On March 3, Brandeis University announced the release of “From Upheaval to Action: What Works in Changing Higher Ed,” a book co-written by Brandeis President Authur Levine and Scott J. Van Pelt, Director of Research and Faculty Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.
According to an article posted on Brandeis Stories on March 3, the text for “From Upheaval to Action” had already been finished by the time Levine became President in 2024. The article states that “[b]ased on years of research and on-the-ground engagement with institutions across the country, the book, released on March 3, focuses on what is working in higher education, and what is not. At Brandeis, those ideas are not theoretical. Since returning to his alma mater, Levine has led a faculty-driven effort to reimagine the university itself—work that closely reflects the book’s central argument: that incremental reforms are no longer sufficient, and that higher education must rethink its structures, assumptions and measures of success.”
The article further describes how Levine and Van Pelt “argue that many institutions remain stuck, either resisting change or cycling through disconnected experiments, even as public confidence in higher education declines and students increasingly demand clarity about value and outcomes.” Levine is quoted as saying, “The question facing colleges and universities is not whether to change, but how—and whether they are willing to move beyond surface-level adjustments to confront what truly needs to be rethought.”
“From Upheaval to Action” is the sequel to Levine and Van Pelt’s earlier book, “The Great Upheaval: Higher Education’s Past, Present, and Uncertain Future,” released in September 2021. In that book, Levine and Van Pelt argue that “The United States is in the midst of a profound transformation the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the Industrial Revolution, when America’s classical colleges adapted to meet the needs of an emerging industrial economy” and discuss changes that will occur in universities to adapt. Reception to “The Great Upheaval” appears to have been largely positive, with a 4.6 rating on Amazon and a 3.92 rating on Goodreads.
“From Upheaval to Action” builds on the findings in “The Great Upheaval” to discuss various developments that have occurred since then, such as COVID-19, political polarization, and the rise in artificial intelligence. The book’s description on Amazon states that “Colleges and universities are confronting the combined pressures of demographic realignment, economic strain, and technological disruption. They face challenges not only in attracting and retaining students, but also in remaining relevant in a world reshaped by automation, artificial intelligence, and the accelerating demands of a global knowledge economy … This book chronicles the successes and missteps of institutional responses while tracking new developments that have surged to the forefront, including the rise of alternative credentials, the redefinition of college affordability, renewed scrutiny of DEI initiatives, and growing political tensions around academic freedom and public trust.”
In a free sample of “From Upheaval to Action,” Levine and Van Pelt explain how the book was inspired by over 70 invitations to various institutes of higher education since the publishing of “The Great Upheaval.” They write, “‘The Great Upheaval’ was about the challenges and opportunities affecting higher education and the need to act. This volume reports on what colleges and universities have already done, which strategies have been proven successful, and which have been ineffective, or even liabilities.”
The first few chapters of the book cover changes in higher education since the publishing of “The Great Upheaval,” comparing them to events during the years 1870-1925. Specifically, the rise of artificial intelligence is compared with the Second Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic is compared to the 1918 Spanish Flu. The middle section of the book discusses ways in which higher education is changing due to these events and “the panoply of experiments being attempted by colleges and universities.” Lastly, Levine and Van Pelt discuss conclusions and recommendations, focusing on what they call “the five C’s: focus on consumers, convenience, content/delivery and certification, cost, and connections.”
Concluding the free sample, Levine and Van Pelt write: “Our goal is not to proselytize, but to report on what we have seen on campuses around the country … Our aim is to reach all those who are seeking to answer the question, ‘What should we do?’”
