The End of College

Résumé du livre

Kevin Carey directs the Education Policy Program at the nonprofit research organization New America. He has also taught education policy at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times and has written for publications such as Wired and Slate.

Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized knowledge dissemination in 15th-century Europe, yet it reinforced academic hierarchies rather than dismantling them. Books, though more accessible, remained costly, perpetuating reliance on universities as centralized hubs of learning. This model, brought to the U.S. with Harvard’s founding in 1636, evolved uniquely as states chartered but did not fund colleges, fostering private institutions. By the Civil War, 250 such colleges existed, shaped by three principles: land grant universities for practical education, research universities for advancing knowledge, and liberal arts colleges for broad-based learning. Despite this hybrid model, American higher education faces systemic failures, including high dropout rates, prolonged degrees, and inadequate skill development. Charles Eliot’s reforms at Harvard emphasized broad undergraduate education and student autonomy, inspiring other institutions but creating financial divides that favored elite universities. Historically, universities shifted from student-centric origins to professor-driven systems, commodifying knowledge and limiting access. Today, the University of Everywhere offers a flexible, online alternative, addressing traditional education’s flaws by breaking financial and logistical barriers, though challenges remain in balancing accessibility with quality.

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