Club College: Why So Many Universities Look Like Resorts
About this book
Club College is a chapter excerpt from Change.edu coming out October 18, 2011.On college campuses nationwide, luxury and learning go hand-in-hand, keeping the price tag for higher education out of reach for many Americans. Education innovator, and chairman and CEO of Kaplan, Inc., Andrew S. Rosen examines today’s resort-style campus, providing inspiring solutions for stopping the spending spirals and making college affordable for all. Despite the financial crunch, many American universities have become surprisingly lavish over the past decade, providing state-of-the-art recreation facilities, bistro-style dining, spectacular residence halls that rival fine hotels, and “free” amenities such as Kindles, not to mention multi-million-dollar stadiums and coaches’ salaries starting in the high six figures. Showcasing these extraordinary campuses, “Club College” captures the new economic models of higher education, which often divert funds from academics to gain a competitive edge in attracting an elite group of students. On this fascinating tour, Andrew S. Rosen proposes bold new alternatives that focus our nation’s dollars on learning.Poised to spark a dialogue about our nation’s higher education system, “Club College” makes the classroom the centerpiece of college once again, opening doors to careers for a broad range of talented individuals—arguably our greatest economic asset.