Table Of ContentEducation | Higher Education
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American Council on Education Series on Higher Education R
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Susan Slesinger, Executive Editor WN
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As the fourth president of the Virginia Common- “The Indispensable University addresses timely and increasingly universal issues The Indispensable University describes the
THE INDISPENSABLE
wealth University (VCU) and the president in ways that seem to me to be accessible to audiences whose members need the innovative transformation of higher education
and chair of the board of directors of the VCU reasoning and information that is provided. It has been a pleasure to read and reread institutions (HEIs) across the world in response
Health System, EUGENE P. TRANI positioned this book. It is imaginative and informed, and it has gravity. Its evidentiary basis is to the emerging realities of the twenty-fi rst-
the university as a key driver in regional solid. . . . I can imagine this book as the kind of standard work that university leaders T century global, knowledge-based economy,
UNIVERSITY
as well as state and federal policy makers will have to read.” H
and statewide economic development. as well as how HEIs are defi ning many of
—John T. Casteen III, president, University of Virginia
Currently president emeritus and university E today’s economic realities on a regional level.
distinguished professor at VCU, Trani has HEIs continue to drive economic development
“A most exhaustive and informative text, and likely to be very helpful to all presidents U I
authored, coauthored, annotated, and edited N through their traditional roles of purchaser,
interested in promoting economic development and community engagement. The
eight books and published more than one N employer, real estate developer, workforce
opening chapters are a documented set of arguments; the references are extremely
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hundred articles and op-eds, including two developer, and community developer. But these
helpful. Best of all are the case studies. This book makes powerful points and then I
major books on foreign policy. backs them up with well-grounded case studies—precisely the institutions I would V I Higher Education, Economic Development, roles now must be executed more strategically
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have selected as exemplars within their distinctive missions. . . . The organization of E and collaboratively. Also, the twenty-fi rst-
P and the Knowledge Economy
ROBERT D. HOLSWORTH was the founding the book is thoughtful as well, and a very easy read.” R century economy offers universities unique
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director of both the Center for Public Policy —Nancy Zimpher, chancellor, State University of New York S opportunities to generate the intellectual
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and the Wilder School of Government and and fi nancial capital that drives emerging
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Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth “A terrifi c read, and I’m sure that it will become a standard work on both sides of T S knowledge-based industries.
the Atlantic. I found it full of insights as well as offering many telling examples. We’ll Y
University. He has authored or coauthored
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certainly have it on our MBA reading list.”
fi ve books and numerous articles on American Case studies are drawn from urban and rural
—Paul Temple, Centre for Higher Education Studies, the B
politics and public policy. His observations on America, Europe, the Middle East, and emerging
Institute of Education, University of London L
national and Virginia politics have appeared countries. Some of the topics covered include
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in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the role of university presidents as leaders of
“A fi ne book. Without committed and clearly active presidents/chancellors the important
the New York Times, and numerous other change; the relationship between higher educa-
transformative potential of universities in their regional/global contexts cannot be
media. He runs the nonpartisan political website realized. What is especially key here is the ways in which the university is placed in an tion institutions and the political leadership of
VirginiaTomorrow.com and is a principal in two the ‘knowledge economy.’ Perhaps the best thing about this book is its full-throttle d Ec cities, states, and nations; successful models of
research and planning groups. normative assertion of the ‘indispensable’ role of the university. It is the argument theonH partnerships between higher education and the
of passionate higher education advocates. The Indispensable University is more a Komigh private sector; and future challenges and
policy essay and report from the fi eld of the political economic struggles for the noicer opportunities facing the modern university.
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relevance and best practices of twenty-fi rst-century higher education.” DE
leed
Published in Partnership with —David C. Perry, director of the Great Cities Institute, professor of dvu
The American Council on Education gec
urban planning and policy, University of Illinois at Chicago eloa
Eptio
For orders and information cmn
please contact the publisher “This book is very interesting and informative. It’s a good read! College adminis- onen,
RowAm wanh o&ll yL oitwtlenfie edld s uPbusbildisiahreyr so,f Inc. trators will learn much from the content of this book. It contains many thoughtful omt,
insights and perspectives on the modern university.” y
The Rowman & Littlefi eld Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 —Roderick J. McDavis, president, Ohio University
Lanham, Maryland 20706
1-800-462-6420
www.rowmanlittlefi eld.com
ROWMAN &
EUGENE P. TRANI AND ROBERT D. HOLSWORTH
LITTLEFIELD
Foreword by THE HONORABLE TIMOTHY M. KAINE
IInnddiissppeennssaabblleeUUnniivveerrssiittyyDDJJ..iinndddd 11 1122//2222//0099 1100::0044::5555 AAMM
The Indispensable
University
Part of the American Council on Education
Series on Higher Education
Susan Slesinger, Executive Editor
