Everyone knows American universities are more expensive and less impressive than ever. But Vedder is right that solving this crisis requires precision and strategy—not a wrecking ball.
That’s exactly what Vedder’s book offers.
Drawing on the work of the Austrian economist Joseph A. Schumpeter, he names the cure: “creative destruction.”
Vedder defines “creative destruction” as a “gale of destruction” that is “incessantly destroying” the inefficient institutions while also “incessantly creating” new ones.
This isn’t a crude executive order coming from the top of government.
Rather, “creative destruction” is the organic and necessary force that will lead to the best possible outcome for everyone—educators and students alike.
Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education is the hard-hitting instruction manual America needs in order to save its institutions of higher learning. Daring in its analysis, practical in its problem-solving, and thoroughly readable in its prose, it is indispensable reading for those who want America’s colleges to thrive once again.
