Dewey Edition23
ReviewsA well-argued, data-rich defense of the irreplaceable role of American research universities--not only in science, engineering, and education, but in our national life. Now, more than ever, we need this book's deep appreciation of research universities' power to be sources, anchors, and hubs for 'beautiful accidents' in learning and innovation., "The current discourse on universities, which narrowly conceives of them as mechanism for delivering degrees to students, desperately needs the message that Owen-Smith delivers here....[A] powerfully framed contribution to the literature on U.S. higher education"--David F. Labaree, American Journal of Sociology, "In this beautifully crafted book, Owen-Smith explores the critical and central role that research universities play in the modern economy....This book should be of great interest to both policy makers and academic researchers interested in understanding the research university's role in modern innovation ecosystems and in our economy and society more broadly."--Wesley D. Sine and Xirong (Subrina) Shen, Administrative Science Quarterly, "Less than 3% of all universities conduct 90% of funded research. This important book offers a careful, empirical account of how these research universities work - and their crucial contributions as anchors for communities, regions, and industries, and hubs for flows of knowledge and social connections. This is important reading not just to understand higher education, but to understand America's future."--Craig Calhoun, University Professor of Social Sciences, Arizona State University, "In this book, Jason Owen-Smith integrates innovative with previously disarticulated data to measure the outputs of our nation's research universities, institutions that prepare us for an increasingly complex future. In so doing, he compellingly reveals the mechanisms and pathways that produce positive societal results."--Mary Sue Coleman, President of the Association of American Universities, "A well-argued, data-rich defense of the irreplaceable role of American research universities--not only in science, engineering, and education, but in our national life. Now, more than ever, we need this book's deep appreciation of research universities' power to be sources, anchors, and hubs for 'beautiful accidents' in learning and innovation."--Kei Koizumi, American Association for the Advancement of Science, "This book is a timely reinforcement of the importance of research universities based on the public value they generate....[It] should interest researchers and policy makers concerned with innovation, growth, and how we can best address global challenges of the future."--Anna Valero, Journal of Economic Literature
Dewey Decimal378.007
Table Of ContentIntroduction: Knowledge, Infrastructure, and the Need for Change 1. A System to Insure the Future 2. The Organization of Research Universities 3. Sources of Discovery: Networks on Campus 4. Community Anchors: Building Resilience and Connection 5. Hubs Linking Communities: Generating Solutions for Known and Unknown Problems 6. Facing the Future Together
SynopsisIn a political climate that is skeptical of hard-to-measure outcomes, public funding for research universities is under threat. But if we scale back support for these institutions, we also cut off a key source of value creation in our economy and society. Research Universities and the Public Good offers a unique view of how universities work, what their purpose is, and why they are important. Countering recent arguments that we should "unbundle" or "disrupt" higher education, Jason Owen-Smith argues that research universities are valuable gems that deserve support. While they are complex and costly, their enduring value is threefold: they simultaneously act as sources of new knowledge, anchors for regional and national communities, and hubs that connect disparate parts of society. These distinctive features allow them, more than any other institution, to innovate in response to new problems and opportunities. Presenting numerous case studies that show how research universities play these three roles and why they matter, this book offers a fresh and stirring defense of the research university., Countering recent arguments that we should "unbundle" or "disrupt" higher education, Jason Owen-Smith argues that research universities are unique gems that deserve our financial and social support. While they are complex and costly, their enduring value is threefold: they simultaneously act as sources of new knowledge, anchors for regional and national economies, and hubs that connect disparate parts of society. Based on his stellar research, he offers a stirring and timely defense of an endangered class of institutions just in time.
LC Classification NumberLB2372.3.O94 2018