Book Review: College (un)bound: The future of higher education and what it means for students. Bob Hanley, Anderson University

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1 Running head: BOOK REVIEW Hanley, B. (2014). Book Review: College (un)bound: The future of higher education and what it means for students. Palmetto Practitioner (Fall 2014). Retrieved from /index.html Book Review: College (un)bound: The future of higher education and what it means for students Bob Hanley, Anderson University Bob Hanley is Professor of English and Education at Anderson University in Anderson, SC. He received his B.A. and M.A. for Clemson University and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

2 BOOK REVIEW 2 Selingo, J. (2013). College (un)bound: The future of higher education and what it means for students. Boston: Houghton. Like the dot-com bubble that burst sending economic shock waves across the continent, Selingo views higher education in a similar position today. For him, American higher education is broken (2013, p. X) with warning signs multiplying daily of its impending doom. In his book, College (Un) Bound, he foregoes any nostalgic lament for institutions facing dramatic changes to their historic traditions; instead, he takes higher education to task placing the majority of the blame for this crisis on the institutions themselves. Selingo writes in a clear style and offers a challenging and sometimes controversial message to anyone connected with higher education. Drawing on his years of experience (currently serving as editor at large for the Chronicle of Higher Education) as well as numerous academic research studies, he provides a candid report on the status and potential future for higher education. His introduction contains an organizational blueprint for the book s contents that aids coherence and increases readability. Chapter notes allow the reader to explore related works, and an extensive index is available for reference. In part one, Selingo describes how higher education arrived at this crisis point by citing trends in leadership that have taken institutions away from the basic mission of educating students. He argues that the last few decades have witnessed the advent of the credential s race where institutions constantly seek ways to raise their status to attract more students and dollars to their campus. With higher education producing over 490 billion dollars in revenue a year, colleges and universities have drifted from a focus on educating students to a business model where institutions compete for more customers (students) to increase the bottom line. To support his views, he points to the rapid growth of advertising budgets for institutions. The emphasis now placed on branding one s college or university has become a central priority.

3 BOOK REVIEW 3 Also, the hunger for special accreditations is driven by the same desire for institutions to identify themselves as more elite. Unfortunately, for Selingo, too many institutions are guilty of veering from their original mission and now instead are engaged in a race to increase rankings and grow their student numbers. He notes such competition has resulted in campuses that sometimes resemble resorts, complete with concierge and maid service with recreation centers that contain everything from theaters to climbing walls. All of these items come with a price, according to Selingo, and he labels this trend in building and services as a major source of red ink at many institutions. Due to rising costs and lower state scholarships, many students see college costs from their own pockets increasing greatly. Here Selingo cites another factor that will alter higher education, namely the explosive growth of student debt that has just passed the one trillion dollar amount. Despite all the ills that Selingo describes, he does value the role of higher education and offers ideas to get the academic train back on track for success. For him, future students will need a more personalized education program where data mining of student behaviors will enable colleges to drive decisions for these students. Selingo bestows lavish praise on technology. The rapid growth of online and hybrid courses have the ability to deliver content to large numbers of students and reduce costs. He sees the success of the MOOC s (massive online open courses) as heralding a new phase in how we will reward academic credit. Although these courses have not been awarding academic credit to student participants, he identifies a trend beginning to allow credits to be attached to them. In addition, he predicts that the traditional academic calendar will be replaced by a system that is flexible and responds to a student s need to complete courses in varying timelines and formats. As a result, there will be pressure for institutions to unbundle their programs to allow students a more cafeteria approach to attain graduation.

4 BOOK REVIEW 4 Although Selingo describes an academic world much different from the traditional one, he does value certain core educational experiences. For example, he encourages students to identify faculty members passionate about their subjects and to seek them out as mentors. He urges students to immerse themselves in meaningful research and to study abroad for the multicultural experience. He caps this section, which sounds like a typical orientation speech to incoming freshman, with praise for the value of the liberal arts as they aid in the development of critical life skills. In his conclusion, Selingo identifies a few dozen institutions with programs and initiatives that warrant possible emulation for a successful future. His lists of innovative programs provide insights into creative attempts to link the academic world with the world at large. Overall, Selingo s work, College (Un) Bound, is certain to stir both praise and criticism as he charts his course across a galaxy of issues and concerns. A strength is that he does shine his spotlight on the sometimes hidden dark corners of the academic world and illuminate aspects of higher education that need to be addressed. Indeed, there are seismic changes ahead for higher education, and institutions need to recognize, identify, and confront them effectively or risk decline and failure. At the same time, he sometimes relies on shallow support for his arguments. Staff in Student Affairs will appreciate insights Selingo provides into the academic world. His views on the credentials race, the impact of the business model on higher education, the role of the student as customer, the evolution of campus as centers of service, all will resonate with student development personnel. His arguments may bring agreement, rebuttals, questions, and certainly produce reflection on our perceptions. The book may be mined for a

5 BOOK REVIEW 5 variety of purposes from ideas for workshops and training or professional development. It may even be used as an impetus for revolutionizing the way we do college. Our history teaches us that institutions evolve over time. Selingo does not offer a death knell for the traditional college but rather sounds an alarm that big changes are coming. How institutions respond will decide their success, or failure.