Roger is an historian who has written widely on higher education and policy. This website is intended to provide original reflections and commentary on subjects of current or historical interest. A number of these writings were drafted as ‘reading notes’ on significant recent publications. These Notes aspire to give a fuller account of the contents than conventional book reviews, and to provide reflections and reservations as well. Some contributions are thematic review essays discussing recent writings. As of this launch date (September 2020), the Notes and essays have engaged topics in two general areas: 1) as American society verges on cracking up, literature has been reviewed on topics that afford some insights into select issues. And 2) aspects of human history have been addressed, particularly recent books relevant to the place of the West in the evolution of humanity across the globe.

Roger Geiger taught in the Penn State Higher Education Program for nearly 30 years and is now a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. His most recent book, American Higher Education Since World War II: A History, was published by Princeton University Press in 2019. With its predecessor, The History of American Higher Education: Learning and Culture from the Founding to World War II (Princeton UP, 2015), these volumes analyze the evolution of American colleges and universities from the founding of Harvard to the present. An earlier trilogy, To Advance Knowledge (1986), Research and Relevant Knowledge (1993), and Knowledge and Money (2004), analyzed the growth of American research universities in the 20^th century.