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Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University: A University President's Perspective
After decades of domination on campus, college sports' supremacy has begun to weaken. "Enough, already!" detractors cry. College is about learning, not chasing a ball around to the whir of TV cameras.
In Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University James Duderstadt agrees, taking the view that the increased commercialization of intercollegiate athletics endangers our universities and their primary goal, academics. Calling it a "corrosive example of entertainment culture" during an interview with ESPN's Bob Ley, Duderstadt suggested that college basketball, for example, "imposes on the university an alien set of values, a culture that really is not conducive to the educational mission of university."
Duderstadt is part of a growing controversy. Recently, as reported in The New York Times , an alliance between university professors and college boards of trustees formed in reaction to the growth of college sports; it's the first organization with enough clout to challenge the culture of big-time university athletics.
This book is certainly part of that challenge, and is sure to influence this debate today and in the years to come.
James J. Duderstadt is President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, University of Michigan.
In Intercollegiate Athletics and the American University James Duderstadt agrees, taking the view that the increased commercialization of intercollegiate athletics endangers our universities and their primary goal, academics. Calling it a "corrosive example of entertainment culture" during an interview with ESPN's Bob Ley, Duderstadt suggested that college basketball, for example, "imposes on the university an alien set of values, a culture that really is not conducive to the educational mission of university."
Duderstadt is part of a growing controversy. Recently, as reported in The New York Times , an alliance between university professors and college boards of trustees formed in reaction to the growth of college sports; it's the first organization with enough clout to challenge the culture of big-time university athletics.
This book is certainly part of that challenge, and is sure to influence this debate today and in the years to come.
James J. Duderstadt is President Emeritus and University Professor of Science and Engineering, University of Michigan.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 24, 2018
Not a lot in here that was new to me, but interesting to get Duderstadt's perspective on athletics during and after his tenure as Michigan's President. Has a tendency to make the same points over and over again, and some of the proposals have become far outdated in the decade since this was last updated. Still though, has some interesting ideas and a useful primer on the subject.
August 21, 2008
For those not as aware of the complicated world of intercollegiate athletics, Duderstadt provides his own perspective, and struggles, from his time as president of the University of Michigan. Duderstadt solidly lays out the tension between athletics and academics, pointing out the hypocritical nature of commercialization at the expense of athletes... and more pointedly, at the expense of the purpose and image of higher education.
However, don't expect to find an extensive reference list or academic research to back up his exasperations. Notably, there are few paragaraphs in the book without an explanation point -- noting Duderstadt's clear frustrations he had with athletics while president. He presents some interesting and bold solutions to the crises caused by athletics... but, it is also interesting to ask why these weren't proposed while he had the opportunity AS president. His criticism that university leaders turn their heads from the problem instead of falling on a sword to tackle them could be a criticism of his own self.
An easy read, fairly engaging... but nothing extraordinary or earth-shattering.
However, don't expect to find an extensive reference list or academic research to back up his exasperations. Notably, there are few paragaraphs in the book without an explanation point -- noting Duderstadt's clear frustrations he had with athletics while president. He presents some interesting and bold solutions to the crises caused by athletics... but, it is also interesting to ask why these weren't proposed while he had the opportunity AS president. His criticism that university leaders turn their heads from the problem instead of falling on a sword to tackle them could be a criticism of his own self.
An easy read, fairly engaging... but nothing extraordinary or earth-shattering.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews