Levine and Van Pelt compare the present moment to the Industrial Revolution. Colleges and universities, they argue, are facing a “Great Upheaval” as digital learning, shifting student demographics, and changing employer demands render the traditional model obsolete. Rosenberg critiques the sector’s paralysis—elite schools tinker around the edges while regional and small private colleges hemorrhage relevance, students, and money.
Vedder is more direct: Many of these institutions shouldn’t be saved. Their value proposition—skyrocketing tuition in exchange for middling outcomes—is no longer viable. And Shapiro’s Lawlessframes the decay as not just financial or operational, but legal and cultural: colleges and universities have abandoned the principles of due process, viewpoint diversity, and open inquiry, and have instead become leftist echo chambers increasingly at odds with their civic mission.
Each author targets the economic dysfunctions plaguing the higher education sector. Tuition has soared even as the return on investment for many degrees has plummeted. Administrative bloat and lavish capital spending on non-academic amenities have widened the disconnect between costs and outcomes. Meanwhile, online platforms and nontraditional providers are undercutting traditional colleges and universities with more flexible, affordable, and often more relevant credentials.
