How We Got Here

Abstract

This chapter contextualizes contemporary problems in higher education by presenting key developments from the Colonial Period through the latter part of the twentieth century. This brief review provides insight into the origins of how and why today’s traditional university structure has become anachronistic. The way in which the traditional college model developed over time is explored, along with the many disputes about what exactly should be the purpose and outcomes of a college education. For-profit regionally accredited universities amounted to a disruptive innovation that challenges the traditional college model. Successes and problems of the for-profit university are explored. The review highlights the role government has played in making US higher education a worldwide archetype.