From the magazines and newspapers of the mid-1800s to movies andapps of the twenty-first century, popular culture and media in theUnited States provide prolific representations of higher education.This report positions artifacts of popular culture as pedagogictexts able to (mis)educate viewers and consumers regarding thepurpose, values, and people of higher education. It:* Discusses scholarly literature across disciplines* Examines a diverse array of cross-media artifacts* Reveals pedagogical messages embedded in popular culture textsto prompt thinking about the multiple ways higher educationisrepresented to society through the media.Informative and engaging, higher education professionals can usethe findings to intentionally challenge the (mis)educating messagesabout higher education through programs, policies, andperspectives.This is the 4th issue of the 40th volume of the Jossey-Bass seriesASHE Higher Education Report. Each monograph is thedefinitive analysis of a tough higher education issue, basedon thorough research of pertinent literature and institutionalexperiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Notedpractitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write thereports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscriptbefore publication.

Executive Summary viiForeword xiRepresenting "U": Popular Higher Education 1Introduction 1Framing Higher Education in Popular Culture 2Examining Popular Culture 6(Mis)educating "U" 10Once Upon a "U": A Brief Historical Examination of Popular Higher Education 13Introduction 13Popular and Prolific "U": Examining Popular Culture 13Concluding Thoughts 19Being "U": The Setting of Higher Education 21Introduction 21Being an Institution of Higher Education: Thematic Discourses 22Being an Institution of Higher Education Too: The Salience of Type 32Concluding Thoughts 42Running "U": Administrators in Popular Culture 43Introduction 43Being a Higher Education Administrator: Types and Presence 44Being a Higher Education Administrator: Thematic Discourses 46(Mis)running "U"? 50Professing "U": Faculty in Popular Culture 53Introduction 53Categorizing Popular Culture Professors 54Trusting the Professoriate 58White, Straight, and Male: The Professorial Status Quo and Alternative Narratives 64The Pop Culture Ceiling: Gendered Challenges to the Status Quo 71Concluding Thoughts 79Learning From "U": College Students in Popular Culture 81Introduction 81Shaping Popular Culture College Students Through Institutional Status 82Popularity and Privilege in College Student Popular Culture 90Concluding Thoughts 107(Re)educating "U": Learning From Popular Culture 109Introduction 109Opportunities for (Re)education 111Future Popular Culture Research 122Conclusion 124Notes 125References 127Name Index 137Subject Index 141About the Author 145