The Uses of the University
Content
Clark Kerr, The Uses of the University, Fifth Edition, Harvard University Press, 2001 Cambridge assa!h"setts#
$evie%ed by Ken &no%don, &no%don ' (sso!iates )n!# Clark Kerr’s The Uses of the University is one of those books that should be required reading for all senior administrators. Kerr, who passed away in late 2003, is acknowledged as one of the architects of the modern public uni ersity ! and, in particular, the "merican research uni ersity. " professor of economics and industrial relations, his distinguished career spanned an era of unprecedented growth in higher education. Chancellor of #erkeley,$ and then %resident of the &ni ersity of California '$()*+$(,-., he was instrumental in the de elopment of the /0aster %lan ! a plan that recogni1ed the distinct roles of community colleges, state uni ersities and the /flagship’ &ni ersity of California system ! and he coined the term 2multi ersity3 to try to capture the reality of large uni ersities that had e ol ed to be a 3whole series of communities and acti ities held together by a common name, a common go erning board and related purposes.3'p.$.. 4n the late $(,0’s2 he became the Chair of the Carnegie Commission on 5igher 6ducation and then assumed the Chair of the Carnegie Council on %olicy 7tudies in 5igher 6ducation. 8irst published in $(,3, The Uses of the University is based on the 9odkin :ectures Kerr had been in ited to gi e at 5ar ard &ni ersity.3 ;ow in its fifth edition, each release has pro ided added commentaries and obser ations reflecting the wisdom and thoughtfulness of one of "merica’s pre+eminent higher education specialists. <he book is composed of nine chapters ! the original three that comprised the 9odkin :ectures, and then reflecti e commentaries written in the early $(-0’s and early $(*0’s followed by three commentaries written in the $((0’s for the fourth edition and a final chapter, written in 200$, for the fifth edition. Kerr’s 9odkin :ectures were intended to pro ide a realistic assessment of academe, tracing the historical de elopment of the modern uni ersity, critiquing the present and pro iding a glimpse of the future. =hile he e>tolled the irtue and alue of the then emerging research uni ersity, he was one of the earliest who spoke 'and wrote. of the more /negati e’ aspects? less attention to undergraduate teaching, an o er reliance on e>ternal grants and contracts and the associated steering effects, and the emergence of the 2ha es3 and 2 ha e+nots3 on campus. <he dawning of the age of the 2multi ersity3 brought with it all the positi e aspects of ibrancy, di ersity, speciali1ation, and a rich learning en ironment but, at the same time, unleashed a set of what he termed
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Kerr was appointed the first chancellor of the &C #erkeley campus in $()2 when the position was created. 2 4n $(,-, after clashing with 9o ernor @onald @eagan o er the rights of student protesters, Kerr was fired by the &ni ersity of California #oard of @egents. 5is farewell quipAB4 left the presidency Cust as 4 entered itAfired with enthusiasmD3 is remembered as one of his memorable quotes. 3 <he 9odkin :ectures on the 6ssentials of 8ree 9o ernment and the Euties of the Citi1en ha e been an annual e ent at 5ar ard since $(03.
