College and University Books

Students, teachers, counselors, researchers and lifelong learners will reap the bounty of Earl Jackson Jr.'s "College Connections Web Directory 1997," a taut cyberguide and reference directory that navigates readers through the formidable array of educational resources and job training sites available on the Web. Students will especially enjoy the accompanying CD-ROM, which contains, besides Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser, College Link, the jazzy college application software, which streamlines the application process by customizing admission forms to the colleges of your choice. Included here as well is Jackson's own invention, Detective Fiction, an interesting online course that showcases the potential of the Web for classroom use. "College Connections Web Directory 1997" is a magna cum laude, online look at the world of higher education.

With so much disinformation regarding nontraditional schools offering higher degrees, it's comforting to read a book based in both reality and calmness. No high sales pitch here, just good advice regarding a lot of good, nontraditional schools and programs. Highly recommended.

This book is a must if you are a counselor or an aspiring student. Do not waste hours googling the net, just buy this book, it is worth the investment. I am considering going back to school for a second career and this book is helping me find the sites that I need to visit. I am not wasting valuable time searching for those sites. I especially like the Quick Guide at the start of the book because it is sorted by subject and my interests are varied.

The book is also comprehensive, from financial aid to professional associations. There is even information about campus security and safety! And because it is a guide to web sites, the information gained through this book will always be up to date.

The book is well organized and gets you to your destination quickly. It starts with the Quick Guide to Resources which you will use to find the site you're looking for and then you look it up in the guide which starts at page 35. The guide lists the name and web address of the site, gives a short description and evaluates the 'Best Points' about it. The 'What You Should Know' section gives additional information such as if access is restricted to registered users or if the site is fee-based.

The book also lists Web Resources for professional and counselor associations and organizations.

The glossary is extensive and the Career Title Index is extremely valuable to me. The Web Site Index makes it very simple to find a listing when you just want to read their review of a paticular site.

When I am done with my copy I am giving it to my neighbor's daughter who is finishing high school.

This book is a delight to read, with stories of interest to college and high school students, teachers and professors, and anyone who has ever experienced or considered higher education.

As with the first volume, the book is well edited and structured with a variety of topics and people. I am impressed at the caliber of writers, including John C. Ortberg, Jr., Darrell L. Bock, and Luis Palau. Bible texts assigned to each story help to solidify the spiritual lessons.

Over and over the stories remind us that our challenges can become God's blessings. Whether it be facing failure or seeing unexpected interventions, learning God's way through prayer or recovering from rejection, these authors show how any experience can "work together for good." Some of my favorite stories are "The Coach and the Goldbrick" by David Jeffrey of Baylor University, "Heaven Sent" by Lisa Brandom of John Brown University, "Apple Pie and Sunshine" by Bob Hanley of Anderson College, and "Destiny with a Big Blue Bus" by Hanne Larson of Straight Ahead Ministries.

What could possibly be the stories behind such titles as "My Sweet Potato Man," "Manna in the Mail," and "Drums, Mono, and Sanctification"? I leave that for you to find out.

This guy is an experienced teacher, and, to judge from the tone of his advice, a very caring man. I will be going to my first "sleepaway" college in the fall, and I am really looking forward to implementing the authors eminently practical tips for living life to the fullest in college, while staying centered and keeping up with your studies. Covers thoroughly all aspects of college, from romance to studying habits. I just scanned it last night, and I intend to peruse it thoroughly tonight. Excellent handbook, and should be with the student when he arrives at his new college.

Nearly three hundred original college lists, all compiled by the staff of The Princeton Review, lists almost any criteria a college applicant or parent might find important, from outstanding academic programs by major to schools with the highest percentages of students receiving financial aid, academic opportunities outside the classroom, and more. Any collection, whether it be high school or public lending library, catering to college-bound patrons needs this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

An Interpretation of John Dewey's Basic Ideas and Their Influence on Classroom Practices by Harold G. Shane & The Great Educational Challenge of the Sixties by Hollis L. Caswell. 29 pages. Kent State University Bulletin, May, 1960.

This book has been a great help. It contains easy to follow,common sense, check lists. Any parent who has to deliver their child and childs possessions to college would do well to start here. The reduction in strain on back and legs is easily worth the price.

I recently read Mike Hainzinger's and Chris Vicich's college prowler guidebook to Syracuse University. Although I have not picked a college yet, I found that the two writers really knew about the university in depth, and they provided me with a clear overview of the university life. I was especially fond of it because you could tell there was a good sense of humor (down to earth POV) behind the formalities. Great book. It comes highly recommended by this Bostonian.

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.