A New Era in Higher Education Reform?

Earlier this year, President Obama set an ambitious goal: By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Getting there will require more than just a re-hash of old ideas and failed solutions. This month, Washington Monthly released its annual College Guide, including innovative college rankings and provocative articles describing how the ever-more-expensive higher education system is falling short—and what can be done to fix it.

On September 10, 2009 Education Sector and Washington Monthly hosted a discussion about what the Obama administration's new focus on higher education means for the future of American colleges and universities. 

This discussion featured: Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO of the Lumina Foundation (introductions); Paul Glastris, Editor, Washington Monthly; Kevin Carey, Policy Director, Education Sector; Ben Wildavsky, Senior Fellow, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Paul LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University; and Robert Shireman, Deputy Undersecretary of Education