Scannell & Kurz Enrollment Management Blog

Earlier this summer, I re-read Robert Zemsky, William F. Massy, and Gregory R. Wegner’s 2005 Remaking the American University: Market-Smart and Mission-Centered. What continues to make this book so relevant is its analysis of college costs and the forces that drive them. Despite the fact that the authors write from the vantage point of pre-recession 2005, their analysis remains compelling. They coined the terms “administrative lattice” and “academic ratchet” to describe the internal factors contributing to college costs. The administrative lattice describes the growth of administrative structure that arose in response to: faculty consignment of traditionally academic service functions to administration; increased regulation from…Read more

I just finished reading DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education, by Anya Kamenetz. Although it was published in March of 2010, it is still very relevant today as the consumer rebellion against rising college costs that she predicted has started to come to fruition, especially this year. In addition, all of the recent press about MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) was foreshadowed in her assertion that the availability of free course content on the web (via iTunes U, YouTube…) plus social media platforms to make high tech also high touch (e.g., 2for platform, online gaming…) has the potential to transform the delivery of education. She observes three reactions to these opportunities: A movement…Read more