American Higher Ed: History, Culture, and Challenges

Princeton Graduate Students: join us for an engaging dinner workshop series that works as a discussion community. Graduate students are at the heart of that community, but we extend it to the whole university. The gatherings offer you a chance to talk to people from parts of the university you may not often see (junior and senior faculty members from different fields, and administrators ranging from deans to university press editors), in a setting that emphasizes common cause, not hierarchy. We meet every few weeks from October through early December, with two site visits (to a state college and a community college to meet with Presidents, Faculty, and Students) after the winter break, followed by a final social gathering early in the Spring semester. A full list of sessions (dates, subject matter) is below. While the conversations are wide-ranging, the reading load is minimal; we know that everyone is busy. 

Designed for graduate students pursuing tenure track careers, as well as those considering a range of careers in higher education, this GLC takes a long view of American higher education, framing its problems and prospects in historical terms. How did we get here? Where are we headed and why? Where should we be headed? Participants gain a deeper understanding of the history and culture of the academic landscape. Session topics range from the rise of the PhD as the central academic credential, to graduate education’s role in the research university, to the role of faculty in university governance.

As you know, these are challenging times for our institutions and our profession. This workshop focuses on subjects we all need to think about—and discuss—together.  

The cohort will be limited to approximately 15 eligible graduate students, and preference will be given to Ph.D. students in the Humanities and Social Sciences. This series is a joint venture between the Humanities Council and GradFUTURES.

Read more about the Series

Questions? Contact James M. Van Wyck, jvanwyck@princeton.edu.

Schedule

Tues Oct 1 – Session 1: an overview of higher education in America 

Tues Oct 22 – Session 2: the history and growth of graduate education in America, and elsewhere

Tues Nov 5  - Session 3:  International Perspectives (Europe, Asia)

Tues Nov 19 – Session 4: Data Science and Higher Education 

Tues Dec 10  - Session 5: Professionalization 

and Session 6: Tenure: Past, Present, Future?, plus two site visits after the winter break.