Becoming Great Universities

Small Steps for Sustained Excellence

Richard J. Light, Allison Jegla

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780691229461, 9780691212593
• eBook ISBN: 9780691212609
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Administration

How campus communities of every kind can transform themselves from good to great

Becoming Great Universities highlights ten core challenges that all colleges and universities face and offers practical steps that everyone on campus—from presidents to first-year undergraduates—can take to enhance student life and learning.

This incisive book, written in a friendly and engaging style, draws on conversations with presidents, deans, and staff at hundreds of campuses across the country as well as scores of in-depth interviews with students and faculty. Providing suggestions that all members of a campus community can implement, Richard Light and Allison Jegla cover topics such as how to build a culture of innovation on campus, how to improve learning outcomes through experimentation, how to help students from under-resourced high schools succeed in college, and how to attract students from rural areas who may not be considering colleges far from their communities. They offer concrete ways to facilitate constructive interactions among students from different backgrounds, create opportunities for lifelong learning and engagement, and inspire students to think globally. And most of the ideas presented in this book can be implemented at little to no cost.

Featuring a wealth of evidence-based examples, Becoming Great Universities offers actionable suggestions for everyone to have a positive impact on college life regardless of whether their campus is urban or rural, private or public, large or small, wealthy or not.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction and Overview
• 1. Encouraging Continuous Campus Improvement: Building a Culture of Systemic Innovation
• 2. Helping Students from Under-Resourced High Schools to Succeed at a Rigorous College
• 3. Investing vs. Harvesting: Encouraging Students to Balance Risks and Talents
• 4. How Do We Attract and Support Students Who May Not Be Considering Our Institution? Rural Americans as a Case Study
• 5. Experimenting with Teaching to Improve Student Learning Outcomes
• 6. What Are Students Actually Learning? How Do We Know?
• 7. Acting on Students’ Opinions, Ideas, and Advice
• 8. Facilitating Constructive Interactions among Students from Differing Backgrounds and Experiences
• 9. Building Opportunities for Lifelong Learning and Engagement
• 10. Inspiring Students to Think Globally
• 11. Bringing It All Together: Suggestions for Getting Started
• References
• Index