Colleges on the Brink

American colleges and universities face a veritable tsunami of challenges when it comes to their near-term and long-term success. But two of the nation's most foresighted higher education leaders offer hope and a plan, providing strategic, practical advice for how to navigate these choppy waters. Colleges on the Brink should be required reading for those taking on the important task of making needed structural changes to allow institutions to thrive in the future and better serve today's students. As college leaders look to the post-pandemic future, they are confronting a confluence of daunting economic, political, and demographic changes that post an existential threat to the future of many campuses. Mike Nietzel and Chuck Ambrose-two college presidents with decades of diverse experiences in higher education-provide a clear-eyed, timely, and well-researched assessment of the challenges ahead, with a bold roadmap to financial sustainability through restructuring and reform. Colleges on the Brink is sure to generate discussion on the future of higher education as campus leaders navigate the turbulent 2020s. It should be required reading for college executives and those ascending to college leadership roles in the years ahead. This is the right book at the right time to provide a planning guide for academic leaders at colleges facing financial uncertainty. Nietzel and Ambrose combine experience as university presidents with a clear logic to considering sound data and values to make good decisions about mission and resources in the post-covid college era. Their engaging writing style and institutional analyses create a gyroscope for colleges whose presidents and professionals are navigating the adversities colleges face in the 21stcentury. Whether leaders find themselves at a relatively well resourced institution or one that has always struggled, this book is illuminating in its approach to understanding what has happened, what is happening, and what will likely happen across American higher education without bold vision and action. Ambrose and Nietzel, with plenty of experience behind them, provide perspective and foundation to encourage leaders to take the necessary steps to steer their institutions through the troubled times ahead. Senior leadership teams, whether they are serving public or private institutions, would be well advised to read this book before the organization experiences the likely challenges of the next ten years.