Reinventing Higher Education: The Promise of Innovation

The inspiration for this timely book is the pressing need for fresh ideas and innovations in U.S. higher education. At the heart of the volume is the realization that higher education must evolve in fundamental ways if it is to respond to changing professional, economic, and technological circumstances, and if it is to successfully reach and prepare a vast population of students—traditional and nontraditional alike—for success in the coming decades. It examines the current higher education environment and its chronic resistance to change; the rise of the for-profit universities; the potential future role of community colleges in a significantly revised higher education realm; and the emergence of online learning as a means to reshape teaching and learning and to reach new consumers of higher education.

Combining trenchant critiques of current conditions with thought-provoking analyses of possible reforms and new directions, Reinventing Higher Education is an ambitious exploration of possible future directions for revitalized American colleges and universities.

“This collection of well-researched essays offers a comprehensive view of an educational landscape that is changing under our feet. People who think they understand American higher education are likely to find many surprises in this insightful book.” — Richard H. Brodhead, president, Duke University

“U.S. higher education is both enormously successful and essential to our future, yet it is endlessly frustrating for its lack of innovation and ruthlessly rising costs. This important volume tackles the conundrums that surround this most conservative of enterprises and points the way toward improvements in the educational performance of our colleges and universities. Essential reading for both those within and outside the academy.” — David W. Breneman, University Professor and Newton and Rita Meyers Professor in Economics of Education, University of Virginia

“In the twentieth century, America built the world’s best system of higher education, one that combined openness with excellence. But can it maintain its lead in the twenty-first century? Reinventing Higher Education offers not only a clear-eyed assessment of the state of American higher education—it also provides a compelling, indeed inspiring, blueprint for how the system can remain the best in the world. This book is essential reading for America’s captains of higher learning—and indeed for anybody who cares about the future of the country.” — Adrian Wooldridge, management editor and Schumpeter columnist, The Economist

Ben Wildavsky is a senior fellow in research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation. His most recent book is The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities Are Reshaping the World. Andrew P. Kelly is a research fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His writings have appeared in Teachers College Record, Educational Policy, Policy Studies Journal, Education Next, Education Week, and Forbes. Kevin Carey is a policy director at Education Sector. His writings have appeared in Washington Monthly, the New Republic, the American Prospect, Democracy, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, InsideHigherEd, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Ben Wildavsky is a senior fellow in research and policy at the Kauffman Foundation. His most recent book is The Great Brain Race: How Global Universities Are Reshaping the World. Andrew P. Kelly is a research fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. His writings have appeared in Teachers College Record, Educational Policy, Policy Studies Journal, Education Next, Education Week, and Forbes. Kevin Carey is a policy director at Education Sector. His writings have appeared in Washington Monthly, the New Republic, the American Prospect, Democracy, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, InsideHigherEd, and the Chronicle of Higher Education.