Experts say higher education is an industry in turmoil. The collateral damage is widespread

Higher education faces deepening challenges as campuses sit eerily quiet, with abandoned buildings and sparse activity marking a shift in the sector’s landscape. Experts warn that the turmoil in academia extends far beyond empty lecture halls, leaving lasting effects on students, staff, and communities. The decline in enrollment and operational slowdowns reflect broader struggles within the industry, raising questions about sustainability and the future of learning institutions. A closer look reveals how these changes ripple across the economy and society at large.

AMHERST, Mass. — The parking lots are mostly vacant. Locked and dark, many of the buildings are lifeless but for dying plants in dusty pots. One of the few people visible is a white-bearded man on a riding mower, tending to an empty lawn as if by habit. This is not a factory or office […] The post Experts say higher education is an industry in turmoil. The collateral damage is widespread appeared first on The Hechinger Report.