Summary Of A Perfect Mess By David F Labaree

Published in 2017, David F. Labaree’s book A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education analyzes exactly what the title suggests. Across the United States of America there is a total of 2,618 accredited four-year universities/ colleges (the words are synonymous throughout Labaree’s writing, a trend I will continue in this review). Within the first page Labaree states that this system was never really supposed to work. He then continues the book by showing the ways American higher education was able to grow into the successful system it is today. During his argument Labaree wavers back and forth on supporting the idea that public universities are strong enough to stand on their own without state funding. Ultimately, he decides that they aren’t. Public and private universities are two different animals that are seeking to survive in the same wilderness. Hence, I agree with Labaree that the system of public universities will consequently crumble if state funding is completely cut for colleges.
Competition against private universities is too rough for public universities to try to keep up with. To exist, public universities need help from the state. Private universities are like
On top of being successful academically, as well as being able to support themselves financially, these colleges can independently run themselves. Labaree explains that public universities deal with layers upon layers of bureaucracy which can seize up any attempt to make an operational change. Of course, private universities are not able to get away with anything, they too must jump over hurdle but not nearly as many. The major difference is governmental involvement. Private universities can create a program and must only run it through boards within the