Politics and Public Higher Education in New York State: Stony Brook - a Case History

by Sidney Gelber

Overview

New York was the last state in the Union to create in 1948 a state-supported system of higher education, and Stony Brook became its first comprehensive University Center formed de novo in 1957, joining with the other state universities in democratizing higher education. This book probes the political conditions and bureaucratic actions that contributed to Stony Brook’s struggle to emerge as a major research university, gaining international pre-eminence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780820449197
Publisher:	Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
Publication date:	01/28/2001
Series:	History of Schools and Schooling Series , #11
Pages:	375
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

The Author: Sidney Gelber, Distinguished Service Professor and Leading Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Stony Brook, earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University in 1954. Academic Vice President/Provost Emeritus at Stony Brook, he has received the Stony Brook University Medal and honorary doctorates from institutions in this country and abroad. Co-editor of the Western Civilization and Man and Contemporary Society series, Gelber has participated in symposia on changing configurations of higher education in a democratic society.

Editorial Reviews

«From a twenty-first century perspective, Stony Brook has climbed a steep slope to become competitive in the top echelon of American research universities. Given the recency of Stony Brook’s founding, 1957, this ascent has been unusual, both in its speed and in the difficulties the new institution encountered. In the pages that follow, Sidney Gelber tells Stony Brook’s remarkable story. A participant-observer who joined the fledgling university’s philosophy faculty in 1958, Gelber served as Stony Brook’s first dean of Arts and Sciences in the 1960s, and as its Academic Vice President and Provost in the 1970s and early 1980s. Gelber’s history of Stony Brook’s first 25 years is deeply researched and documented. It is told from a perspective of institutional pride and loyalty, marked both by collegial affection and, occasionally, by painful memory.... To Gelber, Stony Brook’s successful ascent against these odds was little short of ‘miraculous.’» (From the Foreword by Hugh Davis Graham, Holland N. McTyeire Professor of American History, Vanderbilt University)

From the Publisher

New York was the last state to create a state-supported system of higher education, and Stony Brook became its first comprehensive University Center formed . This work probes the political condition and bureaucratic actions that contributed to Stony Brook's struggle to emerge as a major research university. Gelber is affiliated with Stony Brook University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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