An Introduction

Here in Boston higher education is always front-page news. Obviously, we have a lot of colleges and universities and some are pretty famous. But it is not just proximity. There is audience here, too. Many local residents who came to study here never left. So there are alumni. And all these folks—or at least a large percentage of them—had children who were collegebound. So the interest never really flagged. Plus all the professors and the administrators who were educated elsewhere—they, too, pay attention to their "industry" although none would ever speak of it as such. There is critical mass here in Boston consisting of those who believe in the magic of higher education, those who critique higher education, and those who are employed by higher education. I fit into all three categories.