs(academic,social,sports) to have a good chance of getting into your favorite college.It helps you discover which collage is best for you. Taking you step-by-step through the application process,it gives you sound advice and valuable hints for covering all those college-application bases.A life-saver!

It should come as no surprise to anyone that there is an uneasy tension between the academy and institutional religion, but it is perhaps surprising to find that even in church-based or -sponsored colleges and universities, there is still a conflict going on, not just with the institutions, but the very ideas that underpin both communities. Using the biblical theme that 'no one can serve two masters', co-editor John Wright sets the stage with his essay asking, 'How Many Masters?' Once upon a time, the college, as a finishing school of all sorts for people (and, in many ways, it still is), would be seen not only as a place for content/curriculum-based education, but would instill a way of life. However, modern institutions of higher education (Wright cites Princeton as but one example) now claim to not be in the 'moral-character building business'.

At the foundation, the university is a liberal (not to be confused with modern political 'liberal') institution, formed to be supportive of Enlightenment ideas, political and religious freedom. However, this sets the stages for a tension if not outright conflict. The church, on the other hand, sells itself short sometimes. According to Wright, 'the church comprises a genuine multinational, multiethnic, multilingual polity.' These are things the modern academy prizes highly. Wright makes the argument for a shift - from being church-related and liberally based to being liberally-related and ecclesially based.

This introduction sets the stage for further commentators to address questions in four main categories:

* Liberal Democratic Objections to the Ecclesially Based University and a Christian Response
* The Curriculum of an Ecclesially Based University
* Formation and the Ecclesially Based University within a Liberal Democratic Society
* The Witness of a Church-Related University within a Liberal Democratic Society.

Within the first category, authors William Cavanaugh, Barry Harvey, Amy Laura Hall and Elizabeth Newman explore particular items dealing with issues of academic freedom, the use and abuse of reason, particular 'hot-button' topics (in this case, Women's Studies), and the idea of being a welcoming institution while maintaining institutional integrity. There will be much that stimulates discussion here - the ideas tap into the root of many ongoing discussions in academia, particularly those with a church affiliation. To what extent can institutions ask for professors to sign statements of belief and practice or seek official imprimatur and still claim to be open in terms of academic freedom? This is but one question addressed; the essays here are worthwhile contributions to these discussions.

The second section looks more specifically at curriculum issues. There are two essays that deal with the sciences, one of the primary areas of contention in the popular concept of academy/religious debate. These essays by Therese Lysaught and Jonathan Wilson tap into earlier ideas of academic freedom, and neither come to a definitive conclusion; Wilson admits that he hasn't tried to do this, but rather provide elements for consideration of such a conversation. Scott Moore, Robert Brimlow, and Stephen Fowl look at issues in the humanities, education, and the role of the bible in the ecclesially-based curriculum.

The next section, with contributions by Michael Cartwright and Wes Avram, look at issues of vocation and occupation in the academic community. Even within the church-related institution, students are frequently not encouraged (sometimes actively discouraged) from seeking vocation in the church, and from seeing their vocation as faithful members of the Christian community as something that plays out in whatever career or occupation they choose. Cartwright highlights the distorted way in which Christian institutions (Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox) have cast the idea of vocation, and explores vocational images and issues in literature and church teachings. He brings a contrast between Elton Trueblood in the 1950s and Os Guinness almost fifty years later, particularly with the way in which the idea of the call of the laity has become confused and distorted. Avram looks at similar issues in the role of chaplains, both in church-related/church-founded institutions as well as secular universities, and how the expectations of chaplains, both for themselves and on them from the administration and communities have changed.

In the final section, authors John Milbank and Michael Buddle look at theological issues and how the ecclesially-based institution might impact the wider society. Milbank argues (in his essay dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams) for a return, in certain respects, to a concept of theology prior to 1300, where there was no sharp division between scripture, tradition and reason as is viewed today. This cannot be a simple return, as Milbank concedes, but must take into account history, culture and development after this time. This may be the most controversial essay in the collection, even for the other contributors and those who find the idea of ecclesially-based universities appealing. Buddle looks at the effect of the thought-exercise of EBU (as he terms it) on civic formation, education at all levels, and the controversies it might raise, both on the right and the left.

This is an interesting text, in many ways a plan that will never come about, but is useful as a sort of academic Platonic form against which our own institutions can be measured. Particular pieces of advice and warning can be incorporated into current academic structures.

This is worthwhile reading for those interested in the intersection of church and academy in the current North American environment, and how things may change, both for better or worse, in the coming generation.

