University of Kentucky College of Education Professor John Thelin’s book “Essential Documents in the History of Higher Education,” 2nd edition, made Forbes’ list of Best Higher Education Books of 2021.

Thelin, a regarded authority on the history of higher education and public policy, presents a rich collection of primary sources that chart the social, intellectual, political and cultural history of American colleges and universities from the 17th century to the present. The updated edition includes issues that have shaped American higher education in the past decade, from congressional investigations into endowments and court cases about paying student-athletes, to accounts of campus protests over racial discrimination and adjuncts struggling in the “gig economy.”

In addition to his Forbes recognition, Thelin is the author of “Waiting for Their Day in Court: A History of Professors and the Legal Status of Academic Freedom.” This is featured as a chapter in the new book published by Johns Hopkins University Press, "Challenges to Academic Freedom," edited by Joseph C. Hermanowicz. A link to the book and its table of contents can be found here. 

Thelin is a university research professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation. His other books include “A History of American Higher Education” and “Going to College in the Sixties.”