"Indispensable reading for anyone who wants to think more deeply, practically, democratically, and constructively with students and teachers about how to repair the Wasteland by reclaiming public higher education in the United States."

-Mary G. Dietz, Northwestern University, USA

"At a time when universities across the nation are centrally concerned with issues of diversity and inclusion as well as student success, Saving Public Higher Education offers ground-breaking insights and guidance. Organized around eleven inspiring and heart-breaking voices, this book lays bare so many fault-lines in our national discourse on race and educational opportunity, and also points to positive ways to address the nation's challenges." -Joan Burton, University of Maryland, USA In this book, eleven recent college graduates describe in vivid detail their journeys from racially segregated, underfunded public schools to a state university, and the obstacles they encountered along the way. Chapters highlight personal accounts of poverty, violence, and bullying in childhood, the persistence of racism on the university campus and the inability of faculty and administrators to combat it. Overcoming all-too-common barriers, these eleven students persevered, earned their degrees and continued on to graduate school and professional careers. The authors conclude the book with policy proposals that not only address the issues raised by the students, but that would also restore public education to its original role as an engine of opportunity and driver of democracy. Jennifer Ring is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA, where she has taught political philosophy, and courses on race, gender and identity for 25 years. She received her Bachelor's degree from UCLA and her Master's and Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. She has published books and articles in political theory, feminist theory, and gender and sports.

Trisden Shaw is a political educator and community organizer who seeks to amplify the voices of those who traditionally have been silenced. As a campus organizer, Trisden orchestrated a number of social actions seeking to improve the conditions of marginalized students on campus and in the community. He is a recent graduate of the African American Studies MA program at University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

Reece Gibb is a technical writer for a software developer in Silicon Valley. He earned his MA in Political Science, and his BA with Honors in History and Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno, USA. His interests include electoral politics, nineteenth-century American history, and queer studies, often focusing on the convergence of all three.

Autorentext

Jennifer Ring is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA, where she has taught political philosophy, and courses on race, gender and identity for 25 years. She received her Bachelor's degree from UCLA and her Master's and Doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. She has published books and articles in political theory, feminist theory, and gender and sports.

Klappentext

In this book, eleven recent college graduates describe in vivid detail their journeys from racially segregated, underfunded public schools to a state university, and the obstacles they encountered along the way. Chapters highlight personal accounts of poverty, violence, and bullying in childhood, the persistence of racism on the university campus and the inability of faculty and administrators to combat it. Overcoming all-too-common barriers, these eleven students persevered, earned their degrees and continued on to graduate school and professional careers. The authors conclude the book with policy proposals that not only address the issues raised by the students, but that would also restore public education to its original role as an engine of opportunity and driver of democracy.

Inhalt

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Black Wastelanders

The Myth of Identity

Not Really a Group