In 2017-2018, the University of Michigan will celebrate its Bicentennial, two hundred years of leadership in American higher education. The study of Michigan's history— its current challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities, and its future possibilities—illustrates not only many of the key policy issues that have shaped American higher education but also suggests those that will challenge both the University and the nation in the years ahead. This course will consider the University as an exemplar both of the evolution of higher education and the forces that will shape it in the future. Included will be subjects such as the cost, price, and value of a college education (e.g., who benefits, who pays), the ability to serve an increasingly diverse population, and the critical role of university research in determining the prosperity, security, and public welfare of the nation. Current issues such as student activism, diversity, faculty tenure, the financing of higher education, college sports, and the political environment characterizing higher education will be considered. Of particular importance will be a consideration of the future of the university, considering issues such as changing demographics, globalization, and the rapid evolution of key technologies such as cyberinfrastructure, artificial intelligence, and gene editing, again using the University of Michigan as a case study.