$
2pathologies3 that ha e tested the mettle of academe since. 7ound familiarF <he fact that Kerr was writing in the early $(,0’s speaks olumes about his ability to forecast the future de elopments in higher education. 8or that ery reason alone, The Uses of the University is a fascinating re iew of maCor higher education de elopments in "merica? but, there is more. <he lectures and commentaries pro ide an in aluable chronicle of higher education that is brought to life by the thoughtful reflections of an indi idual who belie ed in the inherent /good’ of higher education but also recogni1ed the perils and pitfalls. Kerr’s writing is full of discerning comment and analysis that wea es together a story about research uni ersities in "merica that is informati e, insightful and, at times pro ocati e. 8ull of clair oyant optimism in the $(,0’s, the commentaries that follow in each successi e decade sound increasingly pessimistic as Kerr identifies the successes and failures of higher education. <he final chapter reflects Kerr’s attempt to make sense out of the current higher education landscape and help focus on the higher education challenges for the 2$st century. 5e borrows the idea of the 2hedgehog3 and 2fo>3 from 4saiah #erlinG to suggest that times ha e changedH 24n the $(,0’s many of us had a hedgehog iew of the three big forces at workH uni ersal access, progress through science and increasing producti ity? and we were correct. #ut we also had blinders on and looked straight ahead. =e too often ignored the pathologies.3'p.20*. 5e goes on to argue that in the absence of a 2great single ision to guide them or great and compatible forces to dominate them? they 'academic leaders of today. may need to look in more directions, to be sensiti e to many di erse opportunities and many threats3 ! more akin to the skills of the fo>. 'p.20(. #ut there is considerably more to Kerr than Cust reflections and commentary. Known for both his wit and wisdom Kerr pro ides memorable 2lines3 that add to the o erall sense of reading an 2insiders3 history of academe. @eflecting on the appropriate way to describe the 2uni ersity3 Kerr refers to @obert 5utchins '&ni ersity of Chicago. and then pro ides a California perspecti e. 25utchins once described the modern uni ersity as a series of separate schools and departments held together by a central heating system. 4n an area where heating is less important and the automobile more 'California., 4 ha e sometimes thought of it as a series of indi idual faculty entrepreneurs held together by a common grie ance o er parking.3 'p.$). Kerr was also the originator of the wry comment about the challenges of uni ersity administrationH24 find that the three maCor administrati e problems on a campus are se> for the students, athletics for the alumni and parking for the faculty.3'p.$3*. Chapter ) pro ides an update. 5is iews on the presidency of a uni ersity reflect his background in industrial relations and his own belief in the president as /mediator’ 'and an ability to add a touch of humour.. 2<he mediatorIis always subCect to some abuse. 5e wins few clear cut ictories? he must aim more at a oiding the worst than sei1ing the best. 5e must find satisfaction in being equally distasteful to each of his constituencies? he must reconcile himself to the harsh
G
4. #erlin, The Hedgehog and The Fox, ;ewJorkH 7imon K 7chuster, $()3.
2
reality that successes are shrouded in silence while failures are spotlighted in notoriety3. 'p.30. The Uses of the University pro ides an insightful e>amination of research uni ersities seen through the eyes of someone characteri1ed as a legendary figure in "merican higher education. "s Canadian uni ersities seek to emulate the public research uni ersities in the &nited 7tates, Clark Kerr’s work pro ides an e>traordinarily rich source of first+hand e>perience 'and quotable quotes. recounted in a fashion that combines historical fact with astute obser ations and analysis ! a recommended read.
3
$evie%ed by Ken &no%don, &no%don ' (sso!iates )n!# Clark Kerr’s The Uses of the University is one of those books that should be required reading for all senior administrators. Kerr, who passed away in late 2003, is acknowledged as one of the architects of the modern public uni ersity ! and, in particular, the "merican research uni ersity. " professor of economics and industrial relations, his distinguished career spanned an era of unprecedented growth in higher education. Chancellor of #erkeley,$ and then %resident of the &ni ersity of California '$()*+$(,-., he was instrumental in the de elopment of the /0aster %lan ! a plan that recogni1ed the distinct roles of community colleges, state uni ersities and the /flagship’ &ni ersity of California system ! and he coined the term 2multi ersity3 to try to capture the reality of large uni ersities that had e ol ed to be a 3whole series of communities and acti ities held together by a common name, a common go erning board and related purposes.3'p.$.. 4n the late $(,0’s2 he became the Chair of the Carnegie Commission on 5igher 6ducation and then assumed the Chair of the Carnegie Council on %olicy 7tudies in 5igher 6ducation. 8irst published in $(,3, The Uses of the University is based on the 9odkin :ectures Kerr had been in ited to gi e at 5ar ard &ni ersity.3 ;ow in its fifth edition, each release has pro ided added commentaries and obser ations reflecting the wisdom and thoughtfulness of one of "merica’s pre+eminent higher education specialists. <he book is composed of nine chapters ! the original three that comprised the 9odkin :ectures, and then reflecti e commentaries written in the early $(-0’s and early $(*0’s followed by three commentaries written in the $((0’s for the fourth edition and a final chapter, written in 200$, for the fifth edition. Kerr’s 9odkin :ectures were intended to pro ide a realistic assessment of academe, tracing the historical de elopment of the modern uni ersity, critiquing the present and pro iding a glimpse of the future. =hile he e>tolled the irtue and alue of the then emerging research uni ersity, he was one of the earliest who spoke 'and wrote. of the more /negati e’ aspects? less attention to undergraduate teaching, an o er reliance on e>ternal grants and contracts and the associated steering effects, and the emergence of the 2ha es3 and 2 ha e+nots3 on campus. <he dawning of the age of the 2multi ersity3 brought with it all the positi e aspects of ibrancy, di ersity, speciali1ation, and a rich learning en ironment but, at the same time, unleashed a set of what he termed
$
Kerr was appointed the first chancellor of the &C #erkeley campus in $()2 when the position was created. 2 4n $(,-, after clashing with 9o ernor @onald @eagan o er the rights of student protesters, Kerr was fired by the &ni ersity of California #oard of @egents. 5is farewell quipAB4 left the presidency Cust as 4 entered itAfired with enthusiasmD3 is remembered as one of his memorable quotes. 3 <he 9odkin :ectures on the 6ssentials of 8ree 9o ernment and the Euties of the Citi1en ha e been an annual e ent at 5ar ard since $(03.