A personal account of Professor Derrick Bell's protest of Harvard Law School's refusal to offer tenure to a woman of color. Bell, the first Black tenured Professor at Harvard Law, made it clear from the beginning that he did not wish to be a token member of the faculty. Professor Bell took a leave of absence in protest after years of waiting for the Harvard faculty hiring committee to offer tenure to a women of color. An insightful, retrospective look at each decision Bell made, the effects his choices had on many of the players, and the invaluable lessons he learned from the experience. This book is a must for anyone who desires to continue the struggle for equality and social justice. Essential for activists and organizers.

This readable and practical book addresses the problem of sexual harassment in educational institutions from multiple approaches. Author Judith Berman Brandenburg weaves together psychological, ethical, legal, sociological, and educational themes. Having held administrative positions at Yale University and Teachers College, Columbia University, she has thought long, hard, and sensibly about solving sexual harassment problems. The book covers the development of campus harassment policies and procedures, identifying three issues as particularly thorny. These are: reconciling a complainant's request for confidentiality with the institution's need to take action; retaining records of informal, unsubstantiated complaints that may document patterns of repeat offenders; and the tension between due process and collegial mediation. The book includes an excellent chapter on educational programs to combat harassment. Particular attention is devoted to off-campus programs such as clinical placements for students and field trips. It's the best book I've found on harassment. An added bonus is its successful blend of ideas suitable for higher education and primary and secondary schools. I highly recommend it for anyone in American education who cares about sexual harassment.

Contending With Modernity by Philip Gleason, of Notre Dame University. Book is subtitled, "Catholic Higher Education in the Twentieth Century." At the outset, Professor Gleason notes that the historiography of Catholic Higher Education is severely limited. I bought Prof. Gleason's book (from Amazon.com, by the way) since there were so very few books dealing with the history of Catholic colleges and universities in the United States. And I needed references for my MA thesis on Catholic colleges. By writing a history of Catholic higher education, from 1900 to 1995, Dr. Gleason has expanded the field. In covering this time period, the author has chosen to emphasize the struggles of Catholic colleges and universities to deal with modern ideas. These struggles were exacerbated by the suspicion within the Catholic Church raised by "Americanism" a name given to the modern forces which presented grave dangers to the Faith and identified, rightly or wrongly, with the American church. Gleason spends the first part of his book showing how that mis-identification affected American Catholic schools up until about the end of World War II; he then brings in various other historical events and figures, including the work of Dorothy Day, Fr. Curran at The Catholic University of America and, towards the end of the book, the charge of anti-intellectualism lodged by Msgr. John Tracy Ellis. Philip Gleason, however, does not raise the counter-charge by Rev. Andrew M. Greeley, the noted fiction writer and sociologist, who has found Catholic schools be just about as intellectual or anti-intellectual as other colleges and universities in the United States. In the last few pages, Prof. Gleason missed a grand opportunity to explore in greater detail the potential impact of "Ex Corde Ecclesiae", the August 1990 Constitutional Document of Pope John Paul II, on modern Catholic higher education. Some features of this document, such as the requirement for an Oath of Fidelity, have been fought on the grounds of academic freedom and autonomy for the Catholic colleges and universities (particularly by some in the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, ACCU). The author has documented his citations with about 92 pages of notes and references, making this volume a great step forward in filling the gap in the historiography of Catholic Higher Education. There are many nuggets to be mined, as, for example, if your interests is the "Great Books" approach to higher education, Dr. Gleason's book leads you to references for the attempted "Great Books" program at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California. The book is worth the price for wonderful tidbits such as that.

I finished National Music Academy in Kiev,Ukraine.Now I`m a professor of violin.Can Icontinue my education in your place?

This book not only includes recipes submitted by Lou Holtz, Bob Fulton, Joe Pinner, Gov. Mark Sanford, and USC football greats (among them Jeff Grantz, George Rogers, Tommy Suggs, and Fred Zeigler), but also lots of actual USC tailgating photos. What separates THIS book from any other Carolina recipe collections are the generous helpings of Alex Hawkins' sarcasm and his irreverent humor. Appetizers, desserts, main dishes--they're all in here. The recipes were supplied not only by various luminaries and Alex' wife, Charlie, but also by the not-so-famous who make football tailgating at the University of South Carolina a time-honored tradition every fall, regardless (thankfully) of how well the team is performing on the field. Undoubtedly one of the best Gamecock books ever.

If you are interested in the consequences of performance indicators and the devastating effect of so-called bureaurocratic "accountability" on the academic world, you should read this book. It contains a history as well as a discussion on performance indicators and then proceeds with very detailed case studies of different countries, which read like chilling novels. Brilliantly and superbly written.

My daughter is getting ready to take the ACT for the 1st time. This is the 2nd book she has used to get ready. This book had lots of test taking stategies and the other official ACT book did not.