Jon Nixon has held chairs at four universities across the UK. He currently holds an honorary chair at the University of Sheffield, UK.

"'Beautifully written, of wide scope and offering a much needed and humane vision of higher education as serving the public good - it is difficult to imagine a better book on the university than this. If only every university vice-chancellor and principal would pay it at least some attention.' (Ron Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education and Consultant, Institute of Education, University of London, UK) 'In this excellent book, Jon Nixon salvages higher education from the wreckage wrought by three decades of commercialisation, commodification, competition and classification. He articulates a powerful, cogent and realisable vision of higher education as a public good - a site for the development of human capability, reason and purpose, existing within and contributing to the social interconnectivities of the res publica and cosmopolis.' (Bob Adamson, Head, Dept of International Education & Lifelong Learning, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong)"

• Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. The Public in Retreat; 2. Social Imaginaries; 3. Civic Imaginaries; 4. Cosmopolitan Imaginaries; Interlude: From imaginaries to Actualities; 5. Human Capability; 6. Human Reasoning; 7. Human Purpose; 8. The Return of the Public; Coda: A sense of possibility; References; Index.

Jon Nixon has held chairs at four universities across the UK. He currently holds an honorary chair at the University of Sheffield, UK.

"'Beautifully written, of wide scope and offering a much needed and humane vision of higher education as serving the public good - it is difficult to imagine a better book on the university than this. If only every university vice-chancellor and principal would pay it at least some attention.' (Ron Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education and Consultant, Institute of Education, University of London, UK) 'In this excellent book, Jon Nixon salvages higher education from the wreckage wrought by three decades of commercialisation, commodification, competition and classification. He articulates a powerful, cogent and realisable vision of higher education as a public good - a site for the development of human capability, reason and purpose, existing within and contributing to the social interconnectivities of the res publica and cosmopolis.' (Bob Adamson, Head, Dept of International Education & Lifelong Learning, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong)"

• Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. The Public in Retreat; 2. Social Imaginaries; 3. Civic Imaginaries; 4. Cosmopolitan Imaginaries; Interlude: From imaginaries to Actualities; 5. Human Capability; 6. Human Reasoning; 7. Human Purpose; 8. The Return of the Public; Coda: A sense of possibility; References; Index.

Jon Nixon has held chairs at four universities across the UK. He currently holds an honorary chair at the University of Sheffield, UK.

"'Beautifully written, of wide scope and offering a much needed and humane vision of higher education as serving the public good - it is difficult to imagine a better book on the university than this. If only every university vice-chancellor and principal would pay it at least some attention.' (Ron Barnett, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education and Consultant, Institute of Education, University of London, UK) 'In this excellent book, Jon Nixon salvages higher education from the wreckage wrought by three decades of commercialisation, commodification, competition and classification. He articulates a powerful, cogent and realisable vision of higher education as a public good - a site for the development of human capability, reason and purpose, existing within and contributing to the social interconnectivities of the res publica and cosmopolis.' (Bob Adamson, Head, Dept of International Education & Lifelong Learning, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong)"

• Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. The Public in Retreat; 2. Social Imaginaries; 3. Civic Imaginaries; 4. Cosmopolitan Imaginaries; Interlude: From imaginaries to Actualities; 5. Human Capability; 6. Human Reasoning; 7. Human Purpose; 8. The Return of the Public; Coda: A sense of possibility; References; Index.