Karen Davis

WRTG 2010-90
Jennifer Courtney
Synthesis 1
Higher Education
Upon review of all the articles and as I began mapping out the conversation, it is
clear that the main point of convergence in all the articles is the topic of higher education
and as students are we getting what we pay for during our time in college and are we
getting a good education? In the articles Deconstructing Academe by Jeffrey Williams,
Linking Diversity with the Educational and Civic Missions of Higher Education by
Sylvia Hurtado, and Out of the Ruins the University to Come by Bob Hanke and Alison
Hearn all relate to the fall of higher education and the lack of importance of the public
good and the fact that corporate organizations are influencing the universities. However
there is a strong resemblance in the articles between Williams and Hanke and Hearn.
Williamss talks about the emerging field of critical university studies and the cutting
of labor, corruption of research, and reduction of faculty spots. Hanke and Hearn also
discuss faculty who do not wish to think about or engage in the issues, and prefer to be
left alone to do their research and teaching. These days it is common to overhear by a
faculty member something like this: I dont know how it gets sorted out. And I
increasingly dont want to know how it gets sorted out. (Hanke and Hearn) It is
concerning that for me as a student that the faculty is not included and feels they dont
want to know whats going on. Students are paying a large sum to attend college and our
faculty should be involved.

Tuition
As for the articles Research and the Bottom Line in Todays University by
Sarah Bonewits and Lawrence Soley and Obtaining Integrity? Reviewing and
Examining the Charter between Higher Education and Society by Adrianna Kezar they
both have similarities when discussing tuition. Kezar writes that Universities are more
driven on their own economic gain than on public good and academic curriculum using
examples of high tuition costs that have sky rocketed way above the average inflation,
which in turn is increasing student debt significantly. Bonewits and Soley share the same
argument discussing that state funding has been significantly cut back for public colleges
and universities due to the recession and lower tax revenues. Therefore the universities
had to find other ways to make up the loss in other forms including research,
telemarketing and licensing agreements which in turn has shifted priorities. For example,
University of Michigans research budget went from $89 Million to $499.7 million in two
decades, due to research for private institutions including the Automotive Research
Center and for Law and Economics to name a few. As stated by Bonewits & Soley
When it comes to corporate ties and grants, the Transpiration Research Institute is one of
the University of Michigans crown jewels (Bonewits & Soley)
Society Influence
There is another similarity in the articles by Kezar and Hurtado. They discuss the
impact society can have on higher education. First, Kezar writes that the charter is a
system of checks and balances. (Kezar) When higher education begins to lack behind
from the services of public good, social forces had to take over. For example during
WWI several universities were used as boot camps to train soldiers, but during WWII

soldiers were trained in different languages and foreign studies as convinced by the
higher education leaders. Hurtado also discusses the need for diversity in higher
education and how it is affecting students and universities. She writes, higher education
has a responsibility to advance social progress. (Hurtado)
Differences
Now lets discuss the divergence between the articles. I see discussion about how
to change higher education in the future and how the authors ideas are different.
Williams does not propose a fix, however he says it is up to the students. Bonewits and
Soley feels that faculty should be more involved and should be able to review contracts
with the corporations and voice their opinion and allow more diverse research. In
addition, Hurtado feels there should be a working group to consolidate efforts across the
scholarship on equality, work as a collective to bring emphasis to this work, and how can
we shape national conversations about these issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion, after reading these articles and becoming more familiar with the
issues, I feel it really is time for some action. As a student with rising tuitions yearly it is
really becoming difficult to afford school without going into significant debt.
As for the clusters/camps, I first began by listing all the articles I reference in the
conversation under the main topic of higher education. Then I listed the topics and
subtopics and how they are relative to each article/author including Corporate
Involvement/Influence, Lack of Importance of the Public Good, Critical University
Studies, High Tuition Cost, Social Influences and Change for the Future. Finally I added
the clusters/clamps also related to each title, and subtitle in the articles. I also identified

each level as a different color so it is a little easier for the reader to identify each level of
the mapped conversation.

References
William, Jeffrey, Deconstructing Academe
Hurtado, Sylvia, Linking Diversity with the Educational and Civic Missions of Higher
Education
Hank, Bob and Hearn Allison, Out of the Ruins the University to Come
Bonewits, Sarah and Soley, Lawrence, Research and the Bottom Line in Todays
University
Kezar, Adrianna, Obtaining Integrity? Reviewing and Examining the Charter between
Higher Education and Society