English professor Daniel Schwarz has recently released a new book on undergraduate education, “How to Succeed in College and Beyond: The Art of Learning.”

In the book, Schwarz reflects on his 48 years of experience as a faculty member at Cornell, and includes suggestions from university and college students, administrators and faculty. His book is not only a guide for applying to college and getting financial aid, it can also help undergraduate students balance the joy of learning with career preparation. It also offers a defense of the goals and practices of American universities in the face of “naysayers,” Schwarz said.

His book stresses the successes of American higher education and provides suggestions on how to navigate it. The book includes sections applying to college, advice for parents, what to stress during each of the four years of college, the pros and cons of the Greek system, the value of a junior year or term abroad, preparing for graduate school or career and the value of the humanities. Schwarz also gives a professor’s perspective on teaching.

“I want to stress the positive aspects and the enormous potential of the American college experience and to do so at a time when much has been written of late about the shortcomings of American colleges and universities,” said Schwarz, the Frederic J. Whiton Professor of English and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. “Not only are the value of a college education and the economics of colleges and universities under scrutiny, but so too is the concept of the American dream whereby people use their ability and education to fulfill their potentials and move up the socio-economic ladder.

“On the one hand, colleges and universities do have greater diversity in their student bodies and faculty than in the past. But on the other, evidence of severe economic inequality and social injustice dominate the news. Inequality and injustice are causes and effects of a crisis in America that extends to the role of higher education.”

Anna Carmichael ’18 is a communications assistant for the College of Arts and Sciences.