A Look at the New Generation of Higher-Education Thinkers

Articles: A Look at Higher Education's Next Generation of Thinkers Kenneth E. Redd tracked the downside of discounting Marlene L. Garcia uses research to help shape California legislation J. Douglas Toma measures the cost of keeping up with the Joneses Mikyung Ryu grades the states on higher education Jennifer Delahunty Britz speaks up for student-friendly admissions Marc Goulden crunches numbers on academics' family lives Bridget Terry Long blends an economist's methods with practical insights Joel Vargas helps 'near miss kids' land in college Peter J. Stokes paddles the white water of higher-education data Sarah E. Turner and Brian Pusser watch the wind in for-profit colleges' sails Printer friendly E-mail article Subscribe Order reprints

By SARA HEBEL

The aging of the professoriate has also brought the graying of many of the most prominent experts on higher-education policy. Even these analysts themselves have begun to ask who will be the leaders of the key debates of the future -- who will follow in the legacy of influential thinkers like the late Frank Newman, who led a federal commission that broadly criticized American higher education in the 1970s, and continued to play a leading role in education reform until his death in June 2004.

In an attempt to identify promising new voices, The Chronicle offers a look at several up-and-coming thinkers who have already made a mark on debates about American higher education and who are poised to influence national policies.

In coming up with this list, we consulted several higher-education experts and reviewed the work of dozens of people. Our aim was not to devise a top-10 list. Rather, we sought to highlight influential thinkers who are representative of those who may become pacesetters for the next generation of higher-education experts in the United States.

We selected people who, together, have expertise in a variety of policy areas, and who do their work through diverse organizations. They also come from varying professional and personal backgrounds and different regions of the country.

Many of the thinkers profiled here are familiar faces on the conference circuit. Several of them presented papers this year at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, a prominent group whose aim is to advance the field and its practical applications. Others have labored mostly behind the scenes but have led major analytical projects that have jump-started national discussions or influenced policy.

All have already become noteworthy contributors to higher-education policy. They are worth watching for how they will contribute to national conversations to come.