Identifies six approaches to learning in the history of United States higher education (colonial, frontier, collegiate, town, community, distance) and offers them as a framework for understanding the evolution of the American collegiate ideal. Each has created a community of learners where students have embraced, partially or fully, a new…

The American doctorate owes its lineage to the German research ideal, but its purpose, structure, and process have become Americanized through six developmental stages over a century and a half. Federal and state governments, accreditation officials, policymakers, campus administrators, faculty, and students all have sought to professionalize…

From 1893 to 1960, the study of higher education evolved from an apprenticeship method to a professional field of study, with the expansion of administrative functions, progressive demand for change, and growth of junior colleges. The origins, programs, and purposes in the field have focused predominantly on administration. (MSE)

Historically, higher education administrators have advanced through faculty ranks. In recent years, higher education as a field of study has developed significantly, but its potential for improving the profession is underutilized. A growing group of administrators needs formal training to meet the needs of more sophisticated and complex…