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Rating: 
Summary: Very insightful new book
Review: Although I've spent more than 20 years in higher education, I found this book to be very valuable -- it provides a balanced and thorough view of the for-profit education industry. The author takes a look at the five major players, talks about the differences and similarities between for-profit and traditional institutions, despels some of the myths about for-profit institutions, and illustrates how the for-profit institutions are serving the needs of today's students and employers. A must read for anyone who wants an in-depth look at higher education today.
Rating:
Summary: Very insightful new book
Review: Although I've spent more than 20 years in higher education, I found this book to be very valuable -- it provides a balanced and thorough view of the for-profit education industry. The author takes a look at the five major players, talks about the differences and similarities between for-profit and traditional institutions, despels some of the myths about for-profit institutions, and illustrates how the for-profit institutions are serving the needs of today's students and employers. A must read for anyone who wants an in-depth look at higher education today.
Rating: 
Summary: Very enlightening, but some errors
Review: As mentioned in the other reviews, Ruch provides a balanced comparison between the traditional (tax-exempt) university and the non-traditional (for-profit) university. The book was very readable and showed the outcome is similar, but the perspective and approach is different.The most enlightening is that the "for-profit" university is not a new idea, as Ruch traces early examples back into the early days of America and in Europe. Also enlightening is the new trend of traditional universities using extension services to bring in money to the university as a for-profit branch of the school. I did notice at least one error in the information. When discussing the faculty salary at one of the for-profits, I found that we overstated it by about $400-500. As a faculty member of over six years for the school, I can vouch that we have never made that much, not even with a doctorate degree. Overall, I would recommend reading this just to see that the schools are not as different as they think they are.
Rating:
Summary: Very enlightening, but some errors
Review: As mentioned in the other reviews, Ruch provides a balanced comparison between the traditional (tax-exempt) university and the non-traditional (for-profit) university. The book was very readable and showed the outcome is similar, but the perspective and approach is different. The most enlightening is that the "for-profit" university is not a new idea, as Ruch traces early examples back into the early days of America and in Europe. Also enlightening is the new trend of traditional universities using extension services to bring in money to the university as a for-profit branch of the school. I did notice at least one error in the information. When discussing the faculty salary at one of the for-profits, I found that we overstated it by about $400-500. As a faculty member of over six years for the school, I can vouch that we have never made that much, not even with a doctorate degree. Overall, I would recommend reading this just to see that the schools are not as different as they think they are.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: I work for a governor's office and found this book extremely helpful in understanding the new wave of for-profit institutions moving into higher education. I ordered copies for several other policy makers because the book presents a thoughtful and persuasive analysis of the key question: What constitutes a proper college education? Anyone concerned about the future of higher education in the United States needs to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book!
Review: I work for a governor's office and found this book extremely helpful in understanding the new wave of for-profit institutions moving into higher education. I ordered copies for several other policy makers because the book presents a thoughtful and persuasive analysis of the key question: What constitutes a proper college education? Anyone concerned about the future of higher education in the United States needs to read this book.
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