Other selected titles in the series:
Leading the Campaign: Advancing Colleges and Universities
by Michael J. Worth
Peak Performance for Deans and Chairs: Reframing Higher Education’s Middle
by Susan Stavert Roper and Terrence E. Deal
Searching for Higher Education Leadership: Advice for Candidates and Search Committees
by Jean A. Dowdall
Presidential Transitions: It’s Not Just the Position, It’s the Transition
by Patrick H. Sanaghan, Larry Goldstein, and Kathleen D. Gaval
Other Duties as Assigned: Presidential Assistants in Higher Education
by Mark P. Curchack
Changing Course: Making the Hard Decisions to Eliminate Academic Programs, Second
Edition
by Peter D. Eckel
The “How To” Grants Manual: Successful Grantseeking Techniques for Obtaining Public
and Private Grants, Sixth Edition
by David G. Bauer
International Students: Strengthening a Critical Resource
by Maureen Andrade and Norman Evans
Leaders in the Crossroads: Success and Failure in the College Presidency
by Stephen J. Nelson
Leading America’s Branch Campuses
edited by Samuel Schuman
Faculty Success through Mentoring: A Guide for Mentors, Mentees, and Leaders
by Carole J. Bland, Anne L. Taylor, S. Lynn Shollen, Anne Marie Weber-Main, Patricia
A. Mulcahy
Community Colleges on the Horizon: Challenge, Choice, or Abundance
edited by Richard Alfred, Christopher Shults, Ozan Jaquette, and Shelley Strickland
Out in Front: The College President as the Face of the Institution
edited by Lawrence V. Weill
Beyond 2020: Envisioning the Future of Universities in America
by Mary Landon Darden
Minding the Dream: The Process and Practice of the American Community College
by Gail O. Mellow and Cynthia Heelan
Higher Education in the Internet Age: Libraries Creating a Strategic Edge
by Patricia Senn Breivik and E. Gordon Gee
American Places: In Search of the Twenty-First Century Campus
by M. Perry Chapman
New Game Plan for College Sport
edited by Richard E. Lapchick
What’s Happening to Public Higher Education?
edited by Ronald G. Ehrenberg
Lessons from the Edge: For-Profit and Nontraditional Higher Education in America
by Gary A. Berg
Mission and Place: Strengthening Learning and Community through Campus Design
by Daniel R. Kenney, Ricardo Dumont, and Ginger S. Kenney
The Indispensable
University
Higher Education,
Economic Development,
and the Knowledge Economy
Eugene P. Trani and Robert D. Holsworth
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham (cid:129) Boulder (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK
Published in partnership with the American Council on Education
Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2010 by Eugene P. Trani and Robert D. Holsworth
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval
systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer
who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Trani, Eugene P.
The indispensable university : higher education, economic development, and
the knowledge economy / Eugene P. Trani and Robert D. Holsworth.
p. cm. — (American council on education series on higher education)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-60709-079-3 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-60709-081-6 (electronic)
1. Education, Higher—Economic aspects—Cross-cultural studies. 2. Economic
development—Cross-cultural studies. I. Holsworth, Robert D. II. Title.
LC67.6.T73 2010
338.4’7378—dc22
2009042118
(cid:2)
™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for
Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
For our wives, Lois E. Trani and Susan W. Holsworth,
with deep appreciation for their support and understanding.
Contents
Foreword by the Honorable Timothy M. Kaine ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
1 Basic Premise: Colleges and Universities Indispensable to
Economic and Community Development 1
2 The New Role of Higher Education: Economic and
Community Development 25
3 U.S. Higher Education: The Emergence of Urban Universities 47
4 U.S. Higher Education: The Reinvention of the
Land-Grant University 77
5 U.S. Higher Education: Community College—a Uniquely
American Institution 107
6 British and Irish Higher Education: Ancient but
Thoroughly Modern 135
7 Middle Eastern Higher Education: Two Oases in the Desert 157
8 Higher Education in Developing Countries:
The BRIC Nations 183
9 Conclusions: Colleges and Universities Indispensable to
Economic and Community Development 215
vii
viii Contents
Bibliography 235
Index 267
About the Authors 281
Foreword
The Honorable Timothy M. Kaine
During my time in public office I have learned that a collaborative creative
process almost always strengthens the final product. That is why I am so
glad that my friends Gene Trani and Bob Holsworth have compiled their
collective wisdom, gained over decades in higher education, to produce a
work that should be mandatory reading for any university or community
leader seeking to fully realize the benefits of higher education. These are
two men who lived the lessons they discuss. They have seen great victo-
ries and setbacks as they seek to advance their schools and communities.
I have known Gene Trani in many capacities—as a neighbor living near
Virginia Commonwealth University, as a parent of three children born at
the university hospital, as a city councilman and mayor working closely
with him on the economic development of Richmond, and as governor of
Virginia, where I wrote much of his budget and appointed his Board of
Visitors. When I learned that Gene would be retiring after nineteen years
as president of Virginia Commonwealth University, the governor in me
was disappointed to lose one of the finest university presidents in the na-
tion. But as a believer in the transformative power of education, I knew
that Gene still had plenty to offer the world of higher education. I truly
believe that this book is just part of a long list of contributions to the field.
I have gotten to know Bob Holsworth over the years, both personally and
professionally, and learned long ago that he is one of the sharpest minds
in the Virginia political landscape and a true asset to our commonwealth’s
system of public higher education. Throughout my career in public ser-
vice, I have found his analysis to be well researched and well supported,
even when his conclusions weren’t necessarily what I wanted to hear as
a candidate. I have always admired his dedication to his teaching career,
ix
