The California Idea and American Higher Education Reissued in Paperback and Soon in Chinese

CSHE > News > The California Idea and American Higher Education Reissued in Paperback and Soon in Chinese

Stanford University Press has reissued The California Idea and American Higher Education in paperback. Authored by CSHE Senior Research Fellow, John Aubrey Douglass, the book offers a comprehensive political and policy history of California’s pioneering effort to create an expansive and high-quality system of public higher education. In addition, the Educational Science Publishing House based in Beijing will publish The California Idea this spring in Chinese with a special preface.

California’s higher education system continues to be of significant interest and influence internationally. "It is probably not too much of an exaggeration to say that both the social and economic future of nations will depend heavily on the size and quality of their higher education institutions and systems," explains the author in the new Chinese preface.

"As the first nation to pioneer the idea of mass higher education," he notes, "the United States has essentially provided the proving ground for the simple idea that the talent, training, and creativity of its citizens is as important a factor for generating economic prosperity as a nation’s natural resources, or its strategic geographic location, or its military, political, or cultural influence."

In the United States, most states struggled to coordinate their respective and burgeoning public institutions, explains Douglass in The California Idea.

"Issues of governance, autonomy, funding, and accountability gained greater importance in local and statewide politics as the importance of higher education in American society increased, the number of public institutions grew, and the cost to taxpayers escalated. Policymaking in California differed significantly in that the state created the first coherent public higher education system relatively early. By 1920, California boasted a pioneering and influential tripartite public system that included the nation’s first network of public community colleges, regional colleges, and a unique multi-campus University of California, all linked by matriculation agreements."

The author traces the social, political, and economic forces that shaped public higher education in California, and depicts its major personalities—such as John Swett, Daniel Coit Gilman, David Starr Jordan, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, Robert Gordon Sproul, Pat Brown, and Clark Kerr.

"No one has previously written a history of higher education in California comparable to this volume," states Kevin Starr, former California State Librarian and well-known California historian. "The scholarship is impeccable . . .. There is great drama in Douglass' telling of this crucial public policy and political story." Richard C. Atkinson, President Emeritus of the University of California, notes that, "Douglass has succeeded in one of the most difficult of scholarly challenges—presenting a large and complex topic with remarkable clarity, insight, and narrative skill. The California Idea is fascinating history and a significant contribution to our understanding of the people and the forces that created California’s renowned system of higher education."

The California Idea "effectively dispels the notion that state history lacks the significance of national topics . . ." states John Thelin, past president of the Association for Study of Higher Education and author of a recent history of higher education in the US. "By analyzing the distinctive political traditions in California that connected higher education and development from 1850 to 1960, Douglass has brought coherence to an important case study in public policies."

"In a field that often focuses on either locally on institutions or nationally on federal level-activity, Douglass’ story reminds us of the important role that states played, particularly in the building boom after World War II. In doing so, Douglass provides a solid and even provocative example of an alternative focus for higher educational history," explains higher education historian Linda Eisenmann.

"It is a masterpiece . . . . It should be required reading for all members of the CSU’s academic senates, statewide and campus" states Arthur J. Hall, a former Director of Institutional Research at the California State University systemwide office.

John Aubrey Douglass is the author of numerous articles focused on the politics, policy, and economic impact and role of higher education. Stanford University Press will publish his next book, The Conditions for Admission: Access, Equity and the Social Contract of Public Universities in April of this year. He recently served as a Visiting Professor at Sciences Po in Paris and is now working on a comparative international study on the nexus of science and economic policy.

More information on The California Idea

More information on The Conditions for Admission

CONTACT:
John Aubrey Douglass