130 CJHE / RCES Volume 39, No. 3, 2009 Kezar, Adrianna J., and Lester, Jaime (2009). Organizing Higher Education for Collaboration: A Guide for Campus Leaders. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Pages: 320. Price: $48.00 CDN (hardcover). Reviewed by Mark Johnston, Associate Director, Enrolment Services, University of British Columbia. In Organizing Higher Education for Collaboration: A Guide for Campus Leaders Adrianna Kezar and Jaime Lester provide a comprehensive approach to collaboration within the higher education context. Research on this subject matter has traditionally been focused primarily on the challenges of implementing collaboration. With this book the authors choose to take an innovative path from their predecessors and present a case for why collaboration can and should exist within higher education institutions, describing what leaders and change agents should focus on, and finally they take their research further to provide a how-to guide for implementing collaboration. With over fifty articles and books published, Adrianna Kezar, Associate Professor of Higher Education at the University of Southern California, is well established as a prominent researcher on leadership, change, culture and institutional effectiveness within higher education. From her particular focus on learning communities, the benefits of student and academic affairs collaboration and service learning, Kezar is able to assess the centrality and criticality that collaboration holds in the learning mission of higher education institutions. Jaime Lester, Assistant Professor of Higher Education at George Mason University, compliments Kezar’s extensive research with her background and active participation in collaborative research projects. Her experience in working with researchers from separate institutions and various local and state community college districts on projects enables Lester to form a distinct view of how collaboration can create positive change in the higher education context. With this book, the authors are able to articulate an approach to campus collaboration that is rooted in theory but practical and straightforward enough for campus leaders to follow as a guide. The book is separated into three parts, each with a distinct focus. Part I sets the groundwork for the remainder of the book. The focus in this section is on three issues: providing a deep understanding of what collaboration means in a postsecondary context, detailing why collaboration is so important to implement, and identifying barriers to a successful implementation. The authors highlight the advantages of collaboration in the areas of innovation and learning, cognitive complexity, service delivery, cost effectiveness, efficiency and employee motivation. Part II builds on the first and addresses the primary goal of the book: how to reorganize campuses to conduct collaborative work. In this section, the authors draw on their case studies of four campuses that were determined to have high levels of collaboration. Detailed strategies are articulated and advice Book Reviews / Comptes rendus 131 is provided for leaders to use to reorganize their campuses. Particular attention is paid to; the organizational mission, vision and philosophy; values; social networks; integrating structures; rewards; external pressures and; learning. It’s in this section that the authors address how campus leaders can overcome the common pitfalls of collaborative efforts. Particularly stressed is that a collaborative campus has collaboration at its functioning core. This must not only be expressed through the messaging in a campus mission or vision statement but also needs to be embodied by the campus leadership in more ways than mere lip service. Highlighted from the case study research is the importance of having campus leaders fully support collaboration as an effort to maintain its sustainability. The authors outline how the reward structure can be used to shift a campus culture away from rewards focused on individual achievements to acknowledging collaborative efforts as well. This can be done through financial means such as grants to encourage more collaborative work. In the third and final section the authors present a model to guide campus leaders through the process of reorganizing campuses for collaboration. This is an effective summary to capture the elements discussed throughout the book and apply them in a concise and practical fashion. Based on the focus of the book, the intended audience involves campus leaders and change agents in general. Deliberate attempts are made to include all variations of campus leadership. Given the unique structure and cultures of higher education institutions, the book may not be well suited for those outside the context of higher education. For those immersed in higher education, the strengths of this book are innumerable. The primary strength could be the all-encompassing nature of this book in that it touches all corners of a campus environment. Rather than focusing energies on one or two components of the institution, Kezar and Lester are absolutely inclusive in their writings. Discussions range from the benefits of service delivery in academic support units to student affairs professionals, deans and executive leadership. This wide reaching scope subtly reinforces the message of the book that collaboration involves all stakeholders on campus. Conversely, if I had to stretch to find a weakness in this book, perhaps the authors missed an opportunity to dig deeper into building the context for the benefits and logic behind a collaborative approach. By providing less than twenty percent of the text on building the case for collaboration the authors devoted more energy on the how-to portion rather than the why-to. This is excellent from a practical perspective, however throughout the text the authors go to great length in expressing the need for leaders to buy into the collaborative approach. Particularly emphasized is that a move to collaboration is not merely a top-level, surface initiative, it is a deep cultural change for an organization to undertake. This is a minor drawback and certainly does not reduce the strong message of the book. Although delivered from the American perspective there is plenty for Canadian campus leaders to take away from reading this. Perhaps there is an op- 132 CJHE / RCES Volume 39, No. 3, 2009 portunity for Canadian educators to follow-up Kezar and Lester’s work with an article or book from the Canadian standpoint. Particular areas which are in need of a Canadian perspective include internal and external funding structures and government influence with policy strategies. Overall I believe this is an excellent resource for campus leaders and change agents within higher education institutions to draw on. The authors provide a logical and practical approach to discussing collaboration. In a concise manner this book addresses why collaboration is important, what campus leaders should address to initiate a collaborative reorganization as well as providing a model on how leaders can implement a sustainable and successful collaborative structure. Mitchell, Leslie (2009). Maurice Bowra: A Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pages: 400. Price: $50.00 USD (hardcover). Reviewed by David L. Leal, Associate Professor of Government & Director of the Public Policy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin. Maurice Bowra is a name little recognized outside of a declining number of academic circles. If we remember him at all, it is for his personality (formidable), wit (often obscene), and conversational abilities (legendary). Nevertheless, he was among the most famous Oxford dons of the 20th century, and possibly the most infamous. Fortunately, Leslie Mitchell’s comprehensive and carefully balanced book brings Bowra alive for new generations, thereby rescuing him from both oblivion and stereotype. In addition, we learn not only about one unique individual but also about 20th century higher education reforms and transformations, which Bowra both experienced and influenced during his long career as Oxford student, don, dean, warden, and vice chancellor. But first, his famous personality. Mitchell’s portrayal confronts the reader with an unavoidable question: if I had met Bowra, what would I have thought? He was either loved or reviled, and the attempt to answer this question can lead to a good deal of introspection. More importantly, the book suggests a second thought, what political scientists call the “who cares?” question. Although I would not want to needlessly offend his undoubtedly vigorous ghost, one might well ask about his legacy today. While he was an influential figure, he was also sui generis – a talkative controversialist, except when he was not; insular but well traveled; forward thinking yet looking to the past; charming and off putting; both elite and outsider. Is this a book of purely local interest, to be read only by devotees of Oxford, or does it raise questions that continue to resonate in the academy? Maurice would have bellowed – apparently his primary means of communication– a YES to the question of relevance, a position I came to support as the chapters progressed. In addition to feeling both deprived and relieved that I was too young to have encountered this charismatic but disconcerting figure, I was