The college enrollment cliff is here: Now what?
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges facing American colleges due to a decline in traditional college-age students and the factors influencing their decisions about higher education.
America’s college campuses are entering a period of major change. The pool of traditional college-age students is shrinking, and many young people are rethinking whether college is worth the cost. MPR News guest host Kerri Miller and her guests talk about why colleges are expecting fewer students, how public and private institutions are preparing, and what’s influencing whether — and where — young people decide to pursue higher education. Guests: Nathan Grawe is a professor of economics at Carleton College and is one of the country’s leading experts on the college enrollment cliff. He is also the author of “Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education," and “The Agile College,” which helped bring national attention to the coming decline of college-age students. Suzanne Rivera is the president of Macalester College in St. Paul. She has been the president since June of 2020. Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts , Spotify or RSS . Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
People in this episode
Host: Kerri Miller
Guests: Nathan Grawe, Suzanne Rivera
Topics covered
- college enrollment
- higher education
- demographics
- student decisions
- institutional preparation
Keywords
- college enrollment cliff
- higher education
- student demographics
- college costs
- institutional response
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Carleton College, Macalester College
Books & works: Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education, The Agile College
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