Old Main: Small Colleges in Twenty-First Century America Hardcover - 2005

First line

On a substantial number of small college campuses in the United States today, there is a venerable building, usually brick, often Victorian, which is known as "Old Main."

From the rear cover

This original account draws on key data and firsthand observations to tell the story of the small college in America. Defined as institutions that enroll between 500 and 3,000 full-time students, small colleges number about six hundred in the United States. Many are thriving, while some--whether through low enrollment, ballooning debt, or simple misfortune--face uncertain futures. Informed by his own experiences as a teacher and administrator, Samuel Schuman sketches the history and development of these institutions and then focuses on their current conditions and future possibilities.

"Schuman is an ardent proponent of small colleges, and his devotion and passion are apparent in every chapter of this work. The work is also brilliantly written and thoroughly convincing."--Education Review

"An important book . . . Paints a rich picture of the exceptional things small colleges can do."--Academe

"Researchers, faculty, and administrators interested in small colleges will find suggestions for further research and discussion about the many challenges that small colleges face today."--Review of Higher Education

"Interesting reading. The extensive information Schuman provides gives us a picture of contemporary American small colleges."--Journal of Higher Education

Samuel Schuman is Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Minnesota, Morris. He is the author of Cyril Tourneur: A Reference Guide, The Theatre of Fine Devices: Emblems and the Emblematic in the Plays of John Webster, and Vladimir Nabokov: A Reference Guide.

From the jacket flap

This original account draws on key data and firsthand observations to tell the story of the small college in America. Defined as institutions that enroll between 500 and 3,000 full-time students, small colleges number about six hundred in the United States. Many are thriving, while some--whether through low enrollment, ballooning debt, or simple misfortune--face uncertain futures. Informed by his own experiences as a teacher and administrator, Samuel Schuman sketches the history and development of these institutions and then focuses on their current conditions and future possibilities.

Schuman is an ardent proponent of small colleges, and his devotion and passion are apparent in every chapter of this work. The work is also brilliantly written and thoroughly convincing.--Education Review

An important book . . . Paints a rich picture of the exceptional things small colleges can do.--Academe

Researchers, faculty, and administrators interested in small colleges will find suggestions for further research and discussion about the many challenges that small colleges face today.--Review of Higher Education

Interesting reading. The extensive information Schuman provides gives us a picture of contemporary American small colleges.--Journal of Higher Education

Samuel Schuman is Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Minnesota, Morris. He is the author of Cyril Tourneur: A Reference Guide, The Theatre of Fine Devices: Emblems and the Emblematic in the Plays of John Webster, and Vladimir Nabokov: A Reference Guide.