Philip G. Altbach is J. Donald Monan SJ professor of higher education at Boston College. There has been an unremitting clamor from many about reforming undergraduate education in America. The professoriate is not unmindful of this din. Yet, it seems, little is done to improve the undergraduate curriculum. This is not as inexplicable as it appears, and we will try to explain why it is so.
Reform can mean many things.
In the broadest sense, it refers to improving or changing for the better, and all parties would surely agree that they have this in mind. It refers to eliminating faults, abuses, or evil ways. When looked at in this way, most academics do not believe that there are serious faults, abuses, or evils that need to be fixed. And even those who do not deny that there are significant problems, might not agree on what they are. The fact is that there is very little demand for change from the grass roots.