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

• Preface and 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.

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.

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

• Preface and 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.

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.

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

• Preface and 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.

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.