An enlightening and fascinating collection of speeches by Stephen Trachtenberg, this book touches upon many of the fundamental issues facing institutions of higher education. Trachtenberg asks why, although everybody agrees something must be done about our public education system, nothing, or next to nothing, has actually happened? If what our students most lack are technical and mathematical skills, is the debate over western tradition vs. multiculturalism a red herring? Can total quality management really work in the stratified environment of American higher education? Whether examining the role of business in education, the value of political correctness, the frayed self-image of American higher education, or the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., Trachtenberg brings to each topic not only his thought-provoking insight and wry humor, but his own wealth of real-life experience in education, government, and business.