Habits of Mind: Fostering Access and Excellence in Higher Education

264 Pages·2003·14.03 MB·English

by  Carol Allen

HABITS
OF MIND
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HABITS
OF MIND
Fostering Access and Excellence
in Higher Education
William B. Allen
Carol M. Allen
Transaction Publishers
New Brunswick (U.S.A.) and London (U.K.)
Copyright © 2003 by Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conven-
tions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any
information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing
from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to Transaction Publishers,
Rutgers—The State University, 35 Berrue Circle, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-
8042.
This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Stan-
dard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials.
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2002043000
ISBN: 0-7658-0184-1
Printed in Canada
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Allen, W. B. (William Barclay), 1944-
Habits of Mind: fostering access and excellence in higher education / W. B.
Allen and Carol M. Allen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7658-0184-1 (cloth: alk. paper)
1. Education, Higher—Aims and objectives—United States. 2. Moral
education (Higher)—United States. I. Allen, Carol M. II. Title.
LB2322.2.A46 2003
378.73—dc21
2002043000
To the many students whose continuing studies and sustained
loyalty have taught us what it means to teach
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Foreword xi
Introduction: 1
The Multiversity at a Millennial Crossroads
1. An Idea of the University 17
2. Excellence in Judgment 55
3. Access to Higher Education 79
4. Evaluating Higher Education: Waiting for Change 125
5. Managing Higher Education: Lessons from Virginia 149
6. Epilogue: The Rhetoric of Higher Education 181
Bibliography 231
Index 243
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for permission to republish material that
has appeared previously. Some material that appeared in the article,
"Taking the Final Step in Raising Academic Standards" (published
by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the winter
1998 issue of its journal Virginia Issues and Answers) has been in-
corporated into chapter 1. Portions of chapter 2 were published in
an article on "The Challenges of Academic Leadership" in the No-
vember/December 1999 issue of the Clarion (published by the Pope
Center of Higher Education Policy) and in the proceedings of the
Conference on Statistic, Science and Public Policy, held on April
26-29, 2000, at Herstmonceux Castle, Hailsham, England (edited
by A. M. Herzberg and I. Krupka) under the title, "Excellence in
Judgement: The Curriculum." A longer version of the essay, "On
Becoming a Liberal: Guidance of George Washington," which is
included in the epilogue, was published by the Locke Institute in the
summer 1999 issue of The Locke Luminary.
We also thank the Educational Testing Service for permission to
reproduce the tables in chapter 3, which were originally developed
for the Testing Service and published in the 1998 report, Growth in
School: Achievement Gains from the Fourth to the Eighth Grade
(authored by Paul E. Barton and Richard J. Coley). We also appreci-
ate the assistance we received from the staff of the Albert and Shirley
Small Special Collections Library of the University of Virginia and
for their permission to quote from the "Petition to Abolish Tariff on
Scientific Books Imported from Abroad," which was made by the Rec-
tor and Visitors of the University to Congress in 1821.
Finally, we thank all those persons whose assistance has been
instrumental in bringing this project to a fruitful conclusion. Too
long to list, these include our editors at Transaction, and several of
our former staff at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia,
with special notice to Belinda Anderson, Donna Brodd, Laura Ford,
Fletcher Mangum, Cora Salzberg, and Karl Schilling. Priscilla Walker
provided excellent proofreading skills, for which we are grateful.
ix