A History of American Higher Education (review)

In A History of American Higher Education, John R. Thelin draws inspiration from Frederick Rudolph's 1962 classic, The American College and University, writing a lively and sophisticated general history for both scholarly and popular audiences. Thelin's book is, quite simply, now the standard overview of the topic—essential reading for anyone interested in American higher education.

It is reasonable to speculate that Rudolph's book has been so popular for so long because it is so readable, filled with amusing stories about old-time colleges. Thelin has also written a highly readable book using many of the same literary devices as Rudolph. But he extends Rudolph's work in several respects. Most obviously, he explores the years since 1962 in American higher education. The challenge in teaching Rudolph's book is that it is frozen in time at the cusp of the dramatic expansion in enrollments and increased access, before the rise of the community colleges and other newer institution types, and before the integration of some institutions and the arrival of large numbers of non-White students generally. Thelin not only covers these and other contemporary topics in the last two chapters of the book but writes chapters on the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries with more recent developments firmly in mind.

Thelin demonstrates particular skill in integrating the broad array of scholarship related to higher education history written primarily in the past four decades. Where Rudolph had primarily institutional histories and a few general sources, Thelin takes full advantage of the rich variety of secondary sources now available. He focuses on the work of his colleagues in the generous bibliographic essay that concludes the book, working systematically through the topics covered and approaches taken. Thelin wrote a similar essay in the 1990 reissue of Rudolph's book, and his new synthesis will be valuable both for those new to the history of American higher education and for those well versed in it.

The bibliographic essay underscores the broad synthesis at the foundation of Thelin's book. In particular, the breadth of these sources enables Thelin to deliver a long-needed general history that embraces the institutional diversity that is perhaps the most impressive feature of American higher education; he incorporates institutions of all types into his discussion to a degree earlier authors generally have not. Thelin also rightly focuses on the critical theme of expanding access. He points to the importance of community colleges here and devotes considerable attention to those traditionally excluded from higher education due to gender, race, and ethnicity. Once again, he draws on the rich historical literatures recently developed in these areas. Thelin has less to work with on teaching and learning, professional education, and governing boards, but does the reader a service by including them in his discussion.

Like Rudolph, Thelin is notable for his focus on topics beyond the curriculum. Indeed, his affectionate forays into campus life comprise a significant portion of his book. While this may frustrate some readers who would prefer him to cover more "serious" topics, Thelin is correct to concentrate on nonacademic matters in exploring the history of American higher education. In doing so, he continues his own work over the past three decades on topics such as campus architecture and landscape, intercollegiate athletics, and collegiate life in the popular culture. He uses popular sources such as alumni memoirs, for example, to illustrate scholarly points about the importance of the out-of-classroom experiences that are such a critical component of American higher education. For Thelin, A. C. Spectorsky's wonderful 1958 anthology of college life stories can take a place beside works more customarily used to understand American higher education since its establishment.

In 1994, Thelin wrote a history of scandal and reform in college sports. In this current book, again like Rudolph, he pays appropriate attention to the challenging and significant place of spectator sports on large American campuses. In continuing to...