An expose of the American university. It considers all the working parts of the system and assesses their suitability to the professed purpose. The report on the actualities, myths and consequences of routines thus amounts to an anatomy of the institution that is not pretty.

In this hard-hitting expose of the American university, Caplow and McGee consider all the working parts of the system and assess their suitability. Their report on the actualities, myths, and consequences of routines amounts to an anatomy of an institution -- an anatomy that does not present a pretty picture. In a new introduction, the authors sort out fact from legend and discern trends, they address the validity of their own research methods and the applicability of their original findings to today's.