College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education

Combining a flair for numbers with a grasp of the bigger picture, venture capitalist and educational entrepreneur Craig spells out the threats facing higher education in America, among them crises of affordability and governance, “the effects of technological disruption and globalization,” and “absolutely no outcome data related to student learning.” With sportive analogies to pop culture and his own college pranks at Yale University, Craig outlines what institutions can do to position themselves for “the Great Unbundling,” in which students pay for education rather than for faculty research, fancy buildings, and college athletics. Craig’s strategic vision is strictly a business model, requiring institutions to compete for consumers, market their brand, and successfully distribute their products worldwide, but his advice makes sound economic sense: to survive, he argues, institutions need to reprioritize “knowledge creation and dissemination” and provide a good return on investment by cultivating in students the cognitive, self-management, and “creative and critical thinking skills that employers demand.” His suggestions, he admits, take “a ton work,” but his discussion of the existing data, federal policy, and market trends address “clear social [and] economic needs.” Savvy, sharp, and ultimately optimistic, Craig’s book offers an ambitious blueprint that administrators would be wise to heed. Agent: Carole Mann, Carole Mann Agency. (Mar.)