Graduating from college has traditionally been, and for many Americans still is, a much-desired goal. But increasingly the value and make-up of a college education is being questioned. Is college worth the expense? Is a degree needed for success in contemporary America? Should college prepare a student for a job or for a life?

Professor Andrew Delbanco addresses these and other timely questions in his new book College: What It Was, Is and Should Be. Professor Delbanco explores the history and purpose of American higher education and illuminates how tensions between character formation and professional training, as well as those between teaching and research, have shaped our colleges and universities.

Professor Andrew Delbanco, Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities and Director of the American Studies Program at Columbia University.