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In 1904, Edmund J. James inherited the leadership of an educational institution in search of an identity. His sixteen-year tenure transformed the University of Illinois from an industrial college to a major state university that fulfilled his vision of a center for scientific investigation.

Winton U. Solberg and J. David Hoeveler provide an account of a pivotal time in the university’s evolution. A gifted intellectual and dedicated academic reformer, James began his tenure facing budget battles and antagonists on the Board of Trustees. But as time passed, he successfully campaigned to address the problems faced by women students, expand graduate programs, solidify finances, create a university press, reshape the library and faculty, and unify the colleges of liberal arts and sciences. Combining narrative force with exhaustive research, the authors illuminate the political milieu and personalities around James to draw a vivid portrait of his life and times.

The authoritative conclusion to a four-part history, Edmund J. James and the Making of the Modern University of Illinois, 1904–1920 tells the story of one man’s mission to create a university worthy of the state of Illinois.

An edited volume reflecting on different aspects of teaching in prison and different points of view.

This book seeks to address some of the major issues faced by faculty who are teaching college classes for incarcerated students. Composed of a series of case studies meant to showcase the strengths and challenges of teaching a range of different disciplines in prison, this volume brings together scholars who articulate some of the best practices for teaching their expertise inside alongside honest reflections on the reality of educational implementation in a constrained environment. The book not only provides essential guidance for faculty interested in developing their own courses to teach in prisons, but also places the work of higher education in prisons in philosophical context with regards to racial, economic, social, and gender-based issues. Rather than solely a how-to handbook, this volume also helps readers think through the trade-offs that happen when teaching inside, and about how to ensure the full integrity of college access for incarcerated students.

English Majors at Work: Career and Life Pathways details the professional superpowers—the many marketable skills—gained from studying literature, creative writing, film, and popular culture. It prepares English majors to know themselves and their worth so that they can feed their bodies and souls in rapidly changing 21st century economies. Written for prospective and current English majors as well as recent grads, the book shows that skills associated with the major--innovative thinking, excellent written communication, and the ability to read people, rooms, and data---can sustain lifelong successful careers. It also provides real talk about internships, networking, and graduate school. In keeping with a major that focuses on storytelling and analysis, each chapter concludes with a lively discussion of a relevant literary or media text. English Majors at Work is an essential guide for literature students as well as the professors, career services professionals, and parents who advise them.

Equality for Contingent Faculty brings together eleven activists from the United States and Canada to describe the problem, share case histories, and offer concrete solutions. The book begins with three accounts of successful organizing efforts within the two-track system. The second part describes how the two-track system divides the faculty into haves and have-nots and leaves the majority without the benefit of academic freedom or the support of their institutions. The third part offers roadmaps for overcoming the deficiencies of the two-track system and providing equality for all professors, regardless of status or rank.

Shares novel insights into American colleges and universities that deliberately support the success of their first-generation, low-income students.

In American higher education, universities that prioritize inclusivity and equity over exclusivity and prestige are penalized rather than rewarded, both in terms of status and resources. Consequently, very few colleges and universities both enroll large shares of low-income students and graduate them at high rates. This is terrible news, both for the first-generation, low-income students with big aspirations and for a democratic society that relies on an educated citizenry and a representative government to function.

In Equity Engines, Becca Spindel Bassett shines a light on a small group of colleges that are quietly achieving the improbable. These “equity engines” open their doors widely to low-income students and graduate them at remarkably high rates. Immersing herself in two distinct institutions, a small private liberal arts university and a large regional public university, Bassett offers a window into the unseen mindsets and policies that drive universities toward equitable outcomes. By culturally and structurally centering first-generation, low-income students and challenging the superiority of exclusive, research-oriented cultures, the faculty, staff, and administrators of both institutions achieve extraordinary results. 

Combining ethnography with sociological analysis, Equity Engines presents a detailed and nuanced depiction of the people and practices that power equity engines, the pressures that challenge their operation, and how we can transform American higher education to promote a more democratic and equitable society.