$
2pathologies3 that ha e tested the mettle of academe since. 7ound familiarF <he fact that Kerr was writing in the early $(,0’s speaks olumes about his ability to forecast the future de elopments in higher education. 8or that ery reason alone, The Uses of the University is a fascinating re iew of maCor higher education de elopments in "merica? but, there is more. <he lectures and commentaries pro ide an in aluable chronicle of higher education that is brought to life by the thoughtful reflections of an indi idual who belie ed in the inherent /good’ of higher education but also recogni1ed the perils and pitfalls. Kerr’s writing is full of discerning comment and analysis that wea es together a story about research uni ersities in "merica that is informati e, insightful and, at times pro ocati e. 8ull of clair oyant optimism in the $(,0’s, the commentaries that follow in each successi e decade sound increasingly pessimistic as Kerr identifies the successes and failures of higher education. <he final chapter reflects Kerr’s attempt to make sense out of the current higher education landscape and help focus on the higher education challenges for the 2$st century. 5e borrows the idea of the 2hedgehog3 and 2fo>3 from 4saiah #erlinG to suggest that times ha e changedH 24n the $(,0’s many of us had a hedgehog iew of the three big forces at workH uni ersal access, progress through science and increasing producti ity? and we were correct. #ut we also had blinders on and looked straight ahead. =e too often ignored the pathologies.3'p.20*. 5e goes on to argue that in the absence of a 2great single ision to guide them or great and compatible forces to dominate them? they 'academic leaders of today. may need to look in more directions, to be sensiti e to many di erse opportunities and many threats3 ! more akin to the skills of the fo>. 'p.20(. #ut there is considerably more to Kerr than Cust reflections and commentary. Known for both his wit and wisdom Kerr pro ides memorable 2lines3 that add to the o erall sense of reading an 2insiders3 history of academe. @eflecting on the appropriate way to describe the 2uni ersity3 Kerr refers to @obert 5utchins '&ni ersity of Chicago. and then pro ides a California perspecti e. 25utchins once described the modern uni ersity as a series of separate schools and departments held together by a central heating system. 4n an area where heating is less important and the automobile more 'California., 4 ha e sometimes thought of it as a series of indi idual faculty entrepreneurs held together by a common grie ance o er parking.3 'p.$). Kerr was also the originator of the wry comment about the challenges of uni ersity administrationH24 find that the three maCor administrati e problems on a campus are se> for the students, athletics for the alumni and parking for the faculty.3'p.$3*. Chapter ) pro ides an update. 5is iews on the presidency of a uni ersity reflect his background in industrial relations and his own belief in the president as /mediator’ 'and an ability to add a touch of humour.. 2<he mediatorIis always subCect to some abuse. 5e wins few clear cut ictories? he must aim more at a oiding the worst than sei1ing the best. 5e must find satisfaction in being equally distasteful to each of his constituencies? he must reconcile himself to the harsh
G
4. #erlin, The Hedgehog and The Fox, ;ewJorkH 7imon K 7chuster, $()3.
2
reality that successes are shrouded in silence while failures are spotlighted in notoriety3. 'p.30. The Uses of the University pro ides an insightful e>amination of research uni ersities seen through the eyes of someone characteri1ed as a legendary figure in "merican higher education. "s Canadian uni ersities seek to emulate the public research uni ersities in the &nited 7tates, Clark Kerr’s work pro ides an e>traordinarily rich source of first+hand e>perience 'and quotable quotes. recounted in a fashion that combines historical fact with astute obser ations and analysis ! a recommended read.
3
