1. UNIVERSITATEA “ LUCIAN BLAGA” DIN SIBIU
FACULTATEA DE LITERE ŞI ARTE
CATEDRA DE STUDII BRITANICE ŞI AMERICANE
LUCRARE DE DIPLOMĂ
COORDONATOR ŞTIINŢIFIC:
Lector univ. dr. MIRELA PETRAŞCU
ABSOLVENT:
IOANA ANTIȚA ISAC
- SIBIU 2011 -

2. UNIVERSITATEA “ LUCIAN BLAGA” DIN SIBIU
FACULTATEA DE LITERE ŞI ARTE
CATEDRA DE STUDII BRITANICE ŞI AMERICANE
ÎNVĂȚĂMÂNTUL SUPERIOR ÎN
S.U.A. ÎNCEPÂND CU ANII 1960
COORDONATOR ŞTIINŢIFIC
Lector univ. dr. MIRELA PETRAŞCU
ABSOLVENT:
IOANA ANTIȚA ISAC
- SIBIU 2011 -

3. LUCIAN BLAGA UNIVERSITY OF SIBIU
FACULTY OF LETTERS AND ARTS
DEPARTMENT OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN STUDIES
HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE U.S.A.
SINCE THE 1960’S
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR:
MIRELA PETRAŞCU, Ph.D
Lecturer
CANDIDATE:
IOANA ANTIȚA ISAC
- SIBIU 2011 -

4. Contents
Introduction 1
1. Aims and Mission of Higher Education 2
1.1. The Mission of Higher Education 2
1.2. The Aims of Higher Education 3
2. A Systematic Historical Overview 5
2.1. The 1960’s: Access and Expansion 5
2.1.1. Higher Education in 1969 15
2.2. The 1970’s 18
2.2.1. External influences 21
2.3. The 1980’s and the 1990’s 22
2.4. The Past and the Present 23
3. Major Issues in Higher Education 27
3.1. Accountability 27
3.2. Affordability 29
3.3. Financial Aid 31
3.4. The Community College 32
4. The Private Sector 36
4.1. Preserving the Private Sector 36
4.2. Harvard: the Oldest Figure from the Private Sector 37
4.3. Higher Education: Right or Privilege 40
Conclusions 43
Works cited 45

5. Introduction
The aim of my paper is that of emphasizing the development of higher
education in the USA since the 1960.
There is a certain confusion regarding the division of institutions of
higher education. Some see it as a unity with vocational exceptions; the
Carnegie classification sharply divides them into: research universities,
doctoral-granting universities, comprehensive colleges, four-year liberal
arts colleges, and two-year community colleges; and others broadly
separate higher education into two sectors: the private and the public one.
It is through the perspective of the latter one that I chose to present my
research paper.
The reason why I have decided to divide the entire history of
American higher education, choosing to present it since the 1960’s is
because it is after the World War II that higher education started changing
dramatically.
I consider higher education to be the key element for a nation’s
development on many aspects. This is why I find this topic very
interesting not only from the perspective of sheer history, but also from
the perspective of a student whose future plans may include studying or
even living in the USA.