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The Education Of Higher Education Essay

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Over the past few weeks of classes, I have begun to understand that the foundation of higher education in the United States has a tumultuous past, however, is also an example of how enough desire for progress and pressure from external sources fosters change. From our readings in A History of American Higher Education by John R. Thelin we have discussed the progress and design of American Higher Education from the early 1600’s on. In our second text, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and Economic challenges, Michael N. Bastedo, Philip G. Altbach, and Patricia J. Gumport focus their work on a more contemporary examination of American higher education allowing us to better understand current context for our coursework and continuing careers. In this paper I will provide a brief summary of the assigned readings from these two texts as well as provide thoughtful reflection on the salient points and ideas each author has presented. Through this examination I will find ways to connect readings, coursework, and my lived experience to one another in order to shape ideas for future application to my work in student affairs.
In the first section of A History of American Higher Education, the author speaks about Colonial Era higher education in the United States. Essentially the creation of the American academic architype (Thelin, 2011) that describe our current Ivy League schools such as: Yale, Harvard, and Columbia. Thelin identifies the

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