Bruce A. Kimball attacks the widely held assumption that the idea of American "professionalism" arose from the proliferation of urban professional positions during the late nineteenth century. This first paperback edition of The "True Professional Ideal" in America argues that the professional ideal can be traced back to the colonial period. This comprehensive intellectual history illuminates the profound relationships between the idea of a "professional" and broader changes in American social, cultural, and political history.

These essays systematically review those individuals perceived as representing the highest ideals of progress and service in higher education. The majority are former presidents, administrators and faculty in college and universities who have left an indelible mark on their communities and institutions. Three chapters cover political figures who have been committed to expanding, improving, and including ever larger groups of the population (ethnic, gender, cultural diversity) in higher education. Two chapters examine issues in higher education. All underline the contributions of those who left a legacy of caring to future generations.

"The West Virginia University Mountaineer isn't just a mascot: it's a symbol of West Virginia history and identity that's embraced throughout the state. Folklorist Rosemary Hathaway explores the figure's early history as a backwoods trickster, its deployment in emerging mass media, and finally its long and sometimes conflicted career-beginning officially in 1937-as the symbol of West Virginia University"--