"Eleven "New Gen" university students in Nevada with unique and distinctive tales to tell of racism, elitism, inequalities, and hierarchies of rank in public higher education. Eleven "Voices from the Wasteland" of Nevada, with bracing accounts of struggle, determination, anger, and action that shatter expectations based on predictable stereotypes of identity politics. Eleven different stories from Nevada, with students conspiring toward a vitalizing collective response to the manifold crises that beset public higher education in the United States. With admirable generosity and remarkable self-control, Ring, Shaw, and Gibb allow the eleven University of Nevada, Reno students at the heart of this study to speak truth to power for themselves and in concert with each other, showing us how they find their voices together. The result is a brutally honest but strikingly hopeful book, remarkable for its collaborative pedagogy and willingness to journey along with "the rough and the unpredictable" contingencies of student activism and alliance building on a matter of utmost importance in current American politics. Indispensable reading for anyone who wants to think more deeply, practically, democratically, and constructively with students and teachers about how to repair the Wasteland by reclaiming public higher education in the United States." -- Mary G. Dietz , Northwestern University, USA "At a time when universities across the nation are centrally concerned with issues of diversity and inclusion as well as student success, Saving Public Higher Education offers ground-breaking insights and guidance.

By forefronting an open-ended, interview approach, this book serves as an extraordinary exemplar of how to facilitate honest and important conversations among diverse populations--culminating in a clear and compelling list of recommendations and best practices. Organized around eleven inspiring and heart-breaking voices, this book lays bare so many fault-lines in our national discourse on race and educational opportunity, and also points to positive ways to address the nation's challenges. The book also offers important suggestions for how to deal with challenging institutional history. It contributes crucial recommendations for developing general education requirements that actively promote diversity and inclusion, with academic rigor, and concludes with a thought-provoking proposal for enhancing funding for public education in America. The audience for this book includes campus leadership, faculty, staff, students as well as anyone interested in issues of diversity, equity, and student success. Further, this model of how to facilitate honest and effective group meetings can be employed far beyond the campus environment." -- Joan Burton , University of Maryland, USA.