In a political climate that is skeptical of hard-to-measure outcomes,
public funding for research universities is under threat. But if we
scale back support for these institutions, we also cut off a key source
of value creation in our economy and society. Research Universities and
the Public Good offers a unique view of how universities work, what
their purpose is, and why they are important.
Countering recent arguments that we should "unbundle" or "disrupt"
higher education, Jason Owen-Smith argues that research universities are
valuable gems that deserve support. While they are complex and costly,
their enduring value is threefold: they simultaneously act as sources
of new knowledge, anchors for regional and national communities, and
hubs that connect disparate parts of society. These distinctive
features allow them, more than any other institution, to innovate in
response to new problems and opportunities. Presenting numerous case
studies that show how research universities play these three roles and
why they matter, this book offers a fresh and stirring defense of the
research university.