America is reckoning with the big idea of what a college degree is supposed to offer. And that’s a healthy, necessary conversation to have. To be clear, I’m not saying it’s an easy one. But we know the days of going to college from age 18 to 22, and then working for a company for 30 years, and getting your watch and pension upon retirement. Those days are over (if they ever really existed). This country cannot rely on that now fictional story and expect our students and community to buy into it. But rather than adapting to this economic and societal change, we see many flagships still narrowly focusing on those traditional undergrad and graduate students, fighting for a larger share of a shrinking college-age demographic.
