Making a Difference College Guide, 1994 : Education for a Better World

Book by Weinstein, Miriam

In spirit, Making a Difference College Guide resembles the Whole Earth Catalog; in layout it is closer to a standard guide to selected colleges. Profiled are 70 public and private colleges and other post-secondary institutions in 29 states with programs "committed to public service, social change and environmental stewardship." Institutions included here tend to be rich in such programs as environmental, women's, peace, Native American, Afro-American, and Chicano studies. Extensive listings--occasionally annotated--of courses taught range from plant ecology and urban geography to Afro-American folklore and Chicano politics.

Though each entry has its own variations, that for the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, is typical. The number of undergraduates, location, and selectivity are followed by a two-page narrative summarizing the college's mission, curricular and extracurricular "making a difference" programs, campus atmosphere, and school strengths. We read, for instance, that Evergreen "is a challenging, free-spirited and continually evolving community," which has a nationally recognized organic farm and "a variety of year-long programs with an international theme." The next section lists academic programs and more than 30 courses, including Environmental Studies; Management and the Public Interest; and Native American Studies. Finally, a brief section provides student and faculty breakdowns for gender and people of color, resident and nonresident costs, application dates, special features such as the availability of study abroad and vegetarian meals, and admissions office and telephone number. Other features include brief introductory essays such as "How to Test-Drive a College," a brief bibliography, and a state-by-state index.

This reasonably priced paperback, printed appropriately on recycled paper, is recommended for high school, public, and academic libraries for its exposure of many fine but little-known schools.