No Equal In The World: An Interpretation Of The Academic Presidency

by Joseph N. Crowley, Clark Kerr (Foreword by)

Overview

No Equal in the World is a comprehensive study of the literature on the American academic presidency from the middle of the nineteenth century—when the first universities, as distinct from colleges, began to emerge—to the present. The book surveys widely divergent literature on the biographies of major presidents at crucial moments in the history of their institutions. The book affords an overview of the development of both the role of the university president and the public’s perception of that role, and indicates where perception and reality diverge. At a time when university presidents must find their way through a minefield of increasingly heated debates over issues such as free speech, curriculum, faculty diversity, and the specter of “political correctness,” Crowley’s book provides a sense of history to those striving to understand the demands of the position. It is an invaluable resource for scholars.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874173734
Publisher:	University of Nevada Press
Publication date:	09/06/2016
Edition description:	1
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Joseph N. Crowley was the president of the University of Nevada, Reno, from 1978 to 2001. His twenty-three years as president mark the longest single tenure of any of the university’s chief executives. California State University, Fresno, and the University of Iowa have both presented Crowley with distinguished alumni awards, and he has also received five honorary degrees. He has continued to live in Reno, Nevada, since his retirement from education.
 

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Chapter 1 Inside an Enigma 1

Metaphors

Purpose and Prototypes

The Approach

Chapter 2 The Lives of Presidents 13

Traditionalists and Reformers

Transition

The Titans

Challenges

Different Agendas

One More Titan

The Stuff of History

Chapter 3 A Changing Office in a New Century 60

State Universities

Following in the Footsteps

The Other Presidents

Biography in the Modern Age

Words of Wisdom

Rise and Decline

Chapter 4 From Great Men to Mediators 92

The View from the Office: Part I

The Dissenters Respond

The View from the Office: Part II

Chapter 5 A Profusion of Views 117

The Seeds of Transition

The Flood

Models and Typologies

The View from the Office: Part III

Chapter 6 The President in Fiction 155

The Real Thing

Feet of Gay

Presidential Strategies: A Fictional Taxonomy

Issues

Art and Life

Chapter 7 Epilogue 192

Appendix 1 Sources for the Metaphors and Other Descriptors Employed in Chapter One 201

Appendix 2 Presidents Discussed in Chapter Two 207

Appendix 3 Presidents Discussed in Chapter Three 211

Appendix 4 The Fictional Presidents 216

Notes 223

Bibliography 265

Index 291

Editorial Reviews

"I could not put the book down. The material, its organization, and the writing style are compelling. The structure and content provide an accessible and logical way to better understand the complex and varied qualities of the presidency—its changes over time, its peculiarity by context and person, its significance, and its joys and sorrows.” —Elisabeth A. Zinser, President, University of Idaho


“I can recommend this book to any present, past, or future college president and to all students of higher education. This volume belongs on any president’s bookshelf and, perhaps, bedside.” —Journal of Higher Education

From the Publisher

I can recommend this book to any present, past, or future college president and to all students of higher education. This volume belongs on any president’s bookshelf and, perhaps, bedside.” — Journal of Higher Education
 

Journal of Higher Education