Thanks to a comment by Jay, a series of edifying articles in Washington Monthly about the current state of U.S. higher education, appearing in the September 2006 issue of that magazine.

• The Washington Monthly College Rankings
  • A Note on Methodology
  • The Washington Monthly College Guide: Turning the U.S. News rankings upside-down
  • Is Our Students Learning? The measurements elite colleges don’t want you to see.
  • The Washington Monthly College Rankings: National Universities
  • The Washington Monthly College Rankings: Liberal Arts Colleges
• Apps Lit. What the new wave of college-admissions fiction tells us about higher education.
• Now, That’s Classy. How Teach for America turned national service into a status symbol.
  • (Interestingly enough, some of my friends have in fact been employed by McKinsey, a consulting firm mentioned repeatedly by this article.)

I do tend to disagree with several dimensions of the approach taken by Washington Monthly, including the apparent enthusiasm for the “client-based approach to higher education” favoured by several institutions and bemoaned by its main actors. But I do appreciate the fact that such a conversation finally takes place. The blog post which prompted Jay’s comment was about Canadian universities but “don’t get me started” about the state of higher education in the United States.

According to its mission statement, Washington Monthly seeks to provide insight on politics and government in (the United States of) America. As such, it focuses on the potential ramifications of higher education for governmental (mostly U.S. federal) politics. Doing so, it seems to obey at least some of the Berlin Principles on Ranking of Higher Education Institutions, especially with regards to section A on Purposes and Goals of Rankings. (PDF version of principles.)

One thing that these articles avoids is blaming students for most of the problems. In my experience, today’s higher education students usually display impressive potential but are often inadequately prepared for college and university life. The fault might be put on “The System,” the parents, the diverse schools, or the governments. It’s quite unlikely that today’s students are inherently flawed as compared to previous generations and I’m frequently impressed by students of any age, social background, or local origin.

An article from the January/February 2002 issue of Washington Monthly also provides some insight in the financial dimension of higher education in the United States. The situation might have changed in the last four years, though it sounds somewhat unlikely that it may have greatly improved.

• The Other College Rankings. When it comes to national service America’s “best colleges” are its worst.
  • Charts to Accompany the Article
  • Complete School Listings
  • Schools in Violation of Federal Law

This coverage might be too journalistic and U.S.-specific but these are, IMHO, important pieces of the full puzzle of higher education in an interconnected world. These articles should contribute to a larger conversation on education. That conversation may also involve issues discussed in Daniel Golden’s Price of Admission book (as explained on the Colbert Report). Radio Open Source has also been broadcasting (and podcasting) shows on university leadership, academia, and education requirements, among several relevant topics.

It would be important to connect these issues with the broader scene of higher education around the world. Even in the cosmopolitan world of academia, not enough people get the benefit of experiencing more than a single educational system and a very small proportion of people gets to experience more than two. It is common for anthropologists to talk about “taking a step back” and “looking at the forest for the trees.” Higher education is no place for mental near-sightedness.

Tags: higher education, university rankings, academia, Washington Monthly, US News & World Report, pedagogy, globalisation, Daniel Golden, Radio Open Source, university funding, work-study programs, misappropriation, politics, U.S. politics, Maclean’s, Concordia, Berlin Principles, research methodologies, study goals, academics, client-based approach, education as commodity, meritocracy, struggle of classes, hierarchy, democratization, financial aid, federal programs, Department of Education, universities, colleges, top colleges, community service, community outreach, social responsibility, citizenship, knowledge