An Aging America: Higher Education’s New Frontier - Barbara Vacarr, Chronicle of Higher Ed

As baby boomers flock toward retirement in ever-increasing numbers, industries are gearing up to capitalize on this historic demographic revolution. But for all the attention, one sector has been strangely absent from the conversation: higher education. This is especially troubling given that, perhaps more than any other sector, higher education will need to rethink itself as the population ages. In 2009 a report from Chronicle Research Services sounded the alarm, warning that the vast majority of traditional four-year private colleges were heading down the path to extinction unless they shifted demographic gears. Along with highlighting the dwindling numbers of affluent white high-school students in most of the country, and the growing number of financially strapped teens from diverse ethnic groups, "The College of 2020: Students" found that "the adult-­education market will be the fastest-growing one in higher education for the foreseeable future." http://chronicle.com/article/An-Aging-America-Higher/150425/