Academic Diary: Or Why Higher Education Still Matters

Higher education is going through a turbulent phase in many countries in these days. Faculty members, potential job seekers, administrative staffs, and students, all are facing the heat of the situation. The modern university system is coping with severe challenges ranging from funding cut from state-owned institutions, private and philanthropic organizations to the legitimacy crisis in the wake of populist politics and the rise of authoritarian regimes in several countries. The future of higher academia may be perceived as bleak. In such an atmosphere, Professor Les Back has contributed a significant piece of academic work, in which he shares his reflections and deep thoughts on the major challenges the higher academia is facing. The book covers a broad range of issues. It is the outcome of his more than three decades of engagement with academia in the UK and the wider world. The book is written in an unusual format of a diary. Nevertheless, it is more than a personal reflection. Some issues addressed in the book are mundane and context specific (to the UK) and others have broader significance for higher academia in various national contexts. The book introduces the idea of academic time and starts with entries dated from early September and goes till the August year end. The book is divided into three parts. Part One describes the Autumn term, Part Two deals with Spring term and Part Three with the Summers. Les Back gives a vivid account of University life, of students and faculty members, in the UK. Even though the majority of the episodes are directly related to Goldsmiths, University of London, a public university located in metropolitan London, one can observe a lot of similarities to their own experiences in universities with different characteristics and located in other national and cultural contexts.