Privatization and the Public Good: Public Universities in the Balance

"Public education is in crisis—and it has been for some time. The problem is, no one can agree on the problem, and when there is no agreement on the problem, developing solutions is nearly impossible.” Thus writes Matthew T. Lambert in this study of present-day public higher education, which is currently plagued by momentous challenges.

In Privatization and the Public Good, Lambert examines a range of developments related to the “privatization” of public higher education in the United States, including increasing “institutional autonomy, higher tuition, diminishing appropriations, alternative revenue sources such as philanthropy and new business ventures, and modified governance relationships.” These developments, in turn, have resulted in an uncertain future for public academic institutions across the country, posing unprecedented questions and challenges for them.

Through a wide-ranging analysis of the current situation and detailed case studies that focus on prominent public universities in Virginia, North Carolina, and California, Privatization and the Public Good provides a panoramic account of the challenges faced by public institutions. Insightful and essential, this book makes a crucial contribution to the current reassessment of higher education in the United States.