Kathleen Fitzpatrick (1) (1967–)

Excellent thought-provoking analysis of the university as is and re-positioning of where it might be. Fitzpatrick's critiques of the academy are spot on and I really like the direction she is suggesting--higher education as part of, as opposed to separate from, the rest of civic life. I particularly appreciate her exploration of the tension surrounding expertise and her understanding of how those with specialized knowledge can be equal participants in a conversation or shared venture. Similarly, her challenge/invitation to academics not to discount other ways of "reading" and experiencing was compelling, especially as someone who always feels as though she is reading on both sides of the town and gown divide. I would have added (and may make a comment on the open version of this book), that academics often fail to recognize the extremely important work the community is already undertaking, in all areas, including those that fall in the Humanities and Social Sciences. This lack of awareness only adds to the gulf that so frequently distances formal scholars from the community (or the public, as Fitzpatrick would say).

The overarching notions of opening up academic work, engaging with a larger community, and asserting that the role of higher education is not to make money but to be part of the social project to improve and enrich life for all is critical. Fitzpatrick hits the nail on the head when she identifies the assessment and reward systems as a primary blocker for this--tenure and review, pitting individual academics against each other and institutional ranking systems that pit schools against each other. Faculty are the only ones who can change the former, a change that will have many, many positive side effects. I hope some are swayed by this book.… (més)

I heard Kathleen Fitzpatrick during a plenary session at the Open Education Conference in 2021, and immediately after the presentation walked the 500 feet or so from my office to my community college's library and borrowed this book. There's a lot in here that's relevant even if you don't teach liberal arts, and even if you don't teach at a research university.

First, the concept of competition really resonated. It made me think back to my undergrad research lab, all of grad school, and my postdoc. I feel like I had spent so many years getting finely trained in tearing down arguments as succinctly, wittily, and scathingly as possible. I was trained that this was necessary because engineers have to be able to see flaws in things in order to ensure that what we do has value. I noticed as I transitioned to a career as an educator that all that "training" just made me mean. Why do things have to be that way? They don't! I've spent the last 6-7 years trying to erase that mindset and become a better person. Apparently there are similar issues in the humanities, as Dr. Fitzpatrick points out. She goes into detail about why this is and what we can do to combat it.

Then she goes into a very powerful argument about how the purpose of education has become to prepare students for the workforce, rather than as a public good, and many of the repercussions of that. I found every word to resonate with how I feel about the issues with higher education, even though I don't teach at a university. Even though (or maybe especially because?) I teach in probably the quintessential field that's pointed out as a "useful" and "important" major to help students get good jobs and careers, engineering still suffers from the side effects of education being seen as a market good, and not a public good.

But all said and done, the reason I teach at a community college is for many of the things that Dr. Fitzpatrick discusses in this book. Research universities are toxic places, especially in the sciences. What will it take to change that? That's what this book hopes to address. I can't say I left with any specific action items, but it's hard to undo so many years of so much neoliberal damage. But this book is important nonetheless.… (més)

Kathleen Fitzpatrick calls for transforming the culture of higher education from one of competition to one of community. And that sense of community is to extend beyond the campus. Fitzpatrick decries how education has come to be considered a private responsibility rather than a public good. Higher education institutions have contributed to this change in perspective by isolating themselves from the larger community. Fitzpatrick calls for universities to join in solidarity with the wider public. This will require, says Fitzpatrick, generous thinking—listening to one another, being open to learning as much as teaching, and applying knowledge for the public good. Fitzpatrick admits that what she proposes will not be easily achieved. Nonetheless, it is critical, she argues, to the future of higher education and society that universities reach beyond their borders to lead the necessary transformation of how we perceive and deliver education. Fitzpatrick writes for university faculty and administrators. But this volume will also be of interest to anyone concerned about the role of higher education in American society.… (més)