Controversies on Campus: Debating the Issues Confronting American Universities in the 21st Century

Providing a comprehensive review of pressing issues roiling American college campuses today, this book is a valuable resource for students and scholars alike.

People often refer to America's colleges and universities as "Ivory Towers," a term that implies that campuses are innocent places of study largely insulated from wider societal concerns. In actuality, our nation's universities are hotbeds of controversy. Some of these sources of heated debate relate directly to access to the college experience, such as the rising cost of tuition and admission policies related to student diversity. Others reflect wider societal schisms, such as divisions over sexual assault (both causes and responses) and "political correctness."

Controversies on Campus: Debating the Issues Confronting American Universities in the 21st Century examines the myriad controversies regarding today's college campuses and student bodies, such as tuition costs, campus rape, academic freedom/free speech, gun policies, binge drinking, "hook-up" culture, corporatization of academic research, poverty-level wages of adjunct faculty, and student-athletes in the era of big-money amateur sports.

The book objectively examines these issues and others, taking care to not only present up-to-date quantifiable data to help readers understand the controversy but also to provide a fair and impartial summary of perspectives on the issue in question. It is a one-stop resource for learning about a wide range of issues and controversies confronting American colleges and universities and the people―students, professors, and administrators―who comprise those communities.

• Offers critical arguments for policy formation or reform regarding legal issues, policy issues, and student development issues in higher education

• Contains contributions from LSU President F. King Alexander, national leader on higher education finance reform; Liliana Garces, Penn State professor and leading scholar on affirmative action in higher education admissions; Neal Hutchens and Kerry Brian Melear, University of Mississippi professors and national experts on higher education law and the First Amendment; and Ken Redd, director of research and policy analysis at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)

• Provides additional authoritative research sources on individual topics