College Hill Chronicles: How the University of Alaska Came of Age

The College Hill Chronicles is an account of the formative years of a small subarctic university with big ambitions. Davis emphasizes the politics and personalities of the boardroom, but shows the cooperation and conflict that tied the boardroom debates to politics on a more grand scale in Juneau and in Washington.

Davis doesn't judge the people who shaped the university, though he does marvel at them. He supports no theory of historical inevitabilities, except perhaps for Murphy's Law. Less interested in the philosophical explanation of the cause of events, Davis places more emphasis on people and how they dealt with those events. Administrators of any organization will appreciate and have empathy with the organizational pitfalls Davis describes. Some historians may find this approach unusual, but readers will enjoy the refreshing narrative of The College Hill Chronicles.