The College Apocalypse is Coming

Hundreds of schools will close during the pandemic.

Note: If you or someone you know is planning on going to college this fall, either in-person or some variation of remote learning, I would love to hear about what choice you made and why.

Introduction

With the academic year fast approaching, a big topic of conversation has been about if/when schools will reopen, and if/when parents will send their kids. Education has turned into a life or death decision. For colleges, it has also turned into a question of their very survival.

Prior to the pandemic and subsequent recession, the economy was actually doing pretty well. Stocks were rising. Wages were finally climbing. And life generally seemed to be looking up.

But colleges were fretting for several reasons.

1. A good economy.
2. Admissions changes.
3. Changing demographics.

Before we tread into those subjects, let’s review how colleges came to be.

The Rise (and Pending Fall) of Colleges

Looking back on the history of higher education, I’m always surprised that colleges and universities ever survived the invention of the printing…