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College Unbound
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College Unbound

The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students

Jeffrey J. Selingo
Amazon Publishing, 2013
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Editorial Rating

8

Recommendation

As the former editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffrey N. Selingo knows the world of higher education. He covers the politics at the Congressional level and the daily experiences of students. Based on his research and his discussions on campuses across the US, Selingo reviews the current state of university-level education. His report provides a fascinating look at ongoing and future issues in education. A revolution is underway, and Selingo prepares parents and managers of the future workforce to understand how the college experience will change. His wealth of information gives this report remarkable insight into current issues in higher education. getAbstract recommends this knowledgeable overview to employers, college placement consultants, parents, students, guidance counselors, faculty, futurists and HR personnel who recruit on campus.

Summary

“Selling College”

People around the world believe in the value that US colleges offer. The nation has 5,300 institutions of higher education, earning $490 billion in annual revenue. Undergraduate and graduate programs enroll more than 20 million students. The number has increased by a third since the 1990s, proof that the bachelor’s degree is now “the new high school diploma.” Many jobs, like clerking in stores, don’t require college degrees, and yet 20% of sales clerks have one. So do 10% of service workers and 5% of those working at hard labor. Colleges make money from increasing student populations and so they build new facilities and add master’s degree programs to encourage more enrollments. Financial-aid packages, which offer need-based and merit aid plus assorted loans, make college possible. Everyone seems to want a degree, no matter what the cost.

College Is for Customers

In the first decade of the 21st century, a few major changes switched the orientation of colleges from education to customer service. Prices skyrocketed to underwrite new facilities and growth in staff services. The next big change occurred when U.S. News & World Report

About the Author

The editor-at-large and former editor of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeffrey J. Selingo publishes in The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

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