FEINBERG SERIES KEYNOTE: Is Higher Education Good for Our Communities? Assessing the Past and Forging a New Path Forward
Lecture by Davarian L. Baldwin
Distinguished Professor of American Studies, Trinity College
With an eye to the University of Massachusetts, Davarian L. Baldwin will draw from his book In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower to discuss the “public good” of higher education as it has shifted from a service provider of education and research to acting as a major force of economic development and political governance in our communities. Today’s universities are embroiled in the swirling forces of student debt, labor organizing, corporatization, campus protest and suppression, and a waning public confidence in higher education. Baldwin will explore how we got here, the costs and benefits of what he calls “UniverCities,” and the possibilities for a more liberatory path forward.
View full details and register on the Feinberg Series website
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Dr. Davarian L. Baldwin is an internationally recognized historian, cultural critic, and public advocate. He is the Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies and founding director of the Smart Cities Research Lab at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. His academic and political commitments have focused on global cities and particularly the diverse and marginalized communities that struggle to maintain sustainable lives in urban locales. Baldwin is the award-winning author of several books, most recently, In The Shadow of the Ivory Tower: How Universities Are Plundering Our Cities and served as the consultant and text author for The World of the Harlem Renaissance: A Jigsaw Puzzle (2022). His commentaries and opinions have been featured in numerous outlets from NBC News, BBC, and HULU to USA Today, the Washington Post, and TIME magazine. Baldwin was named a 2022 Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation for his work in racial and economic justice.
The 2024-25 Feinberg Series
What Are Universities For? Struggles for the Soul of Higher Education
The 2024-25 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series explores the historical roots of present-day political, economic, and ethical crises in higher education. It is presented by the UMass Amherst Department of History in partnership with numerous co-sponsors. The Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Series is made possible thanks to the generosity of UMass Amherst history department alumnus Kenneth R. Feinberg ’67 and associates.
Departmental (co)sponsorship of various types of events does not constitute an endorsement of the views expressed by the presenters, either at the events in question or in other venues. Rather, sponsorship is an endorsement of the exploration of complex and sometimes difficult topics. The UMass History Department is committed to promoting the free and peaceful exchange of ideas, one of the most important functions of the university.