The Lost Soul of Higher Education

In this beautifully written and carefully researched work, Schrecker (history, Yeshiva Univ.; No Ivory Tower: McCarthyism & the Universities) gives a complete picture of the "structural and political threats" to academic freedom. She defines academic freedom in its broadest sense to encompass more than freedom of expression and include faculty governance, tenure, economic security, institutional loyalty, and peer review. She discusses threats such as the marginalization of faculty by administrators and the economic downturn (layoffs, hiring freezes, reduced benefits, larger class sizes, and elimination of programs and departments). Novice and experienced faculty alike will appreciate Schrecker's coverage of the historical underpinnings of the American university system; abundance of examples from beleaguered faculty members such as Juan Hong (Univ. of California, Irvine), Ward Churchill (Univ. of Colorado), and Sami al-Arian (Univ. of South Florida); insights into the financial exigencies that threaten academe; and predictions for the future.