Our Contentious Universities

“Neil Rudenstine’s latest book is a two-for-one commentary on American universities, the envy of the world and yet a source of bitter domestic controversy today. It thoughtfully examines the last 75 years of American higher education, linking changes in universities to broader changes in politics, economics, technology, international affairs, society and culture. Rudenstine himself has been an important participant-observer in these changes. Thus, the book is also a fascinating personal memoir of these 75 years of development and turmoil. It is hard to imagine a timelier or more important book.” (Robert D. Putnam, author, Bowling Alone and The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again) “American higher education is a great success story of the last 75 years. Yet as this book shows, our universities are often the crucibles in which challenging issues of our society are contested. And while our universities are still admired around the world, the values they have historically embodied are increasingly coming under critical attack. Neil Rudenstine describes these challenges, and offers insights he gained in the leadership of two of the most prominent universities in the United States. His personal story reveals consistently thoughtful decisions and considerable, understated political skill. This book should be required reading for those who seek to either lead or criticize our universities today.” (Robert Kasdin, former Executive Vice President, University of Michigan and former Senior Executive Vice President, Columbia University) “Scholar, teacher, writer, researcher, Neil Rudenstine brought a deep commitment to teaching and learning to the decades he served as a senior administrator at two great American universities. Drawing on this experience, he has crafted an absorbing narrative about the state of universities in the United States from the 1960s to the present day—and in so doing brings attention to the attacks on academia we are witnessing in 2025. This insightful book is a must-read for all faculty and administrators committed to the promise of higher education in the United States.” (Margaret H. Marshall, former Chief Justice, Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts) “Neil Rudenstine knows universities and their discontents. This is an extraordinary personal history—an engaging Bildungsroman—of a man of immigrant grandparents and modest means who rose to be a leader of two great universities. It is also a chronicle of the rise and challenges of the modern American university, whose history mirrors the contentious politics that continue to this day. Above all, it is the work of a true intellectual, an erudite writer, a curious and generous observer, with a backbone steeled by decades conducting “orchestras” of faculty, students, and alumni during times of upheaval and discontent, much like what we see happening on college campuses today. Why is Neil Rudenstine among the most beloved of Harvard’s presidents? Readers of this book will find out.” (William C. Kirby, Harvard University, author of Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China) “A fascinating and thought-provoking ‘personal history’ of American higher education, and especially of Princeton and Harvard, since the 1950s, and a compelling read.” (James Turner, Cavanaugh Professor of Humanities Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame) “Neil L. Rudenstine’s erudition and fascinating stories keep the reader’s attention, while his deep expertise enables him to offer wise counsel about critical issues in American higher education.” (Steven Poskanzer, President Emeritus, Carleton College) “The chapters in which Neil L. Rudenstine weaves himself into events, some with significance, are very effective—readable and meaningful.” (W. Bruce Leslie, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus) “A magnificent book that eloquently, accurately, and painfully explains the many travails of the university, past and present. Sadly, higher education faces problems that are nearly insoluble—climate change, inequality, hunger, gun control, mass and serial killings, genocide, and the Israeli-Palestinian war. It’s a challenging time for any college president but this book will help ease the pain.” (Dr. Jack Nusan Porter, Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, and author of Western Civilization: A New Paradigm)

Neil L. Rudenstine graduated from Princeton University (1956), was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, earned his PhD in English Literature at Harvard, and remained on Harvard’s faculty until 1968. After two decades as Professor, Dean, and Provost at Princeton, he was President of Harvard University from 1991 to 2001. He was a trustee of the Barnes Foundation and was chair of the boards of ARTstor, the New York Public Library, the Rockefeller Archive Center, as well as vice-chair of the board of the J. Paul Getty Trust. His several books include Sidney’s Poetic Development; English Poetic Satire (with G.S. Rousseau); In Pursuit of the PhD (with W. G. Bowen); and Pointing Our Thoughts. He lives in Massachusetts.

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