Considering the Possible Future of American Higher Education

Abstract

As with all other social institutions, the pace and complexity of change make it challenging to predict what the future holds for the American higher education enterprise. While the broad mosaic of colleges and universities that comprise this enterprise has collectively been described as the best such conglomeration of its kind in the world (Bowen, Kurzwell &Tobin, 2005; Harvey, 1998) several concerns are now surfacing that must be acknowledged and considered. Literally spread across the broad American landscape is a constellation of two and four-year institutions --public and private; secular and religious; urban, suburban, and rural; large, medium and small colleges and universities -which have generally been regarded as providing access and opportunities for students of all races, ethnicities, ages, and social classes.

Keywords

• American higher education
• public higher education
• private higher education