The University of Pennsylvania’s growth over the past few decades has turned it into one of the leading universities in the world. Yet this growth was not without controversy.

A new book, Becoming Penn: A Pragmatic American University, 1950-2000 , written by University of Pennsylvania professors John L. Puckett and Mark Frazier Lloyd, provides an in-depth history of one of the most significant periods of growth. The book highlights some of the critical leaders who shaped the university’s future and examines the community tensions that sprung up as a result of the campus expansion.

Puckett is a professor at Penn’s Graduate School of Education. He sat down with Knowledge at Wharton to discuss Becoming Penn on Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM channel 111 . (Listen to the podcast at the top of this page.)

An edited transcript of the conversation appears below.

Knowledge at Wharton: This book does not provide a peaches-and-cream view of the university.…