In the last century and a half, the American standard for the college ideal has included: a robust student life, a sprawling physical campus, and a faculty whose research contributes to the broader national conversation. The articles in this collection show how this standard was the creation of government intervention, corporate financing, and the organizing of students and professors. Readers will discover the broad diversity of college experience, plus the growing challenges to sustain the college ideal in times of economic downturn and political division.