College of Education Professor Featured in Inside Higher Ed
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 14, 2013) — John Thelin, professor of higher education and public policy in the University of Kentucky College of Education, was recently featured in Inside Higher Ed discussing President Obama's plan to improve college affordability. Titled "Bumpy Road to Reforming College" Thelin explores the various issues that surround this complicated topic.
"Most likely Americans will find what some very able scholars already know – reforming college costs is going to be more difficult than reforming health care as a national initiative," Thelin said.
Thelin, who also has a joint appointment with the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, came to UK in 1996. Since then, he has become nationally renowned as one of UK's go-to experts on higher education history, policies and issues. An alumnus of Brown University, he received his master's degree in American history and doctorate in the history of education from the University of California, Berkeley. He went on to work in a variety of administrative positions in higher education, and eventually became research director for California’s 64 independent colleges and universities in 1979, which sparked his interest and involvment with public policy at the state and federal levels. Over the years, Thelin developed even more interests ranging from the study of philanthropy and foundations to economics of higher education to the study of college sports.
His book, "A History of American Higher Education," has remained the standard account of the evolution of American universities and colleges since its publication in 2004 by the Johns Hopkins University Press. His most recent book, "The Rising Costs of Higher Education - A Reference Handbook," features 10 original essays by higher education policy experts, a lively historical narrative that provides context to current issues, and systematic guides to finding additional sources of information on the subject.