Leroy Davis is a briliant scholar and an excellent teacher. His depth of knowledge on John Hope is amazing, and the real man comes through in this great book.

-Adam Rothwell

Books by John & Mariah Bear have literally changed people's lives. This is no less true for this book. Although not quite the behemoth that the larger "Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning (14th ed.), this book instead provides a tight focus on specific programs for those who either need a little more guidance or for whom smaller/less expensive works better. It still provides the same solid advice that readers have come to trust from the Bears.

College Degrees by Mail and Internet provides all of the information necessary to earn a degree (BA, MA, PhD) through distance learning. Now in its eighth edition, this book has stood the test of time.

If you're looking to change your life (more money, better work, etc), you need to check this book out.

With so much disinformation regarding nontraditional schools offering higher degrees, it's comforting to read a book based in both reality and calmness. No high sales pitch here, just good advice regarding a lot of good, nontraditional schools and programs. Highly recommended.

College is Only the Beginning was the required textbook for my freshman orientation class back in 1986. I chose to attend college for the the typical reason....to get a better paying job. This book convinced me that getting that higher paying job was one of the lesser benefits of a college education. Garden and Jeweler discuss all of the personal benefits a person receives from a college education. Human growth and developement as an educated person are emphasized instead of the more practcal reasons most of us choose to attend college.
The book is also an extremely useful guide to succeeding in college with chapters on getting the most from your professors, using the library, staying healthy, getting along with others, studying, and choosing a life path.
This book is currently out of print but these authors have continued to write books on this topic (none of which I've read). However, this book made such an impact on me that I felt compelled to promote it as long as it's available.

The Princeton Review people really know what they are doing to help students prepare for the GRE. My scores were amazing, and I owe it all to this book! I especially was grateful for the sample questions and the guidelines for the logic portion. I only missed 3 questions in that section and scored a 780! Thanks, Princeton Review, for helping me succeed!

I teach at a large state school. Reading John McGowan's book renewed my commitment to teaching as an intellectual and transformative act. I especially liked the essays on teaching literature, the ABCs, pragmatism, and the overview of the "culture", as I am a teacher of the critical/cultural study of science and American studies.

Very clear and intuitive upper-undergrad/graduate level text. I highly recomend it.

Dry Rot in the Ivory Tower is described in the foreward as a "angry call to arms". It is that, and much more. Through a series of vignettes describing life at the fictional "Omnibus University", John Campbell (former professor, dean and university president) describes the light and the dark that exists at universities throughout the country. The stories, though fictional, have a ring of truth to them that makes one suspect that the only fiction is the names, which have been changed to protect the guilty (and the occasional innocent as well; see the vignette about the Heisman Trophy winner which seems to be a barely disguised story about Barry Sanders). Nobody in the university, from governing boards, to administrators, faculty, alumni, and even a few greedy students, escapes unscathed. Thoughout the book, the author's love for the university comes through loudly and clearly, even as that love is challenged by the unending bureaucracy, personal agendas and political vendettas that, unfortunately, exist in universities. If you also love the ideal of the university, this book will make you angry. Your anger will be aimed at those who, by their actions and attitudes, prevent universities from accomplishing as much as they should. Additionally, some of your anger will be with yourself, for failing to do more to help.

(Spanish version)
La comunidad educativa habia esperado por mucho tiempo contar con un libro como el que acaba de publicar el Dr. John S. Levin. Su trabajo resume con mucha precision los principales retos, lecciones aprendidas y direcciones futuras que el sistema de Colegios Comunitarios tendra en el futuro proximo.
El trabajo de John S. Levin es una aportacion novedosa, inteligente y que aporta bases para una concienzuda reflexion acerca del sistema intermedio de educacion superior. Su lectura es no solo util para los Estados Unidos y Canada, sino tambien para paises de America Latina que estan buscando desarrollar sus sistemas de educacion superior intermedia, como es el caso de Mexico.

Kuh, Schuh, Whitt, and Associates have really developed a a fantastic resource manual. I call it a resource manual in the fact that when I need something to back up my views, opinions, reasoning, etc., I can often turn to this book and find the justification that I need. Not only is it thoroughly research-based, but it provides the type of inspiring information that many of us in higher education look for from time to time.

It might have a shortcoming in that the group only used fourteen institutions in their study, but they openly admit their procedures and appreciate the fact that their scope could be considered somewhat limited. However, their conclusions and recommendations are such that they need not be institution specific. They challenge colleges and universities to not only create a mission, but to strive to meet that mission on a continuum...for it to permeate the scope of the institution from the admissions process, through campus life, and on into alumni programming.

For those truly intrigued with higher education (and especially its outcomes), this is an easy read. The picture that they paint for the "involved college" is somewhat utopian, but I argue that is what makes the book so inspiring. We should all hope to work for and/or attend an institution that can set such high goals not only for its academic curriculum, but for the community of learning that it fosters.

Anyone involved with the lives of college students can't afford to miss out on this book.