Books in the news; The American University

Alex Boyd on books on that. A quick look at a newly published material than books of current interest. Your host Alex Boyd in the cereal department at the University of Illinois Library. Jack cries on. Well teacher in America some two decades ago. So now out of date it became one of the most influential books of educational theory and practice expanded. He has authored numerous books of criticism music history and translated a number of French writers. For the past 12 years he's been dean of faculty and provost at Columbia University and a major force in that schools when I was out. With these attainments. He appears eminently qualified to assess the present state and future growth and development of piety occasion in America. He has set himself this task and the American University published by Harper and Row. And succeeds amazingly well. He succeeds more perhaps in describing the new university up to date than that of the future. Although he makes some acute observations as to where the universe will go from here.

Recent events at San Francisco State Brandeis University and even Columbia render predictions of the future highly suspect. As for the president Mr believe the universe to be. The great new institution and the American society presumably supplanting big business railroads and perhaps to an extent the church. This status he sees as a new role for the university perhaps and only a decade or two old. Measured against the situation. Of the mid 40s It seems incredible that only 20 years ago our university and most of its functions could be grasped and run by one man and a small number of assistants. Today stresses and demands are made on the university from within by students faculty and administration and from about from the community varying levels of government and the street and almost every other individual or institution you can imagine. World War 2 appears to have been the watershed. The changes in the universities at the end of that war are evident in a number of ways.

Huge budgets growth and factory side and specialist specialization involvement and research and of course exploding in Rowland's are the most prominent changes. These and other factors have completely transformed the nature of the university so that in reality it is the new university. Now all these changes have been easily assimilated into the university framework and Mr. Barres own discusses these developments at length noting what has been done what needs to be done and what can be done. Many visible patients are perceptive and pithy. For example he sees the reality of two things in todays University decay and reform. He believes we are not quite at the priest but in need of the second. Perhaps its most far reaching observation is that the university is to save itself by making the changes that it is already eager and. Able to make. It must act not sing lead but in groups. This need for group initiative is continually stressed. The book in total makes. Interesting

informative reading. Most of the requirements of running the new university are praised or damn. Much of what he says is well known to anyone familiar with a large institution. Money time and talent are problems in most major schools. What author adds is a thorough expertise and objectivity in reviewing the present situation. At the end of the book Mr. Baez on opposite number of suggestions or alternatives to problems that the university may face in the future. Most are based on solid facts. Some are radical such as discarding or delaying the thesis for a doctoral candidate. Others are less placket because of people but hold promise for being quite useful for example as. Suggestions our curriculum changes. I'm afraid the short appraisal of the American University belies death. This is by any measure a definitive study of the American university system. And should be required reading. But college administrators faculty members students and most of all the general public. There's has been books on the nose prepared and presented by Alex Boyd and sponsored by the

Illinois State Library. This program was distributed by the national educational radio network.