This book describes and reports on a new approach to higher education that is experiential and democratic. The approach uses discussion and interaction, laboratory work and field learning, community involvement and service, democratic citizenship and skills training, and student-initiated participatory learning in courses, projects, and clinical work that goes beyond traditional classroom education. The book is divided into two parts. Part 1 (chapters 1 through 3) concerns creating a new educational vision and describes how universities appear from the point of view of students and communities and a democratic experiential philosophy of education that comes out of strong traditions in American culture. Part 2 (chapters 4 through 10) describes ideas for revitalizing American higher education through the model's "student adventures." Included are detailed descriptions and how-to materials for several different university courses that have already been tested successfully and for an international policy project and other detailed ideas for experiential courses at all levels of the university curriculum, including graduate and professional schools and complementing courses in several disciplines. Finally, the book proposes a fundamental change in the structure of higher education and its funding and links to the community and its view of its role and the roles of faculty and students. (Contains 87 references.) (JB)