Includes bibliographical references and index.

Objects in Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear -- Part I. Trends -- Catching the University in Mid-Transformation -- The New Age of Fewer Children and More Inequality -- The Marriage of Carbon and Silicon -- Beyond the Virtual Learning Environment -- Connecting the Dots: Metatrends -- Part 2. Scenarios -- Peak Higher Education -- Health Care Nation -- Open Education Triumphant -- Renaissance -- Augmented Campus -- Tutor Me, Siri -- Retro Campus -- Part 3. To the Future and the Present -- Beyond 2040 -- Back to the Present.

"The author argues that the number of higher education institutions in the United States has peaked--that is, has hit the maximum for meeting consumer demand--and he tracks the trends in higher education he sees as the result. His near-future predictions are meant to prepare university administrators who want to anticipate and adapt to shrinking enrollments, reduced public support, and a proliferation of competing technological options for education"-- Provided by publisher.