This makes a lot of sense to me. My hunch is that schools have thought about this. Some, like many of the New England SLACs, have been quite strategic in making their brands desirable beyond their region. And there are some that have not and will likely suffer. Leadership’s vision matters.
Not mentioned in the article are changes we’ve all speculated about on the college closure thread. Might some schools figure out how to deliver a high-focus, low-frills product at a significantly different price point? Where do international students fit into this? How do community colleges change?
I suspect that some of what Selingo anticipates will happen is right on the money, but that there may also be some versions of college that differ from what we know or imagine today. He’s right that it’s not sustainable as is.