A recent spate of closings and mergers may signal greater turbulence to come for the private nonprofit sector, whose 1,700 institutions enroll about 30 percent of all students attending four-year colleges. States vary in both their demographic projections and the degree to which their higher-education systems rely on private schools, but informed observers agree that more closures are inevitable. The more important question is, what kind of higher-education system do we want? One that’s composed mainly of elite schools for top students and public universities for everyone else? Or a system that offers a variety of choices, in both the public and private spheres, for all kinds of students? To learn more, read “Private Colleges in Peril” by Stephen Eide.

—Education Next