Reflections on the University of California: From the Free Speech Movement to the Global University

"This is an important work for the history of higher education and for the University of California by an extraordinary scholar and leader."--Jonathan Cole, John Mitchell Mason Professor of the University and former Provost, Columbia University
"Neil Smelser has given us a kaleidoscope of insights into the major challenges facing campus and system leaders during defining moments in 20th century US higher education. This book is sure to engage both sociologists of higher education and people who simply wonder why campuses have become sites of such heated conflict and change."--Patricia J. Gumport, Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Stanford University
Neil Smelser's essays signify more than the title suggests, concerned as they are with the major issues that confronted and sometimes confounded the University of California during the transformative years 1958-1994. Smelser was not a mere observer during these years but was a major player in the arena. UC today is nearly as much a reflection of this remarkable man's talents and service as his essays are a reflection on the university itself.--David P. Gardner, President Emeritus, University of California
"There is nothing like it in the literature on modern universities."--Harriet Zuckerman, Senior Vice President, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation