Contributors to this collection assert that radical alterations to the practices that have established and upheld the excellence of higher education in the United States must be considered carefully. They reflect on the failings of higher education, but note its many strengths. The chapters are: (1) "The American Academic Model in Comparative Perspective" (Philip G. Altbach); (2) "Higher Education as a Mature Industry" (Arthur Levine); (3) "The 'Crisis' Crisis in Higher Education: Is That a Wolf or a Pussycat at the Academy's Door?" (Robert Birnbaum and Frank Shushok, Jr.); (4) "Built To Serve: The Enduring Legacy of Public Higher Education" (Patricia J. Gumport); (5) "From Mass Higher Educating to Universal Access: The American Advantage" (Martin Trow); (6) "Higher Education and Those 'Out-of-Control Costs'" (D. Bruce Johnstone); (7) "The Liberal Arts and the Role of Elite Higher Education" (Nannerl O. Keohane); (8) "The Technological Revolution: Reflections on the Proper Role of Technology in Higher Education" (Jack M. Wilson); (9) "Academic Change and Presidential Leadership" (Richard M. Freeland); (10) "Graduate Education and Research" (Jules B. LaPidus); (11) "College Students Today: Why We Can't Leave Serendipity to Chance" (George D. Kuh); (12) "Governance: The Remarkable Ambiguity" (George Keller); and (13) "Understanding the American Academic Profession" (Martin J. Finkelstein). (Each chapter contains references.) (SLD)