Today American institutions dominate nearly every major ranking of global universities. Yet in historical terms, America’s preeminence is relatively new, and there is no reason to assume that US schools will continue to lead the world a century from now. Indeed, America’s supremacy in higher education is under great stress, particularly at its public universities, while Chinese universities are on the ascent. Will China threaten American primacy? Empires of Ideas looks to the past two hundred years for answers, examining the successes of leading universities to determine how they rose to prominence and what threats they currently face. William C. Kirby gives special attention to the challenges that Chinese academic leaders must confront: reinvesting in undergraduate teaching, developing new models of funding, and navigating a political system that may undermine a true commitment to free inquiry and academic excellence.
