Four Critical Years: A Book Review

11 are the differences found for varied curricula and career development alter­ natives. The results concerning relationships between grade point averages, which seriously challenge the findings from previous research summarized by Hoyt in 1965 and McClelland in 1973, warrant serious attention. Many of the changes which have occurred in higher education during the past twenty years run directly counter to the conditions called for to maxi­ mize educational effectiveness. Astin's findings are consistent with a large body of related research concerning college impacts. If the directions of change to meet the challenges to be faced by higher education during the next twenty years continue to ignore these findings, it is hard to be optimistic about the contribution of colleges and universities to individual development and to more general social needs. Astin and his colleagues are to be applauded for their sustained contri­ butions to our understanding of these complex issues. We can only hope that these efforts will be continued at the level of sophistication and thorough­ ness which have characterized their work to date. More importantly, it is incumbent on all of us concerned with higher education to become thoroughly familiar with these research findings. We must see to it that they are seri­ ously taken into account as we make the critical policy decisions called for by the increasingly diverse populations to be served and by the escalating needs for a well informed and highly educated citizenry. FOUR CRITICAL YEARS: A Book Review by G. Lester Anderson Professor Emeritus of Higher Education Director Emeritus, Center for the Study of Higher Education The Pennsylvania State University and Professor Emeritus of Higher Education State University of New York at Buffalo In a recent review of a book that shall remain nameless, Lewis Mayhew ended his review with this remark: ". . . given the flood of printed materi­ al dealing with collegiate education, the question can seriously be asked, was this book . . . necessary?" The question was, of course, rhetorical, the answer obviously being "No"! If one asks the same question concerning As­ tin's Four Critical Years, the answer is a strong affirmative, i.e . , Yes, this book was necessary. Astin is our most prolific evaluator of the effects of colleges on students. In this book, he reports his analysis of data he has gathered in association with various others over a ten-year period, from a sample of institutions that has grown to more than 300 of all kinds, and it has accumulated longitudinal data on over 200,000 students. Such data and their analysis are important to scholars and to policy ma­ kers in higher education. Astin is a prestigious figure among analysts of the consequences of higher education, and a highly skilled technician. While this book is in a sense monographic rather than a "book" (if such a distinc­ tion can be made), much of the data and analysis are only available elsewhere and Astin does speak directly to those who would make or influence policy in American higher education. Hence, it is an important book. On the other hand, Astin's assumptions concerning the purposes of higher education, and how policy "gets made" as bases for his interpretation of his 12 findings are not acceptable to me. While I shall not quibble with his find­ ings in this review, I shall take major exception to his analyses and recom­ mendations in terms of policy formation in American higher education. How I should proceed in this task, however, has been difficult to determine. As I read Chapter IX, "Implications for Policy and Practice," I find myself want­ ing to challenge almost every sentence. This one can do in a seminar, but hardly in a book review of modest length. If, however, I collate a series of recommendations and generalize, e .g . , those related to community colleges, I can well be challenged that my generalizations do not represent Astin's over­ all conclusions and recommendations. I am not making this statement wholly in terms of a personal defense of my critique. I do suggest that all policy makers who read Astin's book seeking his guidance be aware of deeper policy implications of his recommendation, the significance of which his...