Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America
President Jeffrey Docking's book, “Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America,” was written to facilitate replication and generalization of Adrian College’s tremendous enrollment growth and retention success since 2005. This book directly addresses the economic competitiveness of small four-year institutions of higher education and presents an evidence-based solution to the enrollment and economic crises faced by many small liberal arts colleges throughout the country.
In 2005, Adrian College was home to 840 enrolled students and had a tuition income of $8.54 million. By fall of 2011, enrollment had soared to 1,688, and tuition income had increased to $20.45 million.
For the first time in years, the small liberal arts college was financially viable. Adrian College experienced this remarkable growth during the worst American economy in seventy years and in a state ravaged by the decline of the big three auto companies. How, exactly, did this turnaround happen? “Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America” was written to facilitate replication and generalization of Adrian College’s tremendous enrollment growth and retention success since 2005. This book directly addresses the economic competitiveness of small four-year institutions of higher education and presents an evidence-based solution to the enrollment and economic crises faced by many small liberal arts colleges throughout the country.
“The miracle that Docking and his colleagues have worked is not about fairy dust but an all-too-rare blend of crafting strategic priorities based on a deep understanding of contemporary college student interests, persuading the entire campus community to buy into the vision, and staying the course with uncommon courage and wisdom.”—GEORGE D. KUH, Chancellor’s Professor of Higher Education Emeritus, Indiana University and Director, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, University of Illinois
The College of the Future: Lowering Costs for Students by Fixing the Business Model of Higher Education
The College of the Future lays out a bold plan to help America’s private, non-profit colleges innovate and flourish within a challenging environment. These colleges have long been a haven for students, an anchor for communities, and a cultural oasis in small towns and cities across America, but rising costs and falling enrollments have plunged many of these venerable institutions into debt. In the past decade, dozens have closed their doors for good, a devastating occurrence for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the communities surrounding the campuses. Even institutions that are thriving are faced with headwinds that necessitate strategic evolution.
Jeffrey Docking, President of Adrian College, and Kevin Harrington, CEO of Rize Education, make a compelling cause for a collaborative model that allows colleges to quickly add enrollment-boosting majors, minors, certificates, and courses with significantly less cost and risk. This new model also provides a path for colleges to significantly reduce the price of tuition over the next several years.
Beginning with a chance encounter with a Google employee, Docking takes the reader from the early days of course-sharing among a few colleges to the development of a transformational partnership with Rize Education and a consortium of innovative colleges determined to change the future. By sharing courses and majors using new technology, Docking and Harrington show how colleges can become more competitive and dramatically boost enrollment, providing a path to financial sustainability for colleges and lower tuition for students. The College of the Future provides real-world examples and evidence-based results alongside a cogent analysis of how and why this model is already working for many colleges.
To order a copy of “Crisis in Higher Education: A Plan to Save Small Liberal Arts Colleges in America,” or "The College of the Future: Lowering Costs for Students by Fixing the Business Model for Higher Education" visit Arrington Bookstore online, or call 517.264.3185